ICT For Development Program
This program seeks to bridge the skills gap and stimulate youth-owned creative ideas for grassroot communities using innovative solutions and technology. Consequently the beneficiaries apply their skills to address social problems in their communities.Through this program, youth acquire not only skills but also model their IT-based or IT enabled solutions. (Learn More) -Basic ICT, Advanced , and specialized ICT.
We offer basic and advanced digital skills to youth from the disadvantaged communities which are crucial in professional development. We believe that for young people to engage meaningfully in society, they must be equipped with 21st century skills and opportunities to advance their vision of a connected future.
Projects under this Program
The Digilabs Project seeks to address the socio-economic barriers to entry into the labor market for young women in rural Kenya.Digilabs are Integrated Resource Centers that advance digital literacy and promote ideas for start-ups and scale ups. Due to social constraints and stereotyping, women are particularly excluded from ICT related careers. Additionally, the few women who pursue such careers remain unemployed or underpaid compared to their male counterparts. The project uses digital literacy as a tool against socio-economic barriers in last mile communities.
We do this by leveraging the power of information and communication technology (ICT) and associated benefits. Our model is conducting activation workshops, business development training, mentorship and linkage to financing or incubating partners. We leverage on building young community champions resulting in young leaders driving social change at the grassroots. To overcome the roadblock of a lacking startup funds, we have a kitty and this program called DigiFund that gives capital as a seed fund to most promising alumni of DigiLab. We have successfully empowered over 300 young entrepreneurs developing social businesses in the select counties we have operated.
Established centre at HELGA (Humanitarian Efforts for the Learning of Girlchild in Africa), a local organization advocating for access to education for girls under threat of Female Genital Mutilation and Early Marriage |
Furnished HELGA Digilab Centre Kajiado with digital equipment including 13 computers, a Digital Camera and internet connection. |
Empower and Serve Kenya has been working in Kajiado since 2017. In partnership with Nanana Rescue Center, (HELGA) we operate a digital resource center serving as an avenue to provide livelihoods options through digital literacy, life skills training, enterprise development and job counseling to survivors of SGBV. We have also been providing technical support to Voices of Hope, a local NGO to implement digital incubation to support young women identify community problems and prototype and launch innovative social enterprise solutions.
Empower and Serve Kenya (EmpServe) in partnership with HELGA hope to rekindle the dreams and aspirations of the population in Kajiado through an integrated social innovation and learning center in Kajiado County on 1.5 acres of land. The center will be an adequately furnished center with training space, a Community Production Hub for income generation, demo farms to drive agronomic practices and sustain their household food nutrition and a resource center with digital library and outdoors activities. Through this eco-village we hope to exemplify the power of sustainable communities.
With the overarching objective of unleashing the youth’s potential and boosting their participation in community and national development, EmpServe launched the Social Innovation Hub in Pangani in 2020. The Social Innovation Hub in Pangani marked a shift in our operational focus to training youth in the disadvantaged urban areas and informal settlements. The Hubs’ focus areas are to train in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Social Entrepreneurship Skills.
The Hub serves as a skills acceleration and incubation center key to unlocking the huge potential of grassroots communities. Participants are empowered to clearly define the economic, social, and environmental challenges they face, craft self-sustaining solutions, and mobilize resources to implement solutions.
The Social Innovation Hub targets girls aged 16-24 from Nairobi’s informal settlements training them in ICT and Entrepreneurship skills placing them on a social enterprise development pathway or employment pathway or empowering them looking to further their academia.The training takes place at the hub within a period of 3 to 6 intensive months.
With the help of our partner the Women Worldwide Web we have been able to empower 9 cohorts of girls from the neighboring areas of Mathare, Huruma, Kariobangi, and Dandora informal settlements, totaling 110 girls. We are currently training our 10th Cohort. Over 60% have accessed jobs or started a business.
Increased access to technology for urban marginalized communities of Mathare, Huruma, Kariobangi and Dandora
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Improved digital literacy and skills for disadvantaged youth |