School of Science and Technology holds community service for Youth Refugees in Kakuma, Turkana County

The graduating class of coding and computer literacy skills training, run by the School of Science and Technology, in conjunction with RET International

By Dr. Collins Oduor and Dr. Leah Mutanu

On Friday, October 30, the School of Science and Technology took part in a graduation ceremony for students drawn from Kakuma Refugee Camp, who were taking part in the coding and computer literacy trainings conducted by the University in conjunction with RET International, an organization that works in emergencies, in conflicts and in fragile environments around the world to alleviate suffering and catalyze sustainable development of vulnerable young people and women.

The project attracted youth refugees from the Kakuma Refugee Camp, as well as youth from the surrounding host community, who were trained on how to develop websites and applications that would be useful in the solution of problems that faced their community. The trainings were scheduled to take place face to face for five days and offsite tutorials for four weeks. The pandemic affected some of the offline sessions but the participants were able to pick up and successfully complete the training within the expected timelines by attending online sessions.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Leah Mutanu noted that the project would be critical in equipping the youth with skills that would improve their income generating capacities, as well as improve their employability.

“The goal of this project was to equip our trainees with skills necessary for building mobile as well as web applications, which they could use to enable business start-ups as well as develop scalable solutions to problems they face in the camp,” she said.

“Through these acquired skills, the youth will be able to access online jobs in the outsourcing industry besides using animation in the camp for information dissemination, community mobilization, entertainment and education,” she added.

On their end, RET thanked USIU-Africa for being part of the initiative by devoting their time and resources to the success of the program.

“We would like to thank USIU-Africa for participating in this trainings, and demonstrating its commitment to corporate social responsibility. We thank you for your partnership in this program, as we keep seeking different ways in which we can catalyze youth empowerment through capacity-building for youth associations and youth-led projects for positive social change,” they said.

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