The Handbooks We Needed But Couldn't Find: Creating AI Literacy Resources for Uganda's Civil Society
When you can't find the right resource, sometimes you have to build it yourself.
Early in the planning stages of the Localizing AI Solutions for Civil Society Organizations project, I faced a fundamental problem: I needed comprehensive, accessible resources to help Ugandan CSO leaders understand and adopt AI - but nothing quite right existed.
The available materials fell into predictable categories. Academic texts were too theoretical, assuming computer science backgrounds most CSO staff don't have. Tech industry guides were written for Silicon Valley contexts, not rural Uganda. International development resources touched on AI but lacked the depth needed for practical implementation.
What CSOs needed was something different: resources that bridged foundational AI literacy with practical application, that acknowledged infrastructure constraints while showcasing possibilities, that treated AI as a tool for mission-driven work rather than an end in itself.
So I wrote them.
Over several months leading up to the November 2024 Tech Talk workshop and January 2025 Civic Hackathon, I developed three handbooks specifically for CSO staff in Central and Southwestern Uganda. Each addressed a different aspect of the AI literacy puzzle, and together they formed a comprehensive learning pathway.
The process taught me as much about digital transformation capacity building as it did about AI itself. Here's what I learned, and why it matters for anyone trying to build digital capacity in civil society contexts.
The Challenge: Bridging Multiple Knowledge Gaps
Creating effective learning resources for CSOs isn't just about simplifying technical content. It's about understanding the specific context CSO staff operate in - the constraints they face, the problems they're trying to solve, and the learning styles that work when your audience is experienced professionals who don't have time for fluff.
CSO leaders in Uganda are incredibly sophisticated about development challenges, community engagement, advocacy, and program implementation. They're not novices who need everything explained from first principles. But they often lack exposure to AI concepts and tools, not because of capability but because of access and relevance.
The handbooks had to respect that expertise while building new knowledge. They had to be comprehensive enough to be useful references, but structured so readers could extract what they needed without reading cover to cover. They had to acknowledge both the transformative potential of AI and its very real limitations.
Most importantly, they had to be useful during the workshops, after the workshops, and months later when participants were trying to implement what they'd learned.
Handbook 1: Understanding AI - Building the Foundation
The core challenge: How do you teach artificial intelligence to people who have never coded, may not have reliable internet, and need to understand it well enough to make strategic decisions about adoption?
Understanding AI: A Comprehensive Guide to Artificial Intelligence became a 100+ page journey through AI fundamentals, structured to build from basic concepts to practical implications.
What Worked: Structure Over Simplification
Rather than dumbing down AI concepts, I structured the content to build knowledge progressively. The handbook moves through seventeen chapters, each adding a layer of understanding:
The Insight: Context Makes Content Stick
What made this handbook effective wasn't comprehensive coverage - you can find that elsewhere. It was the deliberate connection to CSO contexts throughout.
When discussing AI in healthcare (Chapter 4), I didn't just explain medical diagnosis AI. I connected it to challenges CSOs working in health access face - could AI help triage community health worker referrals? When covering AI ethics (Chapter 5), I framed bias and fairness in terms of the vulnerable populations many CSOs serve.
Chapter 10 on challenges and limitations proved particularly valuable. By being honest about what AI can't do well, about infrastructure requirements, about the feasibility questions around AGI, I gave CSO leaders the critical thinking framework they needed to evaluate vendor promises and pilot opportunities.
Participants in the November workshop told me they appreciated that the handbook "didn't oversell AI" - it presented it as a powerful tool with real constraints, not a magic solution.
Handbook 2: Harnessing AI for CSOs - From Knowledge to Practice
The core challenge: Once CSO staff understand what AI is, how do you help them identify specific, practical applications for their work?
Harnessing AI for CSOs: A Comprehensive Resource Guide took a different approach-less textbook, more curated toolkit.
What Worked: Curation Over Creation
CSO staff are time-constrained. They don't need to know everything about AI; they need to know the right things. This handbook became a carefully curated collection of:
1. Thought Leaders and Resources to Follow Not generic "learn about AI" links, but specific blogs, newsletters, and experts whose work connects to social impact. The curation saved participants from drowning in the ocean of AI content online.
2. Practical Tools with Clear Use Cases AI tools for fundraising - not generic CRM platforms, but specific AI-powered prospecting and donor matching tools. AI for content creation - not just "try ChatGPT," but workflows for using generative AI in social media campaigns, report writing, and stakeholder communications.
The Insight: Resources Need Context
The most valuable contribution wasn't the resources themselves-anyone can compile a list of AI tools. It was the framing around those resources.
For each tool or case study, I included context about when it's appropriate, what infrastructure it requires, what skills are needed to implement it, and what problems it actually solves. This helped participants move from "that's interesting" to "we could use this for X."
One participant told me months after the workshop: "I keep this handbook open on my computer. Whenever someone suggests an AI tool, I check your guide first to see if it's actually suited for our context or if it's another thing that assumes we have Silicon Valley resources."
That's exactly what it was designed for.
Handbook 3: Digital Literacy - Building the Essential Foundation
The core challenge: Many CSO staff needed foundational digital literacy before AI-specific knowledge would be useful. How do you address that gap without being condescending?
The Digital Literacy Handbook became the bridge between where CSO staff were and where they needed to be to effectively engage with AI tools.
What Worked: Respecting Experience While Building Skills
This handbook acknowledged that CSO professionals have deep expertise in their domains. Digital literacy wasn't about teaching them their jobs - it was about adding tools to their existing toolkit.
The content covered:
The framing mattered enormously. This wasn't "computers 101" for people who don't know technology. It was "here's how digital systems work so you can make better decisions about AI adoption" for experienced professionals.
The Insight: Foundational Knowledge Enables Critical Thinking
The most powerful outcome of this handbook wasn't that people learned specific skills - though they did. It was that they developed frameworks for evaluating digital tools independently.
A participant from a youth-focused CSO told me: "After reading the digital literacy handbook, I realized we'd been adopting tools because they seemed impressive, not because they solved our problems. Now I ask different questions: What data does this require? Where is it stored? Who can access it? Can we actually maintain this?"
That critical thinking capacity is worth more than knowing how to use any specific tool.
What Making These Resources Taught Me About Capacity Building
The three-handbook approach worked because different people needed different things. Some participants read Understanding AI cover to cover to build comprehensive knowledge. Others jumped straight to Harnessing AI for CSOs for practical tools. Nearly everyone referenced the Digital Literacy Handbook when implementing specific technologies.
By creating modular resources rather than one massive guide, I gave CSO staff the flexibility to design their own learning pathways.
The November workshop and January hackathon created initial exposure and excitement. But the handbooks enabled sustained learning.
Months after the events, participants still reference these resources. They share them with colleagues who didn't attend. They use them to onboard new staff. They cite them when making technology adoption decisions.
Good training creates a moment. Good resources create a foundation.
Generic AI resources abound. What CSOs needed wasn't more information - it was relevant information.
Every example, case study, tool recommendation, and ethical consideration in these handbooks was filtered through one question: "Is this actually useful for CSOs working in Uganda's context, with Uganda's infrastructure, on Uganda's development challenges?"
That filter made all the difference.
The handbooks didn't oversell AI. They acknowledged limitations, discussed failures, highlighted ethical concerns, and admitted uncertainty about future developments.
This honesty did two things. First, it built trust - participants knew they were getting realistic assessment, not marketing. Second, it modeled the critical thinking they needed when vendors, donors, or partners proposed AI solutions.
I've updated all three handbooks since their initial release based on participant feedback, new tool developments, and emerging ethical considerations. They're designed to evolve as both AI technology and CSO needs change.
Static resources become outdated. Living resources remain useful.
The Broader Lessons: Building Capacity in Digital Transformation
Creating these handbooks for Ugandan CSOs surfaced principles that apply to digital capacity building anywhere:
Start with needs, not technology. I didn't write about AI features; I wrote about CSO challenges and how AI might address them.
Respect existing expertise. CSO staff are accomplished professionals. Resources should build on that expertise, not ignore it.
Provide multiple entry points. People have different learning styles, time constraints, and prior knowledge. Modular resources accommodate that diversity.
Connect global knowledge to local context. International AI developments matter, but only when translated to local realities.
Enable critical thinking, not just skill building. The goal isn't creating AI users; it's creating informed decision-makers who can evaluate AI critically.
Support sustained learning, not just initial training. Resources that participants return to months later matter more than impressive but forgettable one-time events.
Making Them Available: Resources Beyond the Workshop
These handbooks were created for the Localizing AI Solutions project, a partnership between Kampala Analytica and GIZ-Governance and Civil Society Programme, with support from the European Union and German Cooperation.
But their value extends beyond project participants. We've made all three handbooks freely available because the challenges they address - helping civil society organizations thoughtfully adopt AI for social impact - aren't unique to Uganda.
Whether you're a CSO leader in Nairobi or Accra, a development worker in rural communities, or a capacity building professional designing training programs, these resources offer frameworks and tools for navigating AI adoption in contexts that don't look like Silicon Valley.
Access the handbooks here: Link to handbooks
They're designed to be used together as a learning pathway or independently based on specific needs. They're meant to be referenced repeatedly, shared widely, and adapted to specific contexts.
The Ongoing Journey: From Resources to Implementation
Writing these handbooks was the beginning of a journey, not the end.
The November workshop at Igongo Cultural Centre introduced 40 CSO leaders to AI concepts using these resources as foundation. The January hackathon at Start Hub Africa pushed 35 participants to build AI-driven prototypes using knowledge from these guides. The three winning teams - who received �10,000 grants each - all cited the handbooks as crucial references during their development process.
But the real impact isn't in those visible events. It's in the CSO program officer who used the Harnessing AI guide to implement a chatbot for community engagement. It's in the executive director who used Understanding AI to evaluate a donor's proposal for AI-driven monitoring systems. It's in the communications team that used the Digital Literacy Handbook to build internal capacity before adopting new tools.
Those stories - the quiet implementations, the informed decisions, the capacity built sustainably -matter more than any single workshop or hackathon.
What's Next: Continuing to Build the Foundation
Creating resources is iterative work. As I facilitate more workshops, manage more hackathons, and consult with more CSOs on digital transformation, I learn what works and what needs refinement.
The handbooks will continue evolving. New tools will be added. Emerging ethical considerations will be addressed. Case studies of successful Ugandan implementations will enrich the examples. Participant feedback will shape future editions.
But the core philosophy remains: CSOs need resources that respect their expertise, acknowledge their constraints, connect global AI developments to local realities, and enable critical thinking about technology adoption.
That's what these handbooks attempt to provide. And based on how CSO leaders across Uganda are using them - not just reading them once, but returning to them repeatedly as living references - I believe we're moving in the right direction.
Marshal Owach was the Project Lead for the Localizing Artificial Intelligence Solutions for Civil Society Organizations initiative at Kampala Analytica. Beyond managing workshops and hackathons, he develops capacity-building resources that help CSOs navigate digital transformation thoughtfully. His approach emphasizes practical tools, honest assessment of limitations, and deep respect for the expertise CSO professionals already possess. The three handbooks discussed here represent his commitment to building sustained digital literacy capacity, not just delivering one-time training events.