Technology is inevitable

I did not know how powerful technology can be, until i was 30 years old when i first opened a yahoo account. i used it to think it was too expensive without realizing how i made my life difficult in the dark world. my yahoo account brought the world close to me. i started sharing my email with my friends who were already in and email of all manner started hitting  my in box some fake and some real. one of the most interesting thing i got an email from a stranger asking if i was interested in attending a youth conference in the USA which was catered for. i was very eager and got excited little did i know this was a scam. however the short of the long thing is that i managed to apply for a passport which i had never thought of in the first place. Having a passport was one great achievement. i was excited to discover that there opportunities that exist and can only be gotten if you are using technology. i became an addict of browsing any kind of information searching for academic grants, global conference, creating online friends some fake and some real but at the end of the day i landed on important information.

i got interested in learning more on internet search, computer packages, etc. i enrolled into a college and i did some basic on internet browsing and getting the right information. i can say that through ICT I got a my master scholarship awarded by common wealth. surprisingly i did not have to travel to study in the UK but i did online where i got all the support i need from my tutors. i only traveled for my graduation. secondary i got to connect with the right feminist platforms such as world pulse, global funds, vgif etc. Through world pulse i have connected with women who have been very supportive sharing information such as calls for proposal by funding organization in fact, through world pulse resources i have submitted proposal to organization such as global fund, vgif and EVAW and gotten grants to run YAWI programs.

in the near future like in two months YAWI shall be using ICT, using social media to educate women in Kenya on their rights and how technology can be used to address violence against women. example using Whatapp groups for women at risk eg commercial sex workers can create a group where members can send text if they are in danger. currently YAWI using technology has a platform where women can report cases of violence to security organs in the country anonymously. the coded platform can be used by any person reporting cases of violence without necessary going to a police station and action is taken immediately. Also, i have be presenting a a paper on how to use technology to report cases of gender bases violence. this will be in November 2019 in Tawain. Were it not for technology i do not think such opportunities would come my way.

i believe technology is power and therefore i have taken initiative to empower women on how to maximum its use to address issues affecting them.