My name is Robina Guchu and I am a graduate of the University of Nairobi with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Sociology and Economics. I joined the DOT internship in October 2006 and after the induction training I was placed at various centres in and outside Nairobi. As a DOT ReachUp! Intern, I have been involved in training the community participants on how to create a sustainable livelihood while incorporating the use of ICT. I have been a coach and a mentor to the community participants and have been involved with advocacy for his program together with carrying out research in the various communities.

For example, my initial placement was at One Stop Youth Information and Resource Centre where we guided the participants in a self awareness exercises to help them identify their strengths and skills, and match these with the available opportunities around them while applying various ICT components. One of the participants Saidi Noor was able to come up with a soap making project where he manufactures liquid detergents and distributes to the community around him. Through the training he received he is now able to design simple labels for his products. It’s been a year now and his business continues to grow. He has just purchased a sealing machine to seal the caps onto the bottles containing the detergent. He also really believes in the program and has been instrumental in recruiting others to participate in the ReachUp! programme.

I have also been instrumental in taking the program to our partners in the rural areas like Youth Action for Rural Development (YARD) and was lead facilitator at Nyaga Youth Polytechnic. This centre is pivotal in the collaboration between DOT and the Ministry of Youth Affairs in Kenya. The program has attracted a large number of young people especially those who are unemployed and don’t know what to do with their life. The community participants have been very excited once they are able to use the computer to perform various activities like typing resumes and using the internet for research and recreation.

Through the program I have inspired many young people to further their knowledge on ICT and some of the participants have decided to enrol in colleges for specialised training.

Through my placements at various community run information and technology centres, I have become aware of the challenges they face in terms infrastructure especially with regards to availability of the internet, soft ware licensing and the quality and the quantity of the computers. There is also a lack of qualified personnel to run and maintain the machines. These problems are experienced at the Youth Polytechnic, YARD, and One Stop Youth Centre to name a few.

Despite all the challenges, the positive impact of these knowledge centres is that they are able to bring the benefits of technology right down to the community level. They promote the increase in ICT education by offering short courses at reasonable rates for community members. This promotes the use of ICT by all members of society thereby helping to bridge the digital divide.

I have gained experience in how to work in a multi-cultural environment. I have also been able to nurture my interpersonal skills conflict resolution skills. I have learnt that the use of ICT is vital in our day to day life and this has made me feel its my obligation to help as many young people as possible.

I was privileged to attend the conference on Knowledge Parks held in Doha, Qatar organised by UNESCO and Qatar Foundation. I had the opportunity to make a presentation on the impact of the DOT ReachUp! Programme in Kenya. I was very happy to testify about the work that DOT is doing because of the many lives that the programme has influenced, including my own.