Mobile caravan targets women, teachers and students
Airtel Kenya and Intel Corporation have launched a mobile caravan to provide ICT training to communities in peri-urban and rural areas, targeting women, teachers as well as students.
Airtel Kenya is the official connectivity partner for this initiative and will provide high speed 3G connectivity to all the 30 Intel laptops and 4 BRCK KIO kits on the caravan. “This initiative will see communities and especially women, who are the custodians of the community, empowered with ICT skills that will help them advance in life,” Deputy President’s wife Rachel Ruto said during the launch. “Having worked with women in various capacities, I believe that this caravan will enhance their technical skills and they will in turn apply these skills in their livelihood projects.”
Airtel Kenya’s Legal and Regulatory Director Joy Nyaga emphasised the importance of internet connectivity in enriching lives. “As more and more Kenyans continue to take advantage of the rapid development and penetration of the internet as an authentic source of learning and business development information; it is of great importance to ensure that our communities are connected so that they can be empowered and fully engaged in the endless world of opportunities that is the Internet whilst gaining access to meaningful resources that will enrich their lives,” said Ms Nyaga.
This is part of its flagship Airtel FREE Internet for Schools programme, which has so far seen 300 schools across the country connected to FREE access to the internet, thereby impacting the lives of over 250,000 students.
Other key partners in the initiative include the Kenya Institute of Curriculum development (KICD) charged with ensuring coordination with schools and providing digital educational content, JoyWo (Joyful Women Organization) run by Mrs Ruto in the mobilisation of women in the respective communities to attend the training sessions to be held at community centres, Global Peace Foundation which is involved in developing and executing training modules for the target audiences as well as Chandaria Foundation that provides partial funding of the programme.
Intel Corporation has been impacting the lives of women and girls through the Intel® She Will Connect programme that empowers women and girls with digital literacy thus enabling them to receive better education, enhance their political participation, have a stronger voice in their communities, and increase their income by connecting to new economic opportunities.
The program has so far impacted over 150, 000 women in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa through face to face training.
The Intel Mobile Caravan which began its journey in Narok County between 4thand 10th September, was in Nairobi during the Social Media Week and will land and be stationed in Murang’a from 19th to 24th September and later move to Machakos County from 25th to 30th September 2016.
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