By Jane Nkiwane
The Youth for Innovation Trust has set up an educative digital skills program to teach young rural girls in Matebeland new technology.
The project is targeting young women under the age of 24 who hail from Matebeland. The goal of the initiative is to enhance the online presence of rural girls and teach them to use technology to change their communities and lives.
The week long boot camp will be held in Lupane and Gwanda so as to make it proximate to the participants who come from different parts of the province. During the boot camp, the women will gain skills like digital productivity, online basics, digital security and coding. “
Managing director for YIT Thando Gwinji said the boot camp will help reduce the gender divide in ICT.” A lot of women are not well vexed in new technology due to lack of resources, this has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic as it has derailed the academic progression of most rural girls and forced them to early marriages and involuntary sex work.”
According to Gwinji, the project will give the participants a starting point in life as they will gain digital skills that are essenital in the contemporary job market.
The creative media officer for YIT Senelani Ndlovu mentioned that the knowledge that will be imparted to the participants during the boot camp, will not only develop them as individuals but will also develop their communities as a whole.
” I am positive that this project will create active alumni who are innovative thinkers, who will come up with innovative solutions to the problems faced by youths and their communities.” she added
