Facilitating Digital Changemaking

On April 22, 2017, I facilitated a two-hours World Pulse Digital Changemaking Workshop in Kigali, Rwanda. I had a diverse group of six women who joined me as participants of the training. All these six women didn’t know each other before, work in different sectors, but had one thing in common: they all love to write stories; personal, reporting, opinions or investigative. We met in a meeting room of a local NGO in Kigali, and we sat on a round table. We had one computer for presentation and every one of us had a smart phone for farther readings.

I started by introducing myself and welcoming participants to the World Pulse Digital Changemaking Training. Participants on their turn introduced themselves, said their expectations for the training we were about to start, and signed the attendance sheet. From the questions I asked them before the training to help me in my preparations, they all had time for a one-hour training; so we followed the one-hour training toolkit.

I put my computer on the corner of the table so that everyone sees what is in the PowerPoint presentation on its screen. We started the presentation by watching the video entitled “What does a global movement of empowered women change leaders look like?” and all of them were so quite watching it. After the video, I went through all the presentation and explained each slide. After this brief explanation about World Pulse, its goals and resources, they asked me questions which took the most part of the training and after question session, we took the closing activity to know what inspired them and what they are going to do to take action. Before last, I explained to them requirements to receive a digital Certificate of Completion from World Pulse. Lastly we took photos and I thanked them for their time and enthusiasm.

I can’t explain how I loved this teaching experience from facilitating the workshop. I didn’t know it will be such challenging to present something that has been prepared already, but it really was! I was terribly nervous before starting the session, I was asking myself what I am going to do if they don’t like it or if it doesn’t sound good in their ears to listen to what I am presenting to them, until the time I played the video and everyone was moved on watching to the extent of squeezing with the table! Their attention motivated me to deliver the remaining part of the presentation content because I could see in their eyes that we are moving together.

From this teaching experience, I realized that not every woman who knows how to write a story can write her own story, and that in writing our own stories we are motivated by a burning desire to create a change from inside not from outside.

Attendance list of women who participated in this workshop:

1. Rosine Dositha Kamugisha / a young woman and a journalist


2. Anne Lise Uwingabiye / a pregnant woman and a trainer


3. Bova Uwitonze Hategekimana / a young woman and an economist


4. Clemy Keza / a young woman and a journalist


5. Caroline Namara / a young woman and a blogger


6. Marie Louise Umwangange / a mother of two and a nurse