Category: Blog

ZITET and the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance Youth Committee (African Region) organised a Media and Information Literacy (MIL) for Equality Webinar on the 7 March in commemoration of the International Women’s Day.

The webinar discussed the role of Media and Information Literacy in promoting Gender Equality, that was in line with this year’s International Women’s Day  theme, “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” that  recognises the importance of technological change, innovation and education in the digital age in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. Media and information literacy (MIL) empowers people to develop themselves and their societies through enhanced capacities in communication and information in the digital age. This has seen the rising demand for MIL competencies in attaining SDG 5 – gender equality.

The webinar discussed,

• Safeguarding the mental health of girls and women in digital spaces using MIL
• Regulatory frameworks needed to ensure that Artificial Intelligence does not reinforce gender based online harrassment and violence.

Time: Mar 7, 2023 03:00PM – 4:30PM Central Africa Time

#MIL4GenderEquality #EmbraceEquality #IWD2023 #promotingdigitalequity

ZITET is committed against ending all forms of gender based violence in both online and offline spaces,  with the sole aim of promoting digital safety. This year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, running under the theme “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls“, kicks of on the 25th of November 2022 to 10 December 2022 (International Human Rights Day).

To join the movement, ZITET (in collaboration with its partners) will host a series of WhatsApp discussions with the youth to spur conversations on all forms of  gender based violence including gender based online violence and the  possible coping and recovery mechanisms. ZITET will also run an online campaign in form of #GBVfacts #posters #videos #qoutes throughout the 16 Days of Activism.

Kindly send the word “JOIN” on the following WhatsApp number +263 717013287  or click here   if you would like to be part of the ZITET Hub discussions.

Send the word “PARTICIPATE” on the following WhatsApp number +263 717013287 if you would like your content to be featured as part of the online campaign.

ZITET, Nduna Zimbabwe and Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe (FAWEZI) jointly conducted a Digital Literacy and Digital Citizenship skills workshop at Madziwa Mine School, situated in Shamva, on the 14th of July, 2022.

The skills training workshop sought to capacitate 200 learners, drawn from ordinary level classes, that is, form 1-4 classes, with digital skills as a way of improving the digital technology literacy and access for rural girls, bridging the gender digital divide.  The need for the digital skills training workshop came to light upon the realisation that the move towards e-learning during the COVID-19 induced lockdowns excluded learners from rural communities, who had little to no access to internet. This resulted in the learners missing out on educational opportunities for the duration of the lockdown period because they could not attend classes. It has been reported that only  25 per cent of learners in rural areas engaged in e-learning activities against 70% recorded for their urban counterparts (Zimbabwe Statistics Agency, 2020). 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.

As a way of capacitating the young women from rural communities, ZITET, Nduna Zimbabwe, and FAWEZI conducted this skills workshop that unpacked Digital literacy by addressing the following aspects of digital citizenship;

• Digital Safety – empowering the learners with skills on how they can safely navigate the internet,
• Strategies of combating fake news,  misinformation and disinformation.
• Building a digital brand  through upholding netiquette
• Online opportunities 
• Digital Rights and Responsibilities , and
• Raising awareness of the Data Protection Act as a way of instilling responsible behaviours and principles in online spaces amongst young women and youth. 

The skills workshop was graced by the District Education Officer (Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education), Madziwa Primary School Deputy Headmaster and senior teachers.

Would you like to receive digital skills training to advance internet access? If Yes, contact us on zitetdigital@zitet.org.zw; zitetdigital@gmail.com for more information