Digital literacy has a significant impact at any age. The earlier girls receive training in digital spaces, the better. But women who may not have grown up with, or had access to technology throughout their lives also benefit from learning these new skills.
Digital literacy has a significant impact at any age. The earlier girls receive training in digital spaces, the better. But women who may not have grown up with, or had access to technology throughout their lives also benefit from learning these new skills.
Now, we want to shine a spotlight on Idah, who is 13 years old and Millicent, 39 years old, to show the positive impact the ZOO Memorial Foundation (ZOO) has and how their community partnerships create change.
Idah is a member of the WISE Girls’ Club and trains at the digital centre, set up by ZOO. The Covid-19 pandemic made it harder to learn as students were sent home from school, but in Idah’s case, it catalysed her journey to digital literacy. So much so that she now practises typing with both hands and is involved in the Girls’ Club development of the iTrade app.
Getting involved in app development has made a significant difference in Idah’s life. She has had the opportunity to develop and work on an app that, if successful, would help others in the community. Thanks to ZOO’s digital lab, Idah can join a space in which she and the other girls can access computers and work together.
When Idah joined the Girls’ Club and started receiving training from ZOO, she didn’t realise it would become such an important part of her life. She has embraced the ‘new normal’ in which digital technology is central to learning and developing. And she looks to the future, recognising that digital skills will be an asset when looking for a job.
Idah
“When I was joining, I didn’t know that I would be taking part in something so significant so to me it’s a blessing to be part of something so great.”
Millicent
“Learning, being trained at the digital lab, all these opportunities and what you can achieve when you are computer literate is just amazing.”
For Millicent, becoming digitally literate allowed her to own two businesses – a physical shop and an online store – as well as being a qualified social worker. A fast learner, once trained Millicent set about expanding her businesses. As well as selling video games, Millicent’s shop now offers printing, typing and internet browsing services. To her, the opportunities that open up with computer literacy are ‘amazing’.
Millicent has also recognised a change in her community in Dunga. Millicent’s is one of two cyber cafes now open in the area, a huge change for the better. And an example of the significant impact training centres such as the WISE Hub have. Millicent urges anyone to take any opportunity that presents itself, any opportunity taken can bring about positive change.
Idah and Millicent are just two of many women benefiting from ZOO’s computer literacy training. Take Gorety, who found the language barrier was a problem, and operating the computer itself took practice. However, through training, Gorety asserts how she can ‘use any computer out there, something I could not before.’
About Sera, women & girls program
You can help make a difference too. When you support the Sera Program, you can see the positive effect The ZOO Memorial Foundation and its partners have at the grassroots level. This training takes us one step further to achieving the goal of equality in the digital sphere.
This is Mary’s story. A trainer at The ZOO Memorial Foundation’s first women-focused digital lab. The ZOO Memorial Foundation is currently running a campaign to equip two digital labs at Armstrong Women Empowerment Centre and The Border Hub, to serve women and girls in rural Kenya.
Mary was always going to make a difference. As a mentor at Golden Girls Foundation, Mary ran the Literacy Club, engaging children with reading. When the ZOO Memorial Foundation (ZOO) launched their mobile digital program in her community, she encouraged all her students to join in.
Mary was comfortable in her role as a mentor, but an opportunity to lead was on the horizon. Following successful training with the mobile digital program, ZOO opened their first women-focused digital lab at Golden Girls Foundation and Mary was chosen as the administrator.
Rising to the challenge, Mary received training from ZOO and not only learned how to use a computer but also how to fix minor computer issues. Equipped with entrepreneurship skills, the knowledge and confidence to teach, Mary rose to her full potential.
Her biggest challenge was managing the large numbers of children who flocked to the digital lab. They were overexcited and at times unwilling to concentrate. Mary found it easy to mobilise children to join the training, but maintaining a learning environment proved more challenging.
But Mary overcame this. Throughout her training she had gained not only digital skills, but determination and confidence. As a teacher, Mary asserted herself authoritatively. She trained her students in English, Swahili and Luo. Explaining the mouse was one of her memorable teaching moments. The children who used to run around the village now respected ‘Madam Rakiro’.
Graduation Day
Mary (Right) with her Literacy Club students on graduation day. The students received basic computer skills training and participated in creating their certificates as part of the assessment.
Empowerment is no less important than the tangible digital skills Mary learned at ZOO’s digital lab. She has taken both and used her confidence to make a difference to many children’s lives. Most importantly, Mary feels empowered and believes in herself as a role model.
Mary’s experiences show how computer and digital training have a huge impact, inspiring new goals and career paths. A positive change in one person’s life then filters down through generations and communities.
The skills and empowerment Mary has gained are significant. The impact this will have on her students is immeasurable. By supporting the Sera Program, you can see the positive effect of The ZOO Memorial Foundation and their partners at grassroots level, paving the way for equal access to digital technology for all. As Mary says, “We live in a computerised world. It’s important.”
ZOO Memorial Foundation’s work helps develop, connect and transform communities, empowering women to fully engage in digital technology and the opportunities it brings. This access benefits not only the women but also their families and wider society. In 2019, 70% of those ZOO served were women, and through the Sera Program, women have access to a friendly, open environment that encourages learning and sharing ideas.
Digital training is essential for women to get small businesses off the ground and fully participate in a world that is becoming ever more digitally focused. ZOO’s women-focused programs create a safe environment in which to learn and develop new skills and confidence to assert themselves in digital spaces. This is essential as communication digitally connects not just businesses with customers, but families and friends too.
Switching on a computer is empowerment. Learning how to use the internet creates confidence. Training in computer coding could be life-changing. But for many women and girls across the world, these opportunities are out of reach because…
Switching on a computer is empowerment. Learning how to use the internet creates confidence. Training in computer coding could be life-changing. But for many women and girls across the world, these opportunities are out of reach because of the digital-gender divide. The divide is the product of social, cultural and economic factors affecting women and men’s access to information and technology.
Access to the digital world is increasingly vital and ZOO Memorial Foundation, a small non-profit in Kenya, is working to address this divide. Narrowing the gap will bring social and economic benefits not only to women and girls but also to the local and wider communities they live in. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, there is a danger that the divide will become even more pronounced. Women and girls could suffer as business and social contact are fully relegated to the digital sphere, and without access, many will find themselves isolated and unable to work.
Why does the divide exist?
In some communities, it is harder for women and girls to become computer literate than for men and boys. There are many reasons for this including:
Reduced access to education,
A lack of confidence to interact with technology,
Stereotypes of this being a “masculine” activity.
In societies with a strong patriarchal structure, this view discourages women and girls from engaging.
This causes a lack of confidence as girls and women do not gain the necessary skills to engage with technology and in turn cannot pass on knowledge and encouragement to the younger generation. The impact of the digital-gender divide means that women can’t contribute fully to or innovate in economies which rely increasingly on technology and the internet to develop and grow.
Combatting the digital-gender divide
The ZOO Memorial Foundation, in partnership with Women in Sustainable Enterprise (WISE), is equipping women in disadvantaged communities with skills and technology to combat the increasing digital-gender divide due to COVID-19. The not-for-profit organisation empowers communities and schools by bringing the power of digital technology through open access to equipment, skills, and opportunities. Women make up 70% of adult users. ZOO Memorial Foundation encourages women by providing them with inclusive environments in which to learn and develop digital skills.
WISE organisation near Lake Victoria received digital equipment and training from the ZOO Memorial Foundation, benefitting from a women-only environment which allowed their confidence to grow. The training highlighted opportunities presented through digital literacy by teaching coding and web design skills. ZOO’s courses involve each stage of learning how to use digital technology, from switching on a monitor to using the internet. This knowledge that many take for granted is the foundation on which women can innovate and support themselves and their families.
This knowledge that many take for granted is the foundation on which women can innovate and support themselves and their families.
During the coronavirus crisis, this work has been more significant than ever. Carol Odera, the founder of WISE, has worked in partnership with ZOO to reconcile the digital-gender divide and spoke about her experience. WISE works with women within the fishing communities of Lake Victoria to engage them in sustainable enterprise, including agribusiness, green energy and ecotourism. Information Communication Technology (ICT) is significant in this, as Odera commented, ‘for any enterprise to succeed ICT and digital platforms must be at the centre of it all’. She also emphasised the importance of leadership skills and confidence that WISE encourages in conjunction with IT training and sustainable business development. When asked her view on the connection between learning digital skills and building confidence, Odera affirmed, ‘learning ICT skills shows people how leadership has been redefined. You can be a leader in ICT or you can be a leader in business, having mastered a few skills in the ICT space.’
WISE and ZOO are working to provide ICT training and women’s development in the local community through their Hub training sessions. It is the only place in the community which provides such training and with trainers who speak the local language. Odera emphasises the significance of this as ‘most of the technical language around computers is taught in English, but women who don’t speak English still need to learn how to use a computer.’ The women only training sessions have also allowed women to see ‘how leadership is redefined’, according to Odera. She commented, ‘you can be a leader in ICT or you can be a leader in business, having mastered a few skills in the ICT space.’
Dunga Beach, Kisumu
Working with ZOO has meant WISE can focus on women and girls’ development as well as encouraging computer literacy. Odera recalls how fundamental ICT skills were developed in the training sessions, explaining how women were taught basic skills necessary for business communication and to market their products and services, including social media skills. For Odera, it is also important to ‘break the fear of facing a computer for the first time.’ This element highlights the impact the partnership between ZOO and WISE made on women and how they interact with technology. Currently, WISE and ZOO run training sessions on how to use Zoom to communicate for women who may never have used the platform before. When asked how WISE has dealt with the impact of COVID-19, which has sparked such training sessions, Odera sees a positive outcome for her organisation, commenting, ‘once we explain [to the women] that this is what the future is going to look like and this is how they are going to start talking to customers, then they understand and then they get involved.’ Running training via Zoom has also reduced the cost of transporting trainers in to teach, and the only essential being the cost of fast internet.
When asked about the future of WISE, Carol Odera plans to expand: ‘we only have one Hub in one fishing village, so my plan would be to have more Hubs around the lake region for women and girls. But I also want to help women to be more confident to take up the training because COVID has shaped the way things are being done right now. And no one is talking about it on the women’s level and in their language. So, we need to be able to preach this narrative to sensitize women to the future of work and why they need to start using technology and ICT.’
WISE Women Carol Odera (Far Right) – WISE Founder, with her team at the WiseHub. Background Image: Dunga Beach, Kisumu. The WISE Hub is the only local hub in the village allowing most of the women and girls to now show interest in information communication technology, ICT. ZOO Memorial Foundation works to create digital spaces in rural and underserved Kenyan communities like Dunga in Kisum
Looking forward
The digital-gender divide is growing as we enter an increasingly technological age. As the coronavirus crisis emphasises the importance of digital communication and working online, initiatives like those supported by the ZOO Memorial Foundation are essential to narrow the gap.
Many of us enjoy the privilege of constant easy access to technology. We must use this privilege to continue the conversation and raise awareness of this issue. The ZOO Memorial Foundation is a small grassroots organisation working to make a tangible difference in challenging environments where the gender-digital divide is prominent. It builds digital community projects and has been operating for over ten years. ZOO’s goal to connect communities to the digital age is ongoing and will have a long-term positive effect. This is significant because of all the projects and training launched by the organisation, 76% of those who benefit are children.
So how can you help? Support ZOO and local organisations through donations; this funding will support local communities and empower women and girls. Without our support the digital gender divide will grow wider following the coronavirus pandemic, causing further societal inequality which affects us all as global citizens.
How computer training in women-only spaces is tackling the digital-gender divide
