We visited four Hello Hubs, in communities with distinct social and economic conditions, cultural groups, and dialects. Busawuula’s urban setting, with a transient population transitioning from rural to urban life, was different from the stable St. James community less than a mile away. The Tooro Hub was in a cooler upland area, in an urban community with greater resources. The Kidubuli Hub was in the same region, but more remote, with no electricity in the village and noticeably less-abundant resources.
During our time at Tooro, Andrew, James, and several friends — mostly students from a nearby private secondary school — were gathered at the Hub, alternating between TED Talks, music videos, Facebook, and email. Andrew, who had been using the Hub for school research as he prepped for A-levels, asked for pointers on how to start his own blog.