Facilitating Digital Changemaking

New

May 28, 2019

Story

Immaculate Amoit

Kenya

Joined Apr 22, 2016

'ADOLESCENT FRIENDLY HEALTH SERVICES & WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT'

DIGITAL SKILLS EMPOWERMENT TRAINING

DATE AND VENUE

The training took place on the 13th of April 2017, at Club 2000 Shieywe Ward, Kakamega County in Kenya. The training preparation and agenda was done by the help of Adanna Nuella (World Pulse sister and Mentor) and Beryl Ong’owo(Probation officer at the High Court). They helped in setting the agenda and how best the training should be conducted. Beryl helped in coordinating some activities and donating the venue of the training which was a meeting hall in one of her Business Enterprise.

SUMMARY/BACKGROUND

The Digital Skills and Handwork Empowerment Training is a collaborative training between World Pulse and Western Twaweza Empowerment Campaign that aims at equipping women with knowledge in digital literacy and digital Change making, sharing stories at personal level and global audience while brainstorming on issues affecting women in the said community, offering solutions to this challenges and the best channels in voicing their concerns.

For these particular training my target audience was young women and adolescent girls aged 16 to 30 years, mainly are affected by limited or lack of adolescent friendly health services. Teenage mothers who are faced with myriad challenges including and not limited to unemployment, interrupted education among others. Rose Amuko who is a nurse aided in facilitating the training especially on giving statistics on teenage pregnancy and guided two focused group discussions that shared on What Entails Adolescent Friendly Health Services and how the services can help in reducing unintended pregnancy.

The following was the Agenda of the aforementioned training:

1. Opening and Introduction of Participants

2. Concept of Digital Empowerment/Changemaking

3. Social Media and how various social media platforms can be used to amplify change

4. The Power of Sharing Our stories and sharing our stories to a global Audience

5. Introducing World Pulse and the Story Wards Program

6. Concept of teenage Pregnancy and Adolescent Friendly Health Services

7. Boresha Dada Elevator Pitch

8. Skills Development; learning how to make crotched mats and pricing.

PARTICIPANTS

The training was attended by 12 young women and teen girls, with varied backgrounds namely: Beryl Ong’owo ( Probation Offficer at the High Court) Diana Afwande (A teacher and Opinion leader ) Rose Amuko (Registered Nurse and Sexual Health Rights Activist ) Cynthia Mmbone (Reintegrated Teen Mom and College Student) Zainanbu Nafula (Self Employed) Sharon Khanali (Teen mom/high school student) Shariffah Abdallah(Self Employed )Fatuma Abdallarahman ( High School Student) Zena Nyerere(High School Student) Amina Omar(Teen Mom/Saloonist) Beldina Moraa (University Student) and Edith Adhiambo (University Student)

The registration of participants was facilitated by Amina Omar.

MAIN TRAINING

The training was in five sessions. Session One was an Icebreaker introduction where participants had to get a partner randomly: share their name……, meaning of their name…, what keeps them wake at night…, what Kenya they long to see…….

They were to do this with two different participants. There was a general one liner introduction by all participants. Objectives of the training set.

Session two included sharing and defining different understanding of Digital literacy and Digital Changemaking. Which was defined as having and sharing knowledge, tools, resources to us in Digital Technology to achieve ones’ full human potential. Open Discussions on types of Social Media including Facebook, twitter, WhatsApp and Linked In. How these Social Media can be used to amplify change.

Session three was the sharing of stories. For example, Diana a teacher shared how she survived the Mandera Alshabab Gun attack and her quest to preach love and reconciliation between Kenyan Muslims and Christians. Amina shared on her journey of stigma and unemployment as teen mom. The participants brainstormed on the power of their voices which lead to understanding or supporting others and championing change. I introduced World Pulse through a power point presentation and shared my own experienced of being on World Pulse and being published at World Pulse and Sister Media Outlets.

Session Four was facilitated by Rose Amuko a trained nurse with expert knowledge on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights. Teen pregnancy was defined as getting pregnant before the age of eighteen. In Western Kenya 38% of girls get pregnant before they reach 18 years. The participants were divided in groups of two. They discussed and presented the best practices in youth/adolescent friendly health services.

Session five was a presentation by Immaculate Amoit on The Boresha Dada (Make a girls’ life better) Campaign Elevator Pitch. Introduction of the #BoreshaDada and call for support. Lastly the participants were taught on mat making and pricing of their finished mat.

OUTCOMES OF THE TRAINING

1. The concept of teenage pregnancy was clearly understood and participants shared on the best adolescent friendly health services and practices that could help in reducing unintended pregnancy in young women.

2. Participants came up with some of the best practices in adolescent friendly health services and how Adolescent friendly services can prevent unintended pregnancy. These are the qualities are for: (a) The provider(personnel) the providers this included knowledge and appropriate medical services, familiarity with adolescents’ physiology, counselling training, skills to honor youth privacy and confidentiality, skills to bring myths to the surface to discuss and dispel them, take sexual health assessment for every visit.

(b) The programming, the program should have Youth Involvement in design and continuity of feedback, boys and young men welcomed and served, wide range of services including pregnancy and birth control, counselling, STI and HIV testing and treatment, well established linkages and referrals to (mental health education employment, and social services), clinic staff called by name, and use of number system instead of names in the waiting room, affordable fees. Accessibility of drugs whenever needed.

(c) The facility, should have teen focused magazines and posters displayed on the walls, high quality adolescents’ health materials available in all languages that young people in the community speak, and for various reading levels including low literacy adolescents, displays of the information and education on sexual reproductive health and rights.

3. The participants had the basics skills or knowledge of how to post pictures stories and participating in engaging discussions on how to make a girl’s life better using the hash tag #BoreshaDada

4. Participants learnt how to crotchet mats and price them and the importance of teaching a skill to young women.

5. Participants learnt about World Pulse and promised to log on and encourage others to join the wave. Aspects of sharing their stories to a global audience, the power in their voices and how to stay safe and secure online.

CHALLENGES AND HOW THEY WERE OVERCOME

1. Two participants came along with their children and we had to be very accommodative and understanding. In future I should factor in snacks for children who accompany participants so as not to deny young mothers a chance to participate in trainings.

2. Being a rainy season power black outs are common and we had to use a not so well lit room later in the afternoon. My phone also went off cutting me off communication and could not take photos, I requested Diana to use her phone to help in taking photos. We conducted some of the activities on the corridor especially the crocheting of mats.

3. The internet was extremely unstable for the better part of the training I had requested my mentor and World Sister Adanna Nuella was to join us via Skype to emphasize on World Pulse Impact. Sadly, this could not happen as scheduled. I had to remain calm and explain to participants of unstable internet connection which they understood.

4. The training took more than five hours so we quickly factored in lunch to help ease the participants hunger and allow them to take part in the afternoon session. Most of the participants were keen to learn and were very patient.

LESSONS LEARNT

Facilitating Digital Change Making Training was great learning experience of how to conduct future trainings. I realized that sharing is rewarding and you must always have a backup plan. For example, the person who promised to help with his Power Point projector didn’t manage to bring it, I had to lift the laptop most of the training session which was tiring.

The Digital Changemaker trainers tool kit gave me a list of activities that I will comfortably utilize for my other trainings. The resources I had written down earlier came in handy, a friend was very resourceful in donating a training hall for the whole day during training.

While mobilizing the participants the time factor should be emphasized, that participants keep time. I learnt to spread activities as they couldn’t fit in the planned 5 hours but extended to 9 hours. For example, that mat making activity took place between 4:30pm and 5:30pm which could have hindered participants to reach their homes in good time.

STRATEGIES FOR THE NEXT TRAINING

1. Encourage participants to write questions directly related to the training on sticky notes given to them and pin on the wall. To enable participation of quiet participants.

2. Have a Back Up plan for the whole training just in case something goes wrong

3. Ask participants to share icebreakers they know during sessions to break monotony.

4. Ask participants to carry a book and a pen

5. Prepare and Print the participants’ registration a day or two days earlier

Compiled by

Immaculate Amoit

2017 World Pulse Fellow