Technology and Education for Women in Niger
Donation protected
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Overview
This Project aims to bring digital technology to Rawda, a franco-arab lycée, in rural Niger by equipping the school with a solar powered computer lab and learning center. Currently, the school has a five year old computer, which is not enough to serve the 1,200 students who are enrolled. The center will enhance the school’s curriculum and the work of Saïda Oumulkhairy Niasse (Mama Kiota) who is an avid advocate for women’s rights, education, and peace. Mama Kiota conducts community lessons for women and young girls to learn how to read and write at her house. For more than 50 years, she has mentored female leaders, promoted religious tolerance and started schools such as Rawda.
During my undergraduate studies, Pearl Robinson, a Political Science professor at Tufts University, exposed me to the work of Mama Kiota and her efforts to educate and empower women. I got to learn about Mama Kiota's dream of having a computer lab at her school. Unfortunately, her initial efforts did not come to fruition as the computer lab’s building she had constructed collapsed due to bad workmanship. Seeing her determination and following my passion of technology and women empowerment, I decided to take up the project. I travelled to Niger after my graduation in the summer of 2017 where I completed the first phase of the project that involved visiting the school, identifying reliable personnel to work with including a certified architect and a solar designer, and finding potential suppliers for computers and solar equipment. I arranged for the delivery and installation of the computers, along with training of the school’s staff on how to best utilize the facility.
This fundraising will help finance the second phase of my initiative. Money raised will cover construction costs of a new building, purchase and installation costs for solar equipment, and purchase of additional computers and tablets for the school. My current estimated budget is $30,000 and the goal is to have the computer lab up and running by the end of 2019.
Read more about the project’s first phase here on the Davis Projects for Peace site: http://www.davisprojectsforpeace.org/projects/projects/2017/node/4874
Learn more about Mama Kiota’s background and details about the computer lab here: https://mamakiotasmessage.com
My story
Learning about Mama Kiota’s work on women empowerment and her dream to have a computer lab for her school really inspired me. I saw many similarities between the stories of the women she works with and those of women in my community. Growing up in a rural village called Keregut in Western Kenya, I saw many women and young girls miss out on opportunities due to lack of education. Early marriages and teenage pregnancies are still common causing many young girls to dropout of school to take care of their families. As a result, their education is cut short and their full potential is limited. That is why, like Mama Kiota, I would like to empower women and young girls through education and access to technology.
While Kenya has made significant progress in providing access to education and technology, not many people have the privilege of using a computer. This reality was true for me growing up. My first experience with a computer came after high school when I received a laptop, as a reward for being among the top performing students in the country at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam, a high school completion examination taken by students all over the country. I was also awarded a $200 check, half of which I used to enroll in a program that teaches basic computer lessons. During the program, I struggled to understand the difference between MS Office and the internet, something that an average elementary school student in the United States could explain. The lessons proved to be useful when I came to college in the US through the Kenya Student-Athlete Project (KenSAP). However, in courses where I needed to write papers, I learned that my typing speed was so slow that it was easier to hand write my essays first then spend several days typing them for submission. I was also met with push back from my peers every time I had a question, as they would often ask, “have you looked it up?” or “did you Google it?” I had to quickly adapt to the concept of acquiring knowledge from the internet instead of seeking answers from other people, a concept that was new to me due to lack of exposure to technology.
Fortunately, the challenges I faced led me to a career in computer science, but these outcomes are rare for many underprivileged women and girls with a background like mine. Opportunities to study abroad are slim given that a sponsored program like KenSAP can only afford to take about 15 students per year of all the stellar performers in the national examination. My exposure to technology has however allowed me to find solutions to real world problems both at home and at work. That is why I am determined to see that there is more access to technology especially to women and young girls.
Call for action
My vision for this cause is driven by my desire and the desperate need for women and young girls to have these common resources that will open doors to more opportunities in their lives. While most countries have made major strides in providing access to education and technology, Niger still lags behind with one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, ranked 212 out of 215. The total literacy rate is about 19.1% while that of women is only 11.00% according to CIA’s World FactBook. Other social and economic hardships remain a barrier, hence calling for a collective effort for change to happen. That is why my initiative for education and technology for Africa starts in Niger. I therefore, welcome you to please join me in ensuring that the women of Niger have access to better education and technology.
Click donate now on your right, and be part of making this initiative a reality.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rtp-art-exhibition-sale-awareness-show-tickets-56310405940
Overview
This Project aims to bring digital technology to Rawda, a franco-arab lycée, in rural Niger by equipping the school with a solar powered computer lab and learning center. Currently, the school has a five year old computer, which is not enough to serve the 1,200 students who are enrolled. The center will enhance the school’s curriculum and the work of Saïda Oumulkhairy Niasse (Mama Kiota) who is an avid advocate for women’s rights, education, and peace. Mama Kiota conducts community lessons for women and young girls to learn how to read and write at her house. For more than 50 years, she has mentored female leaders, promoted religious tolerance and started schools such as Rawda.
During my undergraduate studies, Pearl Robinson, a Political Science professor at Tufts University, exposed me to the work of Mama Kiota and her efforts to educate and empower women. I got to learn about Mama Kiota's dream of having a computer lab at her school. Unfortunately, her initial efforts did not come to fruition as the computer lab’s building she had constructed collapsed due to bad workmanship. Seeing her determination and following my passion of technology and women empowerment, I decided to take up the project. I travelled to Niger after my graduation in the summer of 2017 where I completed the first phase of the project that involved visiting the school, identifying reliable personnel to work with including a certified architect and a solar designer, and finding potential suppliers for computers and solar equipment. I arranged for the delivery and installation of the computers, along with training of the school’s staff on how to best utilize the facility.
This fundraising will help finance the second phase of my initiative. Money raised will cover construction costs of a new building, purchase and installation costs for solar equipment, and purchase of additional computers and tablets for the school. My current estimated budget is $30,000 and the goal is to have the computer lab up and running by the end of 2019.
Read more about the project’s first phase here on the Davis Projects for Peace site: http://www.davisprojectsforpeace.org/projects/projects/2017/node/4874
Learn more about Mama Kiota’s background and details about the computer lab here: https://mamakiotasmessage.com
My story
Learning about Mama Kiota’s work on women empowerment and her dream to have a computer lab for her school really inspired me. I saw many similarities between the stories of the women she works with and those of women in my community. Growing up in a rural village called Keregut in Western Kenya, I saw many women and young girls miss out on opportunities due to lack of education. Early marriages and teenage pregnancies are still common causing many young girls to dropout of school to take care of their families. As a result, their education is cut short and their full potential is limited. That is why, like Mama Kiota, I would like to empower women and young girls through education and access to technology.
While Kenya has made significant progress in providing access to education and technology, not many people have the privilege of using a computer. This reality was true for me growing up. My first experience with a computer came after high school when I received a laptop, as a reward for being among the top performing students in the country at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam, a high school completion examination taken by students all over the country. I was also awarded a $200 check, half of which I used to enroll in a program that teaches basic computer lessons. During the program, I struggled to understand the difference between MS Office and the internet, something that an average elementary school student in the United States could explain. The lessons proved to be useful when I came to college in the US through the Kenya Student-Athlete Project (KenSAP). However, in courses where I needed to write papers, I learned that my typing speed was so slow that it was easier to hand write my essays first then spend several days typing them for submission. I was also met with push back from my peers every time I had a question, as they would often ask, “have you looked it up?” or “did you Google it?” I had to quickly adapt to the concept of acquiring knowledge from the internet instead of seeking answers from other people, a concept that was new to me due to lack of exposure to technology.
Fortunately, the challenges I faced led me to a career in computer science, but these outcomes are rare for many underprivileged women and girls with a background like mine. Opportunities to study abroad are slim given that a sponsored program like KenSAP can only afford to take about 15 students per year of all the stellar performers in the national examination. My exposure to technology has however allowed me to find solutions to real world problems both at home and at work. That is why I am determined to see that there is more access to technology especially to women and young girls.
Call for action
My vision for this cause is driven by my desire and the desperate need for women and young girls to have these common resources that will open doors to more opportunities in their lives. While most countries have made major strides in providing access to education and technology, Niger still lags behind with one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, ranked 212 out of 215. The total literacy rate is about 19.1% while that of women is only 11.00% according to CIA’s World FactBook. Other social and economic hardships remain a barrier, hence calling for a collective effort for change to happen. That is why my initiative for education and technology for Africa starts in Niger. I therefore, welcome you to please join me in ensuring that the women of Niger have access to better education and technology.
Click donate now on your right, and be part of making this initiative a reality.
Organizer
Janeth Jepkogei Rotich
Organizer
Morrisville, NC
