INCLUSIVE DIGITAL ACCESS REMAINS KEY IN MY EMPOWERMENT WALK

INCLUSIVE DIGITAL ACCESS REMAINS KEY IN MY EMPOWERMENT WALK

For three years going, I have embarked on an Empowerment Walk that has been taking education and empowerment to the door steps of the rural women. This initiative has been applauded widely and received tremendous support from both friends and World Pulse sisters across the globe. To this, I say a big thank you to my sisters and numerous supporters. The spirit of goodness is evidently showing that, truly, we heal as one.

Now it is time to do more work and as we all know, technology makes it possible and better, from whatever angle you may wish to view it from. I posted a story on World Pulse, just yesterday, on how I am turning the Corona virus illwind that is blowing no good, into gains, in the midst of anxiety and fear gripping us all. I have positively influenced women in my neighborhood to begin their home gardens and they are excited and passionate about growing their own crops up. I leavaraged on this show of interest and chipped in the World Pulse idea and all of them jumped at it. All the while, all of us have been living our quiet lives, minding our different businesses but only meeting on the streets and saying just a \"Hello\", as we all drove out daily for our different life pursuits. But COVID19 has changed all of that. I had time to work in my garden and women in the neighborhood who are not used to being locked inside their homes, took interest and wanted the freedom that I was enjoying with my family. They joined me. And together, we struck a deal. To work together, hereafter and I am already arranging a space for their training in computer appreciation towards digital inclusion.

There could never be a better time to make it matter in Technology than now. Just like women transform the world, so does technology. Without women in technology, transformation in all its ramifications would be meaningless. It is therefore, apt to use all forms of strategies to encourage  women and girls in Technology. For they transform the world and of course, it is they transform technology##She Transforms Technology##.

The call for ##She Transforms Technology## is surely the best way to ensure digital inclusion. If at birth we were born equal, at death we are equal, why then should women and girls not have equal access to technology, particularly in these times that it is evident that social inclusion can't be possible if there is no digital inclusion anywhere.

For me, I am not relenting efforts. I had taken digital awareness and education to the rural communities if Boki and Ogoja local government area of my State, where I am concentrating my Empowerment Walk. These people live in impoverished information-poor communities where standards of living is made worst by difficult terrains.

I had in time past, initiated the Grassroots Gender Based Reporters Forum. It is still in place and members share stories that we publish in a newsletter and take to the rural communities that don't get any inform from outside their localities.

Great that this Gender Based Reporters live in the metropolitan and so, I will be matching their efforts with the women Gardeners in my neighborhood and together, we shall be taking technology to the rural women of Ogoja and Boki local government areas.

I count the formation of the Grassroots Gender Based Reporters as a great achievement that I have made. Volunteers of this  special Group have assisted in so many ways to encourage women and girls to work together as one.

More women and girls are joining us in replicating the World Pulse good ideas in our respective localities and this, we hope to go on with, because it is paying off well.

With the Campaign theme: \"NOTHING HAPPENS WITHOUT US\", I would be leading the 20 women, alongside members of the Grassroots Gender Based Reporters(Membership is 50, men including men and boys) to Boki to train women, girls and few male counterparts. 

All in all, we would be 70 members going for the campaign. 

50 persons would be handling Boki because it is a difficult terrain. While 20 would be in Ogoja to drive the campaign. At Ogoja, 50 women would benefit from our program. While 100 girls would be active participants. For inclusion campaign to make meaning, 50 community leaders would be integrated so that we can truly work together.

That is 200 people would be trained at Ogoja.

In Boki, I will be ensuring that 1000 people (including community leaders), get into the technology fold. They have large population. Good thing is that the communities are already aware of the activities of the World Pulse, because I began my Empowerment Walk from there and many women are already working with me. All they are waiting is for me to provide them with handheld computers and laptops. I cannot readily provide that but I would be going along with women and men who are ready to use their phones and laptops to teach them and make those who have never touched a computer in their life, touch one, as we share the fun together.

My daughter, AngelFlora Michaels is an active member of the Girls In Technology, a  TECHNOVATION initiative of the American Corner in my State. She would be assisting us with impacting the youths in the community.

Flyers bearing messages on Digital Incision would be printed and distributed alongside other Information, cation, Education and Communication IEC materials.

We shall Ignite the community women and girls to become participants of the Grassroots Gender Based Reporters Forum. This way, we shall have free flow of timely and accurate information from the grassroots to the public glare and vice versa.

There are so many other workable strategies we may be using at implementation stage but I shall stick to these, due to space here.

However, it is evident that all projects come with their teething problems, no matter how laudable they are. To this end, I like to state here that it would go a long way to making our dream of ensuring that women are digital included and are able to also transform technology, if support comes from in all forms from everywhere. Transportation to the places, particularly, Boki, is a huge challenge, worst during the rains.

There are places where the internet cannot be accessed. We may have to move the women to locations where we may be able o use the internet successful. Huge challenge. 

In a nutshell, it is pertinent to know that this is a laudable project that would impact on 1200 people and if course, the general population of the targeted communities of these two local government areas.

All in all, it is expected that a total of 2000. persons have been projected to benefit from our digital programmes that show clearly how, as women, we can make both our make counterparts embrace the \"She Transforms Technology\", as a welcome initiativea and reality.

​​​​​​Yes, together, we transform technology and the world. Yes! We can.

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