DOT Rwanda, bridging the gaps in the communities and bringing smiles on faces

Dropping out of a village school in senior six, Elias Kamugisha had never dreamt that at this time he would be emailing his friends and manipulating the computer like he does now. He talks with a mixture of pride and disbelief as he narrates what he has gained in a month. He wears a huge smile…a smile which can only be found on an Olympic gold medallist. A week ago, Kamugisha was among the 40 trainees who completed the Reach up! Training conducted by the Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT)-Rwanda on studies in ICT, business skills, entrepreneurship and empowerment from St Perpetue in Gatenga. Kamugisha revealed that the training brought a change in his mindset and he is ready to utilize all means possible so as to build on the skills he acquired. “Because I had never used a computer, I even did not know there was something I was missing. But after the training I have realized that I need to learn more,” Kamugisha said. “I am now able to type, search for information as well as keep my documents in a computer.” From the training, Kamugisha said, among others, the ICT study was a wake up call for him. “I am now planning to buy a computer to ensure that I implement and profit from the training because I learnt that with certain programmes in a computer I will be able to start a small business,” he noted. However, Kamugisha is not alone. Many more out there suffer exactly the same way and amongst them has been Betty Mukeshimana. Also a pioneer trainee, Mukeshimana commended the training programme saying it comes at the right time.“For as long as I have been in business, I have limited my operations to only one outlet because I believed I was not capable of taking control of a large enterprise in case of expansion,” Mukeshimana said. “I am sure that from what I acquired from the training, I will be able to slowly expand my business so long as I put in mind certain principles especially book keeping, having clear accountability, being able to check on business performance, among others.” Emilienne Nyiramana, is a member of COCOKI Women Cooperative in Kicukiro District and a trainee as well.Through the 25 member cooperative, women earn out of their art work through weaving and tailoring. They make different products including laptop bags, hand bags for both men and women and sports bags among other. However, after members undergoing the training, Nyiramana says the cooperative has since experienced positive changes and has also led to an increase in the earnings. “We used to produce for export but we realized that our products can also be sold within the country. This has greatly boosted our economic activities hence producing for both foreign and the local market,” Nyiramana who is also the treasurer of the cooperative, said. “DOT Rwanda has helped our cooperative in how to provide greater customer care services. Unlike before, we now have attractive ways of handling our customers to ensure that we do not lose them.” Nyiramana called upon other cooperatives to utilize opportunities around them to ensure that they promote their activities. However, the project gives equal opportunities to business operators, unemployed as well as graduates through giving them a chance to gain experience in their respective courses. Kellen Makumi Karamusingye is a graduate and a facilitator (trainer) at Ecole Sainte Primary School in Gatenga. She says being a facilitator has exposed her to challenges that have finally made her confident and ready for any responsibility, something she said was hard for her fresh from the university. “Before we come to train these people, we are also trained to ensure that we are capable of passing the required information to the trainees. This has enabled me to gain confidence and am sure I am able to contest for any form of responsibility provided I am given the opportunity,” she said. Launched in March 2010, DOT Rwanda`s pilot project operates within three districts viz Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge. Focused on enabling people to access and apply information and communications technologies (ICT) to create education, economic and entrepreneurial opportunities, the project will be implemented in three years in two programmes dubbed Reach Up and Catch Up, according to the Program Manager, Violette Uwamutara. She explained that although implementation has started within Kigali, the aim is to make sure it covers the country.“Our vision is to make the opportunities available to marginalized people, especially women and youth, as a strategy to eradicate poverty, vulnerability and gender inequality,” Uwamutara said. According to her, the project enables young Rwandan graduates to be trained and later deployed in selected communities to work with the youth, women and rural micro enterprises. “As of now, we have been able to train about 450 people in three months and we target to train about 48,000 by 2013. This is in line with our strategies to expand our operations over the country,” she said. DOT is an international non profit organization which recently opened a Rwandan chapter, it freely trains vulnerable groups of people in livelihood skills through ICT tools to enable them utilize their potentials and opportunities around them. In this case, it’s like a second chance for the hopeless to have a kick start in the opportunity world; this is enabled by its empowering programs such as the Reach up! Where university graduates are trained and given an opportunity to give back to their communities through training people in ICT, business and empowerment. The magic of this program is a result of a unique Reach up! Curriculum which has 24 modules in total with 8 of these in ICT, giving them ICT skills which are directly aligned with how they can create their own jobs, add value to their products and have a progressive balance in their lives. The trainings are done in a number of training centres which are largely schools which also have a goal of impacting their communities. Ends