Category: Blog

We join the Government of Zimbabwe and the rest of the world in commemorating the International Women’s Month.  This year’s commemoration is under the theme: “Invest in women, accelerate progress”. This is a call to action to invest in programmes that accelerate economic growth and create more equitable opportunities for women.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) calls State parties ..to ‘ have access to agricultural credit and loans, marketing facilities, appropriate technology and equal treatment in land and agrarian reform as well as in land resettlement schemes’. This call emphasises technology as central in women’s empowerment programmes as it presents opportunities for

• Access to Education: Technology enables women to access educational resources and opportunities regardless of their geographical location. Online courses, e-learning platforms, and educational apps make learning more accessible and flexible for women, allowing them to acquire new skills and knowledge.
• Healthcare Services: Telemedicine and mobile health applications provide women with access to healthcare services, especially in remote areas where healthcare facilities are scarce.
• Economic Empowerment: Technology facilitates women’s participation in the workforce by providing access to remote work opportunities, freelance platforms, and entrepreneurship resources. Technology can be leveraged in the agriculture value chain where women can predict weather patterns,
• Financial Inclusion: Mobile banking and digital financial services empower women by giving them access to formal banking services, savings accounts, loans, and insurance products.
• Gender Equality Advocacy: Technology platforms and social media provide women with a voice to advocate for gender equality, raise awareness about women’s issues, and mobilise support for women’s rights movements and advocacy,
• Safety and Security: Mobile applications and wearable devices designed for personal safety and security provide women with tools to protect themselves from violence, harassment, and other threats. These technologies offer features such as emergency alerts, GPS tracking, and real-time communication with trusted contacts, enhancing women’s safety both in public and private spaces.
• Community Engagements and Support Networks: Online platforms and social networks create virtual communities where women can connect with peers, mentors, and support groups.

Despite the considerable benefits that technological advancements offer, there remains a glaring lack of targeted investments aimed at enabling women to fully harness these advantages. It is imperative to prioritise investments in comprehensive capacity-building programmes tailored to enhance women’s digital skills, bolster infrastructure and equipment accessibility, and fortify administrative and legislative frameworks that guarantee women equitable access to technology. By addressing these critical areas, we can empower women to capitalise the transformative potential of technology and pave the way for more inclusive sustainable development.

The Zimbabwe Information and Technology Empowerment Trust reiterates its steadfast commitment to enhancing the capacity of women through the development and execution of bespoke digital literacy initiatives. ZITET advocates for increased investments in technology, particularly in underserved communities, and for comprehensive research on digital inclusion and equity issues. We urge government ministries, departments, and agencies, along with the private sector, academia, civil society, and development partners, to join forces in investing in programmes that promote women’s access to technology. Together, we can foster a more inclusive and empowered society where women are at the forefront of technological advancement.

HAPPY WOMEN’S MONTH

Technology is shaping how people work, learn and conduct other socio-economic activities. The COVID-19 pandemic has further intensified the use of technology, especially in schools. Given the massive benefits that can be drawn from the use of technology, the Government of Zimbabwe, through the National Development Strategy 1: 2021-2025 (NDS1), spotlighted Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) as one of the critical enablers of economic development, hence their entrenchment across all national development strategies for universal access to be attained by 2030. However, the uptake of ICTs has been marred by challenges ranging from poor infrastructure, lack of access to capital, low investment in hardware and software ICT components, shortage of critical ICT skills, and low investment in research and development. As a result, inequalities and gender disparities in the uptake and use of ICTs still exist across different demographic groups and rural communities in Zimbabwe.

The COVID-19-induced lockdowns have brought about new challenges that have turned digital exclusion, and gender digital divide into a calamity of missed education and opportunity for learners in rural communities as most of the learning activities shifted to online platforms. Only 25 per cent of learners in rural areas reportedly engaged in e-learning activities against 70% recorded for their urban counterparts (Zimbabwe Statistics Agency, 2020)[1]. The Zimbabwe Statistics Agency further reported that, overall, 91% of the learners who attended school before the outbreak of the pandemic, only 40% of these learners continued learning through online platforms. This saw a dismal failure rate for the 2020 Grade 7 national pass rate, which stands at 37.11 per cent and represents a decrease of 9.79 per cent from 2019’s pass rate of 46.1 per cent.

While the government of Zimbabwe has, in response, put in place the national eLearning Strategy in 2021, its implementation has been thwarted by a lack of digital literacy skills among the populace (Kunicova, 2021)[2]. Additionally, gender disparities continue to exist in the access and use of ICTs in sub-Saharan Africa, with more men more likely to use and own technology than women (UN Women, 2022)[3], hence the need for robust Digital Literacy Capacity Building drive in rural schools. The Digital Literacy Capacity Building workshops bridge the gender digital divide by preparing young girls to safely fit into the digital era and enjoy the benefits of digital technology.

The Zimbabwe Information and Technology Empowerment Trust (ZITET) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental organization aiming to promote digital equity in under-resourced communities through capacity building and professional development initiatives, advocacy, research, and information dissemination.

[1] Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency. 2020. Monitoring COVID-19 impact on households in Zimbabwe. Available: https://www.zimstat.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/publications/Income/Finance/Final_Rapid_PICES_Report_Round_1.pdf
[2] Kunicova,J., Silarszky, P., Koech, C.C., ; Karim,S., Mutowa, G.F., Olafsen, E., Mawadza, C.M., Jongwe, T.R., Nagashima, Y., Bvumbe, J.C. 2021. Digital economy for Zimbabwe: country diagnostic report. Washington, DC: World Bank Group. Available: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/982981621880260112/Digital-Economy-for-Zimbabwe-Country-Diagnostic-Report
[3] UN Women. 2022. Mainstreaming ICT, Gender, and Coding in National Curricula in Africa. Addis Ababa.

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) empowers people to develop themselves and their societies through enhanced capacities in communication and information use in the digital age. According to UNESCO, MIL provides answers to the questions that we all ask ourselves at some point.

• How can we access, search, critically assess, use and contribute content wisely, both online and offline?
• What are our rights online and offline?
• What are the ethical issues surrounding access and use of information?
• How can we engage with media and ICTs to promote equality, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, peace, freedom of expression and access to information?

With MIL skills and competencies, digital citizens are empowered to think critically about information access and use in digital spaces, digital safety and responsible online behaviors. MIL helps people to make informed choices about how they participate in civic engagement processes such as peace building, equality, freedom of expression, dialogue, access to information, and sustainable development (UNESCO).

Here are some of the MIL competencies and skills that digital citizens should practice in search  and use of information in online and offline spaces.

1. Check the credentials of the content creators
2. Verify before sharing – check the sources or ask the experts, read beyond the source
3. Look for bias –  Does the information seem to lean towards a particular bias?
4. Check for dates – some information is relevant only for a given timeframe
5. Report untrustworthy information – there are ways of reporting untrustworthy information, e.g. law enforcement agencies,  or report via the social media report function e.t.c
6. Consider the source –  rely on authoritative sources e.g. experts, Internationally accredited bodies,  government e.t.c.

ZITET promotes MIL through capacity building initiatives, advocacy, and research. Do you want to sign up for MIL training? Do you want to partner us in implementing MIL initiatives in your community? If your answer is yes,  then send us an email on zitetdigital@gmail.com or zitetdigital@zitet.org.zw or send a WhatsApp message to +263717013287

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