Computer Literate

Empowering the not “computer savvies” with basic digital skills using curated and developed resources onsite at a training center and online through an e-learning platform.

We are solving the problem of digital illiteracy in Cameroon.

We live in a digital age, with rapid digital transformation in every sector. With this, at least basic digital skills are required to remain relevant and productive. 

Cameroon where I currently live is also experiencing this rapid adoption of digital technologies. Students, teachers, professional workers, job applicants, and organizations are affected by these at various levels. Many workers because of the lack of basic digital skills are laid off from their jobs. Students become inefficient and experience drops in their academic results. Skilled job applicants are rejected. 

The major cause of this illiteracy is that we had not perceived the need thereby neglecting and even despising it. Contributing to this problem are; the lack of a well-developed and accepted program for training people with digital skills and the lack of access to computers and digital tools. Cameroon is yet to be developed, with a working population of 72.51% in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators an internet penetration rate of 36.5 percent in 2022 according to datareportal. 

Our solution consists of a well-curated and developed resource for basic digital skills training taught using a practical and contextual approach. Training takes place at a training center with the appropriate infrastructure, computers, internet, and human resource. Thus solving the problem of inaccessibility to computers. The resource is also made available online through an e-learning platform.  Other materials are also made available in print format.

Having various formats to ensure our solution can reach as many people as possible, even those who aren’t able to come to the training center or don’t even have the basic skills to use our online platform.

To ensure the quality of our solution, we partner with existing organizations of good reputation for certification such as ICDL which we have contacted already.

Our solution targets mainly those with little or no basic digital skills irrespective of age. We grouped them into; students and workers or aspiring workers. With our solutions, students will acquire skills to be able to design, develop and share their work digitally. Through our solution, workers will acquire skills to use technology effectively for their work thus making them more productive.  Aspiring workers will acquire skills that will make them more employable.

In our team we have:

• A seasoned software engineer, Microsoft office certification trainer, and youth leader who has to train many people with basic digital skills and others for the Microsoft certification.
• A software engineering student and part-time computer teacher who has had some experience in organizing programs to train students during holidays with basic digital skills.

Currently, we are seeking someone with more expertise in marketing and finances. 

We have had to teach many basic digital skills to prepare them for employability. We have taught students for their school work and for more productivity. We have helped many with little tasks like typing a Curriculum Vitae or Resume. For other people, we helped in creating an email or just connecting to a zoom meeting. 

This birthed our solution. We have spoken with some of the people we have had to train on our proposed solution. We also sort existing solutions in the country such as (IAI African Institute of Computer Sciences) and out of the country (ICDL, International Certification of Digital Literacy), their strategies, and their limitations before coming up with our solution.

We employ the use of software, an e-learning platform to expand the reach of our solution.

This year as we begin, we seek to empower at least 50 people with basic digital skills and 1 organization such as school staff.

An e-learning platform, that puts together text and audio-visual content. 

50 people

Completing legal procedures.

Finances for setting up an infrastructure.

We have contacted ICDL for certification and mentorship to which they agreed on the condition that we set up an infrastructure first.

Our solution serves, students and workers with little or no digital skills.

Training is done at the center and online through the e-learning platform and certification is given by our partner ICDL.

Expenses will be made for staff and on maintaining the online platform and infrastructure.

A token is paid for training. Selling of material online and in hard copy formats.