Journal #1: My Journey

I am from low income family in Ethiopia. I used to work as par timer wages to support my mother and education payment. I pushed my education forwards until completion of university degree. After graduation, I was employed in non-profit organization for attractive salary and able to reach my mother, brothers and sisters. I have been able to improve the living situation of my mother and the household including the education of my brothers and sisters. My mother and my relatives were disappointed when I said no to leave school upon the death of my father, but today my mother is honored of my commendable achievement.

I work with emerging women organization in Addis Ababa. I am dedicated to socio- economic and technology empowerment for destitute and vulnerable women groups primarily those affected/infected by HIV/AIDS. Most of these women are stigmatized by their families/communities due to their HIV status, women who have lost children or spouses due to HIV/AIDS or women who have been unable to become employed due to lack of education and illness related to HIV/AIDS.

The target women lacks skills, resources, appropriate working spaces and facilities required for ensure them self-reliance. Currently, I am committedly working along my organization to ensure economic and skills empowerment for the target women through participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation. The effort is majorly aimed at the re integration target women and their families into their communities as they have previously been isolated, abandoned, discriminated due to various socio, economic and health problems.

Digital skill training and employment opportunities is among the strategy to resolve the problem facing the target women. We have setup digital training center in the community. The center primarily provides training in Basic computer skill training: Microsoft word, Microsoft excels Microsoft access and internet usage for three months by a qualified trainer. The center train approximately 100 to 150 women men and youths annually and provide employment opportunities as well. To avoid the low placement rates of the trained trainees; the center Link the Digital Literacy skill training program to per-identified employment opportunities through continues labor market assessments and identifying leading firms and internet cafes with growing demand for the skilled labor in the target communities

From time to time there have been an increased interest for digital training by the target women in the community, however, due to a lack of resources, we have been unable to respond to this growing need of the women. Therefore, we need resources and facilities to increase digital training and employment opportunities for hundreds of needy women in my community.