With the aim of improving women’s employability and their financial independence, Orange Foundation in partnership with Project Concern International (PCI) Botswana, is to launch the second women digital centre in Molepolole.
The launch comes after Orange Foundation collaborated with Humana People organisation to open the first women digital centre in Ghanzi Orange Foundation public relations and foundation manager, Ms Boga Chilinde-Masembu said the programme seeks to promote the digital inclusion of women through empowering the girl child and economically vulnerable women by providing them with training in digital technology.
The programme also aims to provide management skills and the use of basic software to improve employability and business management skills.
Mme Thari Digital Centre is the programme that will be implemented through the ready to work and women empowerment initiatives currently supported by PCI Botswana.
Ready to work is a Pan-African initiative that provides young disadvantaged women and girl child with the skills that they require to secure employment or start their own businesses.
Ms Chilinde-Masembu said the women empowerment programme was a cost effective social and economic empowerment programme that organised individuals into savings groups and educated them on how to manage their finances and income generating initiatives.
“The digital centres are designed to offer basic courses based on the specific needs of women supported by digital tools, thereby promoting digital inclusion.
Furthermore, the Orange Foundation manager said the programme was targeted at women in disadvantaged situations who normally have limited access to educational opportunities, and that the technology would bring women into contact with the broader world and open up access to education and vocational training in a cost effective way.
Mme Thari Digital Centre will be renovated and furnished with computers, tablets, a video projector, printer and usb keys for each woman to save their daily work.
The renovation and furnishing of the centre is said to cost P100 000.
“The date of the launch of the project has not yet been set as there are some logistical issues being finalised,” she revealed.