BYV is an IT skills 4 rural Kenya Initiative and Training Project that is youth-Led. Our first ever pilot project in Brighton was funded by Global Charities and Hearts FM v Project initiative. We have since secured additional funding from European Union Social Fund and Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council. So popular is our unique training and volunteer opportunities that we now work with clients referred to us from Foyers, Family Intervention Project, Aimhigher Connexions, Loop and the Youth offending Services to mention just but a few.
We also have a close working relationship with tertiary institutions in East Sussex, including the University of Brighton, BHASVIC, and Rye College.The Project seeks to equip youths with skills leading to work either in voluntary, communities or business sector. We offer the young people progression opportunities to transfer their new gained skills to rural villages in Kenya.IT skills 4 rural Kenya offer young people the experience of film editing, leadership, personal initiative, self worth and inspiring others through the skills they gain from participating in our Brighton Youths Volunteer project.
When the ICT infrastructure and skills base has been established in a rural area, there is no reason why business cannot flourish. In recent months ITS4RK has met with the BPO Society of Kenya, attended the Call Centre and Customer Service Expo at the Birmingham NEC, attended events at the High Commission for Global Entrepreneurship Week and worked closely with the ICT Board of Kenya. In doing so, it has built up a detailed series of options for companies to bring BPO employment to rural Kenya.
These options include:
One of the key aims of ITS4RK is to work with members of the BPO society of Kenya to bring business to rural areas.
ITS4RK has been working with the Youth Affairs Ministry to encourage enterprise by young people using IT skills. In this way, Kenyan youth will be able to develop and sell their products to the fullest range of markets. We are also working on creating a video suite so that young peoplecan video-conference with potential business partners in Kenya and all over the world.
Agriculture still accounts for most of the income in rural Kenya. A key priority for the communities we work with is that their farmers and agricultural workers learn to use the internet to maximise production and have a greater understanding of potential marketsfor their products. There is evidence that knowledge gained through ICT can do much to increase agricultural production.
IT skills 4 rural Kenya's work has been welcomed by the UN and Kenyan Government who have both asked ITS4RK to continue and expand its work. In particular, we are looking to:
"We're very excited about having a computer centre in Maua, it will help young people like me very much."Faith Kinya - from Maua
"The introduction of ICT in our village is a remarkable thing as it benefits everybody. We thank ITS4RK for thinking about us. I will benefit because I want to further my studies in the university. God bless you abundantly."Eluid Rono, 23 - from Kibugat
"We thank ITS4RK very much for getting us connectivity from Safaricom, and software from Microsoft, because not even our Councilor could have made the trips to Nairobi to get these things for us."Leonard Koech - from Kibugat