FEATURED INTERN
REBECCA GIRMA
DOT Ethiopia ReachUp! Intern
"I have trained 50 participants from BharDar and Addis Ababa. Since I started...I have seen highly motivated young people who are very ready to change their lives once and for all."
Learn more about Rebecca...
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INTERN ALUMNI
MOSES OPONDO
DOT Kenya ReachUp! Intern Support Manager and Alumnus
"As an Intern, I discovered my hidden talents in leadership and honed my skills in writing and oratory and got the much needed exposure to the workplace. Besides this I got a challenge to give back to the community by empowering young people. I improved my communication, facilitation and networking abilities."
Learn more about Moses...
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PARTNER PROFILE
Ethiopian Women Export Association (EWEA)
DOT Ethiopia has partnered with EWEA which is established to empower women exporters with skills, up-to-date information in the export trade and to help build their entrepreneurial capacity.
DOT Ethiopia recently began the first cycle with EWEA earlier this month and has 20 participants who are over the age of 20 and who are all women.
Learn more this DOT Ethiopia partner...
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FEATURED PROJECT
SOAP MAKING
DOT Ethiopia ReachUp! Project
The soap making project is organized by Interns Emeiye and Elenatane, and "Hope for Children" participants. The project is about how to make soap in small business because soap is becoming very expensive in Ethiopia. The team is currently exploring the possibility of making this project a success
and are ready to write the first draft of the business plan.
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INTERN VIDEO
Paul Akiki, NetCorps Lebanon Intern Alumnus
Keep checking the DOT website for a new video featuring our DOT Interns who discuss their internships and the impact that they have helped make within their communities.
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WHO WE ARE
Digital Opportunity Trust creates educational and economic opportunities through the use of information and communication technologies for communities and people living in the developing world.
Learn about our Global Partners...
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NEWSLETTERS
Read the latest DOT Kenya Tangaza newsletter.
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"Most new jobs won't come from our biggest employers. They will come from our smallest. We've got to do everything we can to make enterpreneurial dreams a reality..."
- Ross Perot
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OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
Issue #10 - August 2008
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Intern Week 2008
On September 8th, DOT will welcome three Interns to coincide with the annual DOT Global Board of Directors Meeting. These three Interns have been nominated by their country leaders because they exemplify the spirit of DOT and have shown great dedication and determination when it comes to working as a DOT Intern.
During their week in Ottawa, the Interns will make presentions to the Board of Directors, members of the community, and Government Agencies. Meeting our Interns is a powerful experience as they are articulate young people who talk with impact about their self-growth experiences and their commitment and pride in what they have been able to do for their communities and peers.
Welcome Interns!
Learn about the Interns...
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Stella Illumba Rediscovers Her Worth Thanks to the ReachUp! Program
Stella Illumba, a ReachUp! community participant from the Kenya Disabled Action Network (KEDAN), was a victim of the August 7th, 1998 bomb blast at the US Embassy in Nairobi.
During those hard times, her self esteem was seriously damaged and she lost hope of ever getting back on her feet. According to Stella, she had a negative attitude towards anyone willing to offer any assistance to her for even her closest family turned their backs on her. She thought that anyone who came to her aid was out to take advantage of her disability.
Fortunately, having received the ReachUp! training, Stella is happy to say that her self esteem and sense of worth is back and she is ready to get back on her feet again and establish herself. She has a passion in handicrafts and hopes to expand the business in that field. With regards to her career, she is an accountant by profession (she was laid off because of her disability) and still believes she will soon work again as an accountant in the near future and hopes to start her own Accounting and Management college, something she has always dreamed of.
Stella Illumba (far left) participates in a session facilitated by Intern Elizabeth Muthui.
Stella writes to DOT Kenya Intern Elizabeth Muthui:
Dear Mwalimu (Swahilii for 'teacher'),
I'm writing to thank you and your organisation for the wealth of knowledge you imparted to my colleagues and me. Now I am rearing to go! I started a crafts business some five years ago. At that time, I had no business knowledge because I had previously been employed in an office. In my family no one does business, and hence I had no one to refer to. My capital was very limited, only KES 2000. No one was willing to lend me money.
My beginning was humble at the Masai market where I started with very little stock. Through a lot of errors, challenges and perseverance, I have managed to stay afloat. At the moment I know the market and its trends. A major challenge is that of finances to expand the business. In the near future I plan to open a shop, expand my production and become a wholesaler. My passion is to start a business college that offers training in accountancy. With the DOT training, my eyes have been open to better ways of starting and doing a business..."
I can now say with I'm ready to go!
Regards,
Stella
KEDAN is a community-based youth organisation formed by and for the youth with disabilities in 2003. The Minister for Gender and Children Affairs, Hon. Esther Murugi Mathenge, met with some of the DOT ReachUp! participants during her visit to KEDAN on May 13th.
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TeachUp! Interns Complete Two Weeks of Intensive Training
As summer winds down, schools across Mississippi and Louisiana are preparing for the return of students. DOT USA's TeachUp! Interns in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana and seven counties in and around southern Mississippi participated and completed trainings in July and August to prepare for the 2008-2009 school year.
"I am excited about the upcoming school year," said Antoine Powell, a second year TeachUp! Intern in Hattiesburg, MS. "There are so many new things that the teachers are willing to learn. This gives me the opportunity to take the program to the next level."
Dr. Marie-Anne Mundy,
Monitoring and Evaluations
Consultant for DOT USA
A grant from Cisco Systems during the 2006-2007 school year following Hurricane Katrina brought 16 Interns to schools in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana and 37 interns to seven counties and school districts in Mississippi including Forrest County, Lamar County, Harrison County, Petal School District, Hattiesburg School District, Moss Point School District, and Forrest County Agricultural High School District.
To kick off the third year of these two programs the TeachUp! Interns completed two intensive weeks of training broken up between technical training and face-to-face training. Laurie Abu-Saoud, Training Manager and Intern Support Manager for DOT USA, led the face-to-face trainings designed to prepare the Interns to enter a school environment.
Laurie Abu-Saoud facilitates a TeachUp! Intern training session
Learn more...
- Article by Ginny Sims, DOT USA Communications Intern
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DOT USA Interns and Alumni Lend a Hand
A group of eight DOT USA TeachUp! Interns and Intern Alumni teamed up with Petal School District and Cisco Systems for the Petal Technology Summit on July 30 and 31 to get teachers technology-ready for the beginning of the school year.
The Petal Technology Summit featured an informative lecture from November Learning which highlighted new ideas and ways to bring technology into the classrooms. For the remainder of the Summit, teachers rotated through several labs including a web scavenger hunt, podcasting and screencasting, Skype (software that allows users to make computer-to-computer calls for free), Google Docs, and an in-depth look at the Petal School District Website.
Each lab was led and directed by a small group of DOT USA Interns and alumni who were able to pass on their own tips and knowledge about each type of technology. The DOT USA Interns and Alumni included Rod Thurman, Ila Council, Doyle Reid, Chris Holland, Dedee Fewell, James Gray, David Thiberville, and Jessica Miranda. Each of the Interns and Alumni drew from their experiences in DOT USA's TeachUp! Program to bring teachers tips and tricks as well as do's and don'ts for each lab subject.
Learn more...
- Article by Ginny Sims, DOT USA Communications Intern
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Message to Our Readers
Thank you for your ongoing support and contributions to the success of Digital Opportunity Trust.
If you would like to share your feedback, or if you are a DOT Intern or alumni and would like to share your success story, please contact me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Emily Marks
Newsletter Editor, DOT
email: newsletter@dotrust.org
website: www.dotrust.org
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Digital Opportunity Trust
USA: TeachUp! Interns do Their Part to Make A Difference
2008-11-18
Patricia Oyoyo (Kenya), Antoine Powell (USA) and Louis Whittington (USA)
