Safaa Al Kahali
On September 25, Safaa Ahmad Al-Kahaly completed the Women in
Technology (WIT) Unlimited Potential (UP) training at the Takfaul
social services center in Taiz. Additionally, Safaa is currently in
her fourth year in University, where she studies sociology. Safaa
hopes to work towards her Masters degree. Her hobbies include
reading and discovery of all things new.
Originally from the Nadera area, Safaa currently lives in Taiz.
She heard about WIT through local advertisements, and she
decided to participate because of the program’s various advanced
offerings.
Before joining the WIT program, Safaa had a limited knowledge
of computer and word processing, so all modules of the training
program were helpful to her—particularly the one on Excel. Now,
Safaa is more informed on practical computer programs, and she
hopes that the WIT program will continue to evolve and keep up
with the fast pace of software development.
Financial challenges have sometimes posed a challenge for Safaa
in pursuing training programs such as the WIT course, but her
family has never stood in her way. Safaa’s family runs a
business in which they use computers on a daily basis—so they
are quite experienced in, and familiar with, information
technology. Her family encourages girls in the family to study a
range of subjects; they provide her with all her educational
needs in order to help her gain useful skills.
Through her participation in the program, Safaa hopes to
broaden her career options and find meaningful work. She thinks
that the ideal job would be one that matches her academic
qualifications and leads her to use the skills she has learned
through the WIT program.
Safaa believes that it is very important for Yemeni women to be
educated and trained to use computers. She encourages other
women in her community to participate in the program so that
they can stay up to date in this technological age. “Women need
to have at least a basic understanding of computer fundamentals
in this age of advancement and technology,” she says.
Safaa points out, “Each generation is different than the other.
During my mother’s generation there were no computers but there
were many handcrafts. In the next generation after mine, things
will be even more advanced, and computers will be involved in
all aspects of life”
Safaa’s role model is Safaa Yasmin Al-Shibani—the program
coordinator in the Takfaul center—because of her strong
personality, ambition, love of knowledge, and her ability to
persuade others.
Back to Top
Fatma Al
Onsi
Fatma Al-Onsi is a 27 year-old WIT scholarship recipient from
Sana’a, where she lives with her son and husband. Through the
WIT program, Fatma had the opportunity to participate in
Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential Training offered through SOUL
for the Development of Women and Children.
Fatma who lives with her son and husband in Sanaa’ did not get
the opportunity to conclude her education but had made it up to
the 11th grade.
Even though Fatma realized the importance of being computer
proficient, the prospect of enrolling in computer classes has
always intimidated her. Despite her husband’s initial objections
she joined the training and her progress led him to change his
mind fully support her efforts. Fatma hopes to receive an
employment offer after the conclusion of the training and is
especially interested in working in the secretarial field.
Fatma thinks that in this age, real literacy means having
computer skills because they have become fundamental to
competing in the professional field. Advancing her professional
qualifications and helping her son with his computer studies
were the two main reasons Fatma enrolled in the program.
Participating in the training was not very easy as Fatma faced
my hurdles before and during the training. The high price of
trainings prevented her from registering for classes in the
past, but upon hearing about the UP program, Fatma applied and
received a full scholarship for the training. Additionally, her
husband had refused the idea of her participating in the courses
and even when he agreed her extended family members were not
accepting of the idea.
Talking about the difference between the generations of Yemeni
women Fatma says “When my mother was the same age as me, she
played the role of the housewife and her only concern was to
take care of me and the family. Women during that time had
limited ambitions, and even I faced similar conditions, not
finishing my education and getting married at an early age. But,
I also have been looking for opportunities beyond my duties
towards my family. For my daughter, life has really changed and
it is very difficult to imagine what she would be doing when she
is my age.”
Fatma mentioned that She always her older sister has always
been her role model because of her strong will and intelligence.
Back to Top
Fa'eza Ahmad Obaidi
Fa’eza who is 38 years old lives with her family in Ghil Bawazir
in the governorate of Hadramout. Her hobbies include reading.
She is the only one in her family that studies computer so her
family is supportive and encourages her efforts. Fa’eza recently
finished the UP course as a part of the WIT program which is run
by Hadramout branch of the Society for Social Development.
Fa’eza received her Masters in jurisprudence and law and her
research titled “Executing Contracts in Yemen: A Comparative
Study” discussed the following topics: Executing contracts from
a historical and legal Islamic perspective as well as methods of
executing contracts in Yemen, Sudan and Egypt. Currently she
works as the head of the registry office in the Ghil Bawazeer
preliminary Court. In addition to her work Fa’eza is continuing
her graduate studies.
Fa’eza found out about the program through an advertisement in
her workplace. Driven by her desire to improve her skills and
use new technology she signed up to the program. Her previous
computer experiences were all undertaken on her own initiative
as a hobby. Fa’eza hopes to improve her technical skills to add
to her employment and social abilities.
Fa’eza thinks that studying computers is very important for
women in her society so she advises women to participate in the
program to keep up with the innovations of our age and improve
her abilities so she can deliver her social mission.
From Fa’eza’s point of view all segments of the program were
useful but she thinks that increasing training hours would
improve the program and its effectiveness. Fa’eza also thinks
that adding another section to the training so trainees can pass
on what they learned to new participants would be useful.
Fa’eza considers all ambitious women her role models because
they contribute to their society’s development. Fa’eza differs
from her mother because she sees herself as more ambitious and
knows that she had a chance to gain more knowledge and hopes
that her daughter in turn will differ from her by being more
skilled in advanced technologies.
Azah Awad
Azah Awad is a young women who is 25 years old . She is living with
her family in Ghail bawazeer . She managed to complete elementary
school only . She couldn't go in high school for medical reasons at
that time . Her mom and friends encouraged her to take the unlimited
potential course . And they were so exited about the PD workshops
associated with the course .
Azah heard about the program from her friends ,who had taken the
course . Azah was so interested to learn about computers and pdt
where she says "
I am a housewife
but I will always consider myself a student and seek for knowledge "
.
Now she thinks that technology is spreading everywhere in all fields
of life . Where now it's essential to have computer skills to join
the workforce.
" There is an amount of energy inside each woman , each has it for a
different path to use it ",she
says. Azza thinks that the WIT Program is giving
the women a chance to prove that they are not helpless and
they can be as good as me in workforce . It's a good chance for
those women to get jobs after taking the course and to increase
their families' income .
She assures that she gained a lot of knowledge from each pd workshop
. She is planning after the UP course to take another courses in
computer such as Photoshop , maintenance
and other computer courses .
Also she is trying to get more training to develop her professional
skills. She have started to read in how to develop her skills in
books and cds . She hopes that she can be a productive person in her
society .
Azzah
has always wanted to be a psychiatric or a specialist in psychology
. She finds it interesting
and rewarding . She loves to
help people and being a psychiatric would give her this
opportunity. She thinks It's a noble thing to do , trying to
understand people , not judging and comfort them to keep going on .
Azah's
mother is her role model of hope , believe , courage , patience,
loyalty and challenge . She hopes that she can be
just like her mom . Azah
thinks that in her moms days they had better life .Now she thinks
everything is just causing pressure , which is not healthy for
anybody .
She thinks things will even go faster for her daughter and
more stress will on their burden .
Back to Top
|
