My name is Teklu Kelelachew and I am a graduate in Software Development from the Unity University College in Addis Ababa. A friend of mine who works at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) pointed me to the DOT website and subsequently to the internships available at DOT Ethiopia.

The internship has offered many opportunities that I was not expecting. The trip to Kenya for the joint training with DOT Kenya interns was one such opportunity. It was my first trip out of the country and I was understandably very excited. But the whole experience exceeded my expectations. The training we received was very interesting and very helpful for when we went into the field to deliver Reach Up! to members of DOT Ethiopia’s community partners. I have also been able to use my particular skills to help the participants I have been privileged to teach. For example, one participant I met at the training at Tsalke would like to use the internet to help him promote and sell the traditional Ethiopian garments that he and his family make. He would like me to help him develop a website.

The internship has taught me new skills that I believe have made me a more rounded individual.  Before this internship I wasn’t very confident but now I am able to stand before a class and deliver the Reach Up! modules to our community beneficiaries. It is also an opportunity to help others. I feel as if I have a purpose and I am doing something for my country.

My hobbies are playing computer games and chess. I am also very interested in programming. My final project at university was a HIV/AIDS chat or discussion forum in Amharic. My friend and I named it Moraesh which means “a shout for help” in Amharic. We wrote it in Java but the Ethiopian ISP does not support Java so was not able to host it. The application could allow you to create a room and discuss anything but the main target was to allow HIV/AIDS victims and their families to be able to discuss and share their experiences. I hope to be able to work for a software developing company to gain more experience in the field before starting my own business specialising in web development and networking .