Partner: Mitume Community Development Project
Donor: Foundation North-South-Bridges, Foundation Umverteilen and private donations
Duration: February 2016 till September 2018
“Many enthusiastic young people of our community applied for Leapfrog provided Computer training”, said Augustine Githua. He is the Coordinator of the Mitume Community Development Project, our local collaboration partner from Kitale in the northwest of Kenya. “There is no similar programme in the district and schools are poorly equipped with modern hardware”, Augustine added. Thanks to our donors and many private donations we have been able to provide access to digital media and free IT education for more than 300 young people in Mitume, where most of the families are poor.
The IT education programme was divided into 6 modules, including basic operating system functionality and standard office applications, as well as internet skills and entrepreneurship. Each training unit concludes with an examination.
How helpful were the trainings ?
Listen to what Raphael has to say about his motivation to join the training?
Entrepreneurship to work on social problems
Jobs in the formal sector are rare in the region. However, there are many good ideas among participants on how to tackle problems in the community. Following techniques and procedures developed by Prof. Faltin (https://www.entrepreneurship.de), participants of the entrepreneurship module were supported in the development of their business ideas.
Strengthen self-confidence and supporting peaceful coexistence
Things don’t always go as planned and that’s a good thing: It was not on our project plan to have at the end of the project a very successful women soccer team playing in the Kenya Premiere League. The “Falcons” started as a group of female students playing soccer of the IT trainings. Congratulations!
“Effects of post election violence of 2007- 2008 also affected most of the people in our locality”, explained Augustine when we were planning the project. Prior to the post-election violence, youth from different communities and tribes lived together in peace. They could not see eye to eye in the aftermath of election violence since many of them were involved in running battles and property looting in their opponent’s communities. That’s why Leapfrog also promoted peace ambassadors and actors for change to spread the word of reconciliation and peaceful coexistence of the many tribes living in the cosmopolitan town of Kitale.
