It is time to celebrate!

Time flies here and it is time to celebrate the progress and achievements of all groups and learners! 

The month started with celebrating the graduation of 11 members of CEFOVID. After 2,5 month of training, the participants are now ready to apply the digital skills acquired in their daily lives. 

The tailors have learned how to create digital content and market their products online. The teachers gained knowledge about pedagogical online tools that they can use them to prepare and give their lessons. Simultaneously, youth leaders improved their online communication and collaboration skills. 

After the hard work, all participants received a certificate. We celebrated it with a big cake and speeches and ending up dancing all together. 🎉

Then, we celebrate the progress of the 40 young refugees that participated in a two-weeks online training. It  was organised together with Windle International as part of their pre-departure training. As the students were split in 11 different refugee settlements, we had no other choice than organising it online. But this constraint eventually offered us new opportunities such as being able to take the time to correct individual assignments and give feedback. It also allowed students to go at their own pace and learn from their mistakes.

As trainers, it was also an opportunity for us to learn how to use Google Classroom. 

According to the participants, the training was super useful for their daily lives, studies and professional careers. 

UPA secretariat also benefited from a tailored two-days training where they learned about Google tools, online design and marketing among others.  Congratulations to them for their new learnings!

Strenghtening relationships and early results

 After a few month, I started building stronger relationships and I could also notice the progress of the students, which is really encouraging!

Training in CEFOVID:

Every Wednesday afternoon, we organise a training session with CEFOVID (Community Empowerment For Village Development). The group is composed of 11 people (4 youth leaders, 3 teachers and 4 tailors). Until now, they have learned about digital safety, smartphone photography and videography, financial literacy and Google tools among other things. 

Having a small group is ideal for learning as we are able personalise the exercises depending on the skills they already have. 

We also see them progressing every week and some have already been able to use what they learned in their daily lives!

UPA Gulu Branch

I also came back to Gulu, to give the second training on digital competencies. On the picture, you can see us eating a Rolex for lunch. 

A rolex is a snack which consists in an omelette with onion and veggies rolled in a chapati, yummy!

We decided to eat under the mango tree to enjoy the shadow and while we were waiting for our meals, 3 mangos felt down the tree.

All we had to do was to eat them for dessert 😄😄

Training at Kibuli 

Then, we also started a training marathon in two teacher colleges. The idea is that we go there for three weeks and train both the students and their teachers in digital skills. We started the first week with Kibuli Primary Teacher College and we were impressed by the busy schedule of the students. Indeed, activities are planned for them from 5AM to 11PM. 

Despite this, students find the strength and energy to actively participate in our courses and it is a pleasure to be there to guide their learning. 

Looking forward to see them all graduating in a few weeks! 

Training different groups and various profiles

It is my third month in Uganda and my agenda is now full of training, quite exciting! I started with a ToT (training of trainer) in YARID, in Kampala. Then, I travelled to Gulu to train UPA Gulu Branch and finished by another ToT in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement. 

 1. YARID 

Together with my colleague Ambra, we have organised and conducted a 2 days training for YARID ICT trainers. The objective was to support them in delivering the Mondo Digital Competencies program among refugees and host communities. 

Based on the previous need-assessment, the topics covered during these two days were: 

• How to communicate efficiently and keep audience's attention
• How to summarize a concept and deliver it in different ways
• How to make lessons fun and keep the students energized 
• How to get the reserved students to participate too

The training was highly interactive with a mix of theory and practical exercises. This methodology allowed participants to learn about new concepts and tools and then to use them directly in a given situation. 

The feedback from the participants was really positive and they told us that they gained more knowledge and skills which will enable them to improve their teaching practices. 

2. GULU

Then, we took the bus direction Gulu! What an adventure... The journey requires patience but we are happy to arrive and discover a quiet city (compared to Kampala 😉). 

 We have come all this way to conduct the first part of the Digital Competencies Training to the Members of UPA Gulu branch. Based on our needs assessment, we had decided to make two groups. 

• Group A for the beginners
• Group B for those that already have basic ICT skills and want to become trainers themselves.

The training went on well and we have decided to come back soon for the second part!

3. RWAMWANJA                                        

  From North to West, we went to Rwamwanja  Vocational Training Center to train and support the ICT trainers. 

For some of them, it was their first training on Mondo Digital Competencies modules and for other it was a refresher course. 

They are now all ready to start or continue training young refugees and local communities on ICT. 

After the observation phase, it is time to act!

It has already been two months that I am in Uganda and time flies!

I continue to meet new partners in order to assess their ICT training needs. As part of the first meetings, we always assess the sustainability of the future project to be sure that it will create long-term impact. 

CEFOVID

CEFOVID (Community Empowerment For Village Development) was one of the partners I met. Their mission is to challenge and respond to the causes and consequences of vulnerability and poverty. They mobilize communities by giving them the skills they need to overcome their challenges and live a self-sustaining life with dignity.

We have decided to organise together a Digital Competencies training for their members (youth leaders, tailors and teachers).

Some of them already have basic digital skills and will help us delivering the training as ICT assistants. We will simultaneously train them to become trainers so they can continue delivering the training by themselves afterwards.

 KYAKA Refugee Settlement

I also experienced conducting my first Training of Trainers (ToT) in Kyaka Refugee Settlement. This training is part of a project entitled "Transforming digital learning to earning in Kyegegwa District". 

The objective of the project is to improve the business oriented digital competences of 160 young entrepreneurs.

With the skills acquired during the ToT, the trainers are now able to train the learners in market-relevant and business-focused digital skills. We focused mainly on business planning, business management, product development and digital marketing. 

I was accompanied by two Mondo trainers and it was useful to work together and share our experiences. We also tried different participative approaches and got good feedback from the learners.

Discovering the pearl of Africa

Hello everyone!

I am Clarisse, I am from Belgium and I am in Kampala to support the implementation of Mondo Digital Competences Program (MDCP). The objective is to increase the level of digital competences of vulnerable youth in order to improve their ability to solve everyday problem as well as achieve their personal and professional goals. 

The program manual was developed by Mondo in collaboration with Tallinn University and it comprises six modules that cover different skills such as safety, communication and collaboration, information and data literacy, etc.  It is structured in a pedagogical way that helps trainers with exercises and tips on how to give the lessons. 

Our priority target groups for this training are teachers, young refugees, youth leaders and members of the Uganda Pioneers Association. 

I am really happy to work on this project and I am convinced by the approach of Mondo who focuses mainly on training of trainers (ToT). Indeed, by training local ICT instructors, we strengthen the local capacity while making sure our activities are sustainable.

Preparation before coming

Leaving your own country to go volunteering in a place you have never been needs surely some preparation. Thanks to Mondo and the EUAV program, we benefited from different trainings before coming. We learned about the culture of our country of deployment and we also had practical skills training such as project management in the humanitarian aid sector, crisis management, intercultural awareness, etc. All modules were interesting but I found particularly relevant to meet and exchange with previous volunteers. Indeed, learning about the difficulties they faced and how they overcame them was really encouraging. 

After all those trainings, I felt ready to discover the reality on the ground!

Complementarity between two different organisations

I have the opportunity to work simultaneously for two organisations. The first one is Uganda Pioneers Association and the second one is Mondo. They both have different history and structure and I think it will be rich for me to work with both of them. 

First weeks in Uganda, need assessment and inspiration phase

The first week, UPA gave me an induction week. It was really relevant to receive all those information and to have the time to ask my questions openly. 

Then, the first month has been devoted to need assessment. I visited different partner organisation and met the staff and beneficiaries to really understand how we could work together to create an long lasting impact. I also realised how important this phase was because it will shape future actions.

I also got the chance to visit running projects and discuss with current participants. 

The friendliest people 

I must say that until now I have been very warmly welcomed by the locals and I have have been impressed by their ability to open themselves to someone they have just met. It always takes some time to adjust to a new country but it really helps when you feel welcome and supported. 

Teamwork

Last but not least, I have also been very lucky because I have the opportunity to work together with another EU Aid Volunteer. Her name is Ambra and she is from Italy. I wont say more about her because she will probably present herself on the blog as well but we will be working as a team on this project!😊