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| Women and girls attend a three-week computer training programme |
THE spacious offices
accommodating the Creative Centre for Communication and Development (CCCD) has
attracted the attention of the community and the organization has witnessed an
increase in the number of women and girls coming for training.
Many women and girls who have
never used a computer in their lives have embraced this opportunity and are
eagerly absorbing all that CCCD is offering in their Citizen Journalism training
programme that also includes an introduction to basic computer skills. Some of
the women receiving training are above 50 years while the girls are as young as
11 years old. The women and girls are tapping into the potential of Information
and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to transform their lives while staying
connected and informed about what is happening around them. They are saying
this will help them to make informed decision while staying abreast with economic,
social and political developments in the country.
The programme team says working
with women and girls who are at different levels of ICTs skills and knowledge
requires patience. The programme team says it is important to mix the young and
the old during training sessions because they offer support to each other, make
mistakes together and learn without feeling disempowered or unintelligent. During
trainings the atmosphere is filled with laughter as many laugh their mistakes
away as they feel more confident with technology in their hands. Our Citizen
Journalism programme seeks to give technology back into the hands of women and girls.
It amplifies their voices while creating a safe space for community dialogue to
take place.
The programme team for the CCCD
says the process of making technology useful in the hands of women and girls requires
the team to be patient as some of the women struggle with minor tasks such as scrolling
a page or clicking the mouse of the computer. The programme team is however inspired
by the level of determination of these women to master the use of technology.
“When I see the women and girls
putting all their effort in wanting to learn how to use technology it instills so
much hope in me. I see the women and girls discovering the power of ICTs in
shaping and changing their lives. I know that the beginning might be a
challenge for them but with time they will master the art of using technology
to unleash the untapped potential in them which will in turn transform their lives”
says the Director and founder of the CCCD, Gertrude Pswarayi.
Pswarayi says she understands how
intimidating technology can be to new users. She says her first encounter with
a computer was at the age of 20. She describes her first experience as frightening
yet exciting. She says CCCD’s training programmes have been designed with knowledge
and experience in mind to make the entire training programme an empowering process.
We have responded to requests
from the community and we currently have a group of women and adolescent girls undergoing
a three week introductory training session on basic computer skills. We have
also organized a bridging course for pupils who have just completed their
primary education course and are preparing to go to secondary school. We are
working with the primary students to prepare them so that they will be at the same
level with their counterparts who are privileged with computers at home.
