Aug

17

Volunteering at W.TEC

August 17, 2009 | 3 Comments

By Ding Jie

I am an intern from China, I have been staying in Nigeria for over one month, I feel so glad that I have the chance to spend my last two weeks volunteering in W.TEC. I worked for one week in the office with Ore and Toyin, one week in the camp. When I was told I was going to live with 15 selected girls in a camp teaching this was more than I expected, it’s amazing.

I can see the 15 girls really learnt a lot from some technology knowledge and information about technology jobs. I thought it’s cool. Later when I really joined in the camp, I found that actually it’s even better because some of them even didn’t know what Microsoft is and have never browsed before, but at the end of the camp they all learnt how to use Microsoft Word to write essays and how to use Microsoft Excel to do some simple calculation. They also learnt how to make a short movie. Now they all have their own emails and some of them even built their own blogs and can build a website themselves.

It was not only computer knowledge that they got form the camp. They also had classes about ICT, career talk ,peace education, leadership, gender and self-defense like Taekwondo.

DingJie teaching the web design class

DingJie teaching the web design class

On the third day we paid a visit to Omatek Computers factory, where they showed us the process of building a computer. Omatek even donated a laptop the best girl in the camp!

These girls are not only fast learners but also good actors. They were divided into three groups. Each prepared a drama and we selected out the best one to perform at the closing ceremony. Their performance was over my expectation, they were full of passion, good at acting. It was a lot of fun when we were in the drama session. We had good time together in these 7days. At the end of the camp all the girls felt sad to leave.

W.TEC staff, volunteers and campers at the closing ceremony

W.TEC staff, volunteers and campers at the closing ceremony

I can’t say they were all very good at using computers and going to be excellent engineers in the future, because it’s impossible. But something I am sure is that after the camp we made a strong impact on them, conveying the information about how important ICT is for women and that we girls can be as good as boys or even better in technology. What the 15 girls learnt is not only the knowledge about how to use software, but a new view of how to build a beautiful life for girls.

It’s a brilliant idea to organise this camp and Ore and Toyin are doing a great job. I still can’t believe W.TEC is run by only two women, because it’s so well organized. Later I knew that since we didn’t get a lot of sponsors, Ore was using her own savings to run the project and even the NGO. As for Toyin, she is an independent woman and I am always influenced by her passion.

DingJie shares her experience for the camp video

DingJie shares her experience for the camp video

W.TEC is only two years old and the camp is running next year. I hope more volunteers will work in it and the society will pay more attention to the NGO to empower more Nigerian women in technology.

Aug

13

By Toyin

It’s being an amazing 5 days of camping at  Laureates College Mafoluku where 15 smart, intelligent and ready to learn secondary school girls that made W.TEC selection process are getting Information and Communication Technology Education.

They are already learning difference aspect of ICT from computer programs, to multimedia, vidoe making, gender and leadership, peace education and so forth.

It’s my strong believe that at the end of the camp which will end on Saturday, the girls would be ready to take on the world as they grow and learn more in their various schools.

Oreoluwa Somolu the Executive Director of Women’s technology Empowerment Centre is one incredible change maker that initiated this wonderful camp for girls and the girls, are happy for this opportunity.

The visit to the OMATEK Factory yesterday was a memorable one. They campers were thrilled to know that an industrious woman, Engr. Florence Omatule Seriki built the empire from the scratch.
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Aug

2

The recent and just concluded BlogHer 2009 conference in Chicago, Illinios brought to mind the significance of web 2.0 tools and how it’s impacting lives especially that of women.

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Not less than 1,500 women from various background gathered at  one Sheraton Hotels in Chicago to learn, exchange ideas, teach each other different skills and achieve more together.

BlogHer, a community of women who blog started in 2005 by 3 courageous women namely: Elisa Camahort Page, Lisa Stone and Jory Des Jardins. These super women did not let their die instead they let it flourish.

They extended invitation to 4 International Activists this year and this afforded a Nigerian blogger, a Malawian blogger, an Indian Blogger and a Bolivia blogger that are working on different social issues to partake in this year’s conference.

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Women all over the world are making things happen, their joining in changing the world and all the wrong perspectives  is commendable and worth recognition.

What have you done, to make a change?

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