Juma joined the Kakuma Digital Inclusion Program (DIP) team in early 2023 as the pilot’s first-ever ICT trainer. Along with his co-worker Taban, Juma took up the challenge of launching this program, which trained 33 young refugee women in foundational digital literacy and specialized skills for online entrepreneurship. After this first cohort graduated in January, Juma joined the core Konexio international team for his free months between cohorts to help support our programs development. He is now working closely with Konexio’s staff and directly on curriculum development, gaining exposure to a different side of the DIP. He believes this new perspective will help him teach the second cohort with even greater efficiency!
We caught up with Juma to hear more about this transition as well as what he is anticipating with Kakuma cohort 2.
Juma’s interview has been lightly edited for clarity and accuracy.
You recently shifted from your role as an ICT trainer for Kakuma to Konexio’s staff. Can you tell me a little about your new position – what does a typical day look like for you?
Since I joined Konexio last month in January, my working environment has changed. When I was [an ICT] trainer, most of my engagement was with the students. But now, working more closely with Konexio, my typical day has changed a little bit – it involves a lot of curriculum revamping. I work closely with my supervisor Adora [Konexio’s Curriculum Developer and Lead Trainer], who has been incredibly helpful as I navigate the extensive Google drive and [she] makes all resources available that I need to work.
What has been your favorite task so far?
My favorite task so far has been collaborating with the team to brainstorm, developing informative curriculum modules that cover the diverse needs of our learners to meet their market needs, and researching the platforms to also help the alumni have various platforms where they can make extra money.
Do you still work directly with Kakuma alumni? How have they been doing after the program, and how have you been helping?
Yeah, I interact with alumni almost on a daily basis. We have students who come [to the JRS training center] to work on the online platforms, like Remotasks. When they have a new project that they do not understand, they’ll come to the center and I will explain how it’s supposed to be done. Some also come with others who need additional topics we just covered explained further to them. We use Excel a lot, and not everybody likes mathematics. So I find that when they apply for freelance jobs and find jobs requiring Excel, they come with the spreadsheets, which require some analysis. I take them through on how to analyze and practice graphing pie charts to meet the client's needs.
You will be returning to the Kakuma DIP as lead ICT trainer in a few months. What are you looking forward to most?
I know I will come back to Kakuma, to the DIP program as the ICT trainer in a few months, an exciting prospect. So I look forward to reuniting with the community and with the new students who are coming, continuing with the impactful work where I started, where we started together. With the new cohort that's coming, I want to help them earn their monthly salary needs and raise their income even higher [than the last cohort], because now I have more experience on the platforms. I know now what students find challenging, more than when I was new to the program. I’ve tested a lot of solutions to [make students] have a better experience. Also, working closely with Konexio has given me more confidence and – at least with the new cohort – I strongly believe they are going to be able to earn more now that I have this new perspective.
Do you see this experience with Konexio helping you as an ICT facilitator?
Yeah, my experience with Konexio has really equipped me with skills and insights which has enhanced my role as an ICT facilitator. Working closely with Adora has really helped me develop some professional methods of problem solving. My experience with Adora has also made me more organized because before, I never used Asana [an online work management program] to organize my plans.
Interacting with the Malawi trainers was also a good experience. Just explaining to them how my students have become successful through Remotasks and that they can make their own money. That was a good experience. It has also really brought in new perspectives and refined my approach to teaching and training. And I'm confident that this experience will serve me as I return to teach a second cohort.
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