Ms. Betty Radier presents a certificate to Irene Ayuma a beneficiary of the program

Nine hundred young women from the informal settlements in Nairobi graduate with ICT, Entrepreneurship and Life skills for employment
The African Centre for Women, Information and Communications Technology (ACWICT) in partnership with Microsoft Corporation and the International Youth Foundation held its second graduation ceremony for 900 women on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, at the Kenyatta International Conference Center.
The ceremony was presided over by a representative from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as well as senior executives from Microsoft Corporation, East and Central Africa and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
In Nairobi, the program targeted young women aged 18 - 35 years from informal settlements who were trained in ICT, Entrepreneurship and Life skills at ACWICT’s secretariat in Kileleshwa under “Reaching the Un-reached – Youth employability program.

The program seeks to empower women, improve lives, create and sustain wealth and broaden digital inclusion in Kenya. 2000 women who have benefited from the training with more than 50% being placed in gainful forms of employment.

“I am grateful for the training I got through the program.” Said Ms. Aquila Afandi, one of the program beneficiaries, “it has helped me spread my wings.”

Salima Majuma Wangira also a beneficiary of the program said the training gave her en edge in her work place as she is now able to relate well with her colleagues as well as manage her work using the ICT skills. She expressed her joy for having been part of a program that had impacted on her life directly.

Overall the program has directly benefited at least 1104 young women from around Nairobi and in terms of impact on households; the training has impacted 11,040 indirect beneficiaries.
Ms. Betty Radier, Microsoft East and Southern Africa Marketing Manager said Microsoft through the Unlimited Potential program aims to reach the next 1 billion people globally by 2015 by exploring solutions in areas that are crucial to developing sustained economic opportunity.
“By partnering with ACWICT to train the young women, Microsoft is focusing its efforts on enabling jobs and opportunities,” said Radier. Reaching the Un-reached – Youth employability project is an intervention that seeks to improve the employment prospects of young women from the informal settlements, through the provision of ICT skills, entrepreneurship and life skills training coupled with employment support and placement services. The program has successfully been running in Nairobi for the last two years and has also been replicated in Eldoret town with the opening of ACWICT’s sixth community centre early this year. Besides providing its Unlimited Potential curriculum and computer software for use in delivering the program, Microsoft has to date provided $214,000 in cash grants towards the program.

The Samsung Real Dreams program, also a youth employability initiative implemented by ACWICT in Nairobi, scales up the Reaching the Un-reached – Youth employability project. The program aims to increase economic activity in the region, particularly by promoting job skills and preparing young people for successful long-term careers.

“ACWICT is presently providing the young women with advanced skills in Computer Networking and Business Process Outsourcing. This is geared at further preparing a workforce that will be ready to take up opportunities presented in the ICT sector by the arrival of the undersea fibre optic cable and the government’s ‘Vision 2030’ that identifies Business Process Off-shoring as a key sector for future economic growth.” Said Ms. Constantine Obuya, ACWICT’s Executive Director.

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