IT Training for Women's Empowerment and Capacity-Building in Afghanistan

The sound of clicking keyboards filled the room as more than 20 women and men worked intently in a tiny packed computer lab in Kabul. The class was part of an eight-day Information Technology Training Institute entitled "Information Technology Training for Women's Empowerment and Capacity-Building," organized and implemented by the Women's Learning Partnership (WLP), in cooperation with the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL), May 18-25, 2004 in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The Institute was designed as a way for trainers to strengthen their understanding of computer networks and software programs, and more importantly, to learn training and facilitation methodologies that foster effective IT learning among grassroots women activists in Afghanistan. Among the skill sets and applications taught were strategic use of email for communication and advocacy, word processing and spreadsheet applications, internet research, and web development. Participants included technology trainers, grassroots activists, NGO leaders, representatives of government ministries, and AIL staff members. WLP engaged Ms. Usha Venkatachallam, Solutions Architect and Technical Lead at Beaconfire Consulting, a U.S.-based non-profit technology consulting company, to facilitate the IT Institute. Venkatachallam has been providing technical expertise to nonprofit and non-governmental organizations for nearly a decade.

At the opening ceremony, local school children gave a musical performance, which was followed by statements from the Ministers of Health and Education and AIL staff members. The participants were then divided into training sessions according to basic, intermediate, and advanced computer skill levels. The course curriculum was designed to be flexible and to accommodate the range of participants' computer experience.

The first three days of the Institute were devoted to beginner training that included participants who were familiar with using computers but lacked understanding of the ways computers can be used effectively in women's rights advocacy. In this group, one successful activity on "How the Internet and Networks Function" involved passing documents from person to person, as a means to convey how computers transfer information within a network. According to Venkatachallam, "The biggest success with the participants in the basic session was getting them over their fear of technology."

The Institute curriculum was developed with a view to encourage participants to share their skills within their organizations and community. Sessions, exercises, and final projects were incorporated to provide trainers with concrete ways in which to share the knowledge they gained with others. In the lab, groups of three or more participants huddled around each computer, taking turns to complete each activity, as the course was filled to maximum capacity. Despite the full class, participants enjoyed the participatory structure and the "learning by doing" approach to training. Many said it was the first time that even without handouts they had learned a great deal because of the interactive methodology used. They felt this training methodology enhanced their ability to retain information and encouraged them to train others in the skills and techniques learned in the course.

The intermediate and advanced sessions were geared to providing participants with intensive training in specific aspects of computer use, enabling them to increase their self-confidence, and practice and refine their IT training skills. One session in the intermediate class was devoted to strategic email use with a focus on utilizing email for newsletters, action alerts, and other forms of social advocacy communication. Discussing scenarios on human rights, violence against women, leadership, and political participation, participants learned how to send targeted information and use it to strengthen their advocacy and mobilization efforts. Among the reported outcomes of theInstitute , a participant described how she organized an email advocacy campaign to bring together a collective of national and international NGOs to press NATO to increase their security presence in Afghanistan and ensure improved security for Afghan women.

The advanced IT training session was designed for intensive training of trainers. Participants were representatives of local NGOs, including six AIL trainers from Herat, Kabul, and Peshawar, Pakistan. The session enabled participants to refine their technology training and presentation skills, as well as build their confidence as trainers. Training sessions focused on designing presentations, web development, and creating databases-skills important for internal office administration and for managing long-term organizational development. For their final projects, participants designed interactive and professional presentations around a topic of interest to them. One team developed a presentation on women and political participation in Afghanistan that incorporated UNDP statistics and photographs of Afghan women. Another team presented a comparative analysis of the outreach and impact of their organization's programs in Peshawar and Kabul utilizing illustrations and graphs to convey major findings. Participants concluded that the final project taught them how to present material to achieve the greatest impact and helped them develop their own dynamic communication skills.

Participants in all levels of the IT Institute were appreciative of the intensity and flexibility of the courses, which enabled them to receive in-depth training in a number of core areas, as well as introductions to several other topics of interest to them. Participants will go on to teach these skills and techniques to grassroots women and girls and to colleagues at various ministries and NGOs. Additionally, this training will help them to enhance the capacity of their organizations and strengthen their efforts to advocate for social justice, human rights, and democratic processes. As one participant stated, "Modern technology and computers are a resource to join the international community and to take part in the reconstruction of our country. The methodology used in the IT training was much more effective than traditional instruction methods. I feel that after this course we will be self-reliant and able to reach our goals." WLP is developing and adapting the IT training curriculum for use in further IT trainings in Afghanistan and with other partner organizations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.