An Evaluation of an ICT Training Carried out as a Field Study in Tanzania : Empowering Women through ICT Skills

Sammanfattning: The United Nations has stated nine targets in the process to reach their sustainable development goal number five: to achieve gender equality in 2030. One of them is to enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology (ICT), to promote the empowerment of women. One important tool to enabling ICT for women is through education. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcome of an ICT skill training for female university students and recent graduates in Tanzania. A field study was carried out in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where a case study was conducted at Help to Help’s IT boot camp, a 6-day long ICT training for 82 female university students and recent graduates. The data were collected with mixed methods, mainly through a two-part survey which was complemented with interviews, a pre- and post- skill test, observations, and a workshop during the training. The data have been analysed with a thematical and a statistical analysis using the method paired t-test. By participating in the training, the women gain the expected ICT skills, and those skills are relevant for a future employment. The IT boot camp contributes to increasing the women’s confidence and interest in using ICT. Their general confidence is increased as well, however there is still a gap between their practical knowledge and their dreams to start and run their own business by self-employment. Furthermore, the IT boot camp contributes to awareness of gender equality. For many of the participants this is the beginning of a long process towards awareness and addressing gender issues in their everyday life. The analysis indicates there could be some improvement in the training to increase the probability of a future employmentfor the women. The training goes in line with and is a contributing factor to the United Nations sustainable development goals in 2030, particularly goal number five: to achieve gender equality.