kenyakidz|The kenyan family website

Design School opens web careers for slum youngsters

NairoBits School of Design is creating a community of hundreds of young web developers in the slum areas of Nairobi with an extraordinary training programme that last month hosted a group of youngsters from Netherlands for a three days inter-cultural exchange.

The exchange program, an initiative of Dutch organisation Edukans, saw 99 Dutch youngsters visit NairoBits for three days of music, talent shows, computer-designed poster projects, lunches, slum tours and football tournaments. It was the second exchange program for the school, following a first in 2006.

Yet as an extraordinary happening - insofar as it took almost a hundred Dutch youngsters into Mathere life - the exchange amounts to one of Nairobitz smallest achievements. Started in 1999 by the Dutch foundation Butterfly Works, NairoBits offers ICT and life skills training to less privileged children and youth in the community, in a missin that has seen it now create almost 1000 young, Kenyan IT professionals.

The design school runs programs in ICT Multimedia, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS , micro-entrepreneurship program, life skills as well as providing information for poverty alleviation.

The multimedia program is offered in four levels - Course 1, Course 2 and 3 as one package, and Course 4. In course one, also known as ‘Behind the Screen’ the youths are taught basic computer skills and photo shop for one month, while in Course 2 and 3 known as ‘Inside the Web’, the youngsters learn about the internet, blogging, word press and how to make websites using tables.

Course 4, known as media lab, is as advanced level ICT multimedia course, where the youths learn web development and design; and are then linked to internship and employment opportunities in ICT related companies.

NairoBits has seven information centers through partnerships with different Community Based Organizations including Maji Mazuri, FHOK(Family Health Options Kenya), YIKE(Youth initiative Kenya), and Carolina for Kibera; where the training takes place every day from Monday to Friday.

The organizations provide space and electricity and in some cases machines, while NairoBits provide courses and trainers and computers in some centers. Most of these centers have one or two trainers who are all alumni of NairoBits and who have undergone 'training of training' to be able to train the others.

The behind the screen course is offered in six of the centers that are in Marurui, Kayole, Mathare Kibera and Kariobangi; while the ‘Inside the Web’ course is offered at FHOK center in Eastleigh. Media Lab is offered at the Nairobi Go Downs Centre, where the School’s administration office is. The Centre has 50 computers at the Go Downs Arts Centre and therefore plans to train 100 youths this year as the media lab course takes six months.

The Digital Design School also has other branches in other countries including Zanzibits in Zanzibar and Addisbits in Ethiopia.

Asked how they choose the candidates to join the youths to join the school, Wilson, an IT Trainer who is also a beneficiary of the school says they have ‘a network of Community Based Organizations who they have partnership with, and who do have direct link with the youth.’

The school, through these organizations, selects youths aged between 19 and 24, mostly Form Four leavers, who then go for an interview at NairoBits.

Since 2000, the organization has empowered over 1000 youths with life skills, ICT skills and , entrepreneurship skills at no cost .Wilson, who is also a beneficiary says Nairobits changed his life because when he was growing up, he wanted to be a professional footballer with Mathare club and although he does training in football in his community, he is earning mostly from his career as a web developer.

Peter, another alumni says most of the beneficiaries of NairoBits would not have afforded to go to college.

Wilson says their target for this year is to train 256 students in ICT multimedia course 1,120 youths in course 2 and 100 youths in media lab. The school is currently updating its curriculum in line with the changing trends, to make all the subjects relevant.

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