Women show age no bar to learning
A GROUP of 30 women from Mfuleni approached the City requesting to be included in the City’s Digital Literacy Programme that is being held at their local library.
The women are part of the “walking-bus” initiative which aims to ensure that the children from the neighbourhood walk a safe, bullet-free path to and from school.
Having acted as a safe passage for the children, the women are now asking for their own passage into the digital world.
They joined the programme with the aim of compiling their CVs and seeking jobs to improve their livelihood.
Councillor Raelene Arendse, the City’s mayoral committee member for corporate services, said: “‘It may seem like an old adage, but one is never too old to learn a new skill.
“I applaud the women of Mfuleni for taking this bold step to enter the digital space, which is unfamiliar to them.”
The City has welcomed the women into the programme, and even taken into consideration reforming the initiative to meet the needs of each woman, as most of them have never laid their hands on a computer.
The language barrier has proven to be another challenge as most of the women speak very little English and are fluent in Xhosa.
Developing these skills will open doors for these women and improve their access to technology.
Though she is a new student herself, Busisiwe Mrataza’s camaraderie and passion for helping others made her decide to volunteer her time to teach the eager and enthusiastic women the basics of computer literacy.
Mrataza had completed the programme during the first intake of three groups, and being fluent in fluent in Xhosa, she has translated the instructions in order to make it easier for the women to follow.
Ardense added: “This group of women should serve as a source of inspiration to their peers in the community.
“I have asked them to go out and encourage more women to join the Digital Literacy Programme as this will help to open doors for them.
“It will be to their benefit in the longer term,” she said.