By Bob Aston
Ng’arua Maarifa centre, located in Sipili division, Laikipia County made great strides in providing free ICT training to residents of Sipili and Ng’arua divisions. The Centre which was established by Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) in 2006 managed to train 268 people in 2013.
Ng’arua Maarifa centre, located in Sipili division, Laikipia County made great strides in providing free ICT training to residents of Sipili and Ng’arua divisions. The Centre which was established by Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) in 2006 managed to train 268 people in 2013.
The free ICT training
was made possible through Access to Learning Award received by ALIN from the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2011. The Award is given each year by the
Foundation's Global Libraries initiative.
The Access to Learning
Award (ATLA) recognizes the innovative efforts of public libraries or similar
organizations outside the United States to connect people to information
through free access to computers and the Internet.
The Award enabled ALIN
to start free ICT Training in all Maarifa Centres in Kenya, Tanzania and
Uganda. The training presented opportunities for marginalized rural communities
to become ICT savvy.
Training was open to
everyone. It attracted a wide range of students including government department
workers, primary and secondary pupils and teachers, Form four leavers, youths,
farmers, school dropouts and local administrators among others.
The packages offered
included Introduction to computer and Windows, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Internet and
Emailing.
The number of male
trainees was 150 while female trainees were 118. Form four leavers made the highest
number of trainees at 58 % while businessmen and women were the lowest at 9 %.
The highest
represented age group was 19-25 years as they made up 62 % of the trainees
while those above 60 years consisted of less than 1 % of the total trainees.
“The training provided
by ALIN really helped me. I managed to secure a computer job. This was only
possible because of the knowledge that I gained from the Maarifa,’’ said Joseph
Kanyi.
The trainees came from
as far as 18 Kilometers. Most of the trainees were located around Sipili
Location. The Centre also had trainees who were residing in areas such as
Minjore, Mithuri, Milango, Ndemu Ndune, Machunguru, Bondeni, Kinamba, Kahuruko,
Mlima Meza, Ndurumo, Naiborom and Ndaragwiti.
“I was a clerk at the
D.O’s office in Kinamba but once I cleared my training at the Maarifa centre I
was given a promotion and now I work as a Computer Operator. I thank ALIN for
providing the training,” said Alfred Machangi, Computer Operator at Kinamba
D.Os office.
The trainees were divided
into seven different groups and each group had a particular day and time in
which they attended training. Group one, two, three and four attended training
on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday while group five, six and seven attended
training on Thursday and Friday.
Saturday was normally
reserved for practice and consulting and the trainees were encouraged to
practice their typing skills on Saturdays.
Most of the trainees
have already been able to secure jobs with the government and the county
government. Others have been employed in the private sector while other
trainees have managed to start their own businesses.
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