Hope Computer Center is a learning center situated in a very poor area or a slum area where disadvantaged people from various church denominations and secular sectors learn how to use computers as the use of computers is very important in this era.

Many people in Africa are computer illiterates in general and in DRCongo in particular. This situation was worsened by a dictatorial regime that impoverished the population for three decades followed by various wars in the country which are among the causes of the high level of poverty in the country where around 70% of people are living under one dollar per day. In this post conflict period, the center would like to empower youth/ young people with computer skills.

The center started teaching since December 2004 to help youth/ young people maximize their chance of getting employed in the arena of scarce employment. We have received more than one hundred twenty students who are undergoing training in one of the packages of Microsoft Office. Most of them are now able to use the computer.

Here is the 2009 statistics of students who have learnt various units: 6322 students have learnt Microsoft Windows, 4468 students have learnt Microsoft Word, 1142 students have learnt Microsoft Excel, 2242 students have learnt Powerpoint, 2426 students have learnt Internet, 2442 students have learnt Access, and 3550 students have learnt Frontpage. It is around 80% of our students who are employed due to the training they got from the center, some have been employed in the electoral commission of the DRCongo and others in various organisations. When these people get jobs, they become automatically source of income and funding of their parents, their brothers, their sisters, their relatives and support their basic needs.

Objectives

To train disadvantaged people from various backgrounds

To empower with skills that will make them employable

To give a learning opportunity to the poor.

To train mentors

Statement of needs

The political instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo led the country to total destruction of the economical, social, educational, and political status that did not allow people to get access to the proper education and development.

Impoverished women and youth have the least accessibility to education, knowledge and skill development. The acquisition of information technology to these two categories is virtually impossible.  Disparities in those with access to information technology tend to exacerbate existing differences, making the disadvantaged less likely to have sufficient access to technological advancements, training, and education. The world of IT can engage people in a whole new way and allow people to explore various opportunities as well as access greater amounts of information. 

The management of Hope Computer Center is well received in the community and understands the challenges the population is facing. Therefore, HCC will not have barriers to extend its activities into the community.  Because of our acceptance we can also work with other institutions to identify potential beneficiaries. It will be an added value to our work by undertaking this task in order to empower less fortunate people.

Below is the picture of the director of the center and his wife who are dreaming how to help poor people in the Congo.

Methodology

Computer training will have classes focusing on Windows as an operating system and on the Microsoft Office suite for applications. Courses will be designed in two parts: a practical aspect to ensure skills are developed and a theoretical aspect to ensure an understanding is developed to support the practical skills.

Constituency

Our constituency resides in the population living in all suburb areas around the town of Lubumbashi in Katanga Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The town is situated in the South Eastern of Congo where many victims of war have fled to in search of a more peaceful place.  The youth group will be made up of both male and female trainees. The focal age will be between 12 and 30 years old for the youth but will also include women of all ages.  The center will focus on the affected, victims and those at risk.

Women and the youth will be the main beneficiaries of the project although many people from outside the target group will also benefit from the services that the target group will provide.

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