Josephina Mwashindange
EENGODI – A Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) graduate, who is volunteering at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) rural centre at Onamishu Eengodi constituency, says she has broadened her knowledge in a field she never studied for.
The volunteering work also help her make ends meet.
Natalia Petrus, who was inspired following information technology training by Oshikoto MICT a year ago, holds a Bachelor of Transport Management and a Bachelor of Business Management she obtained in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
“I enjoy being at the centre because it keeps me busy and I research a lot, rather than sitting home idle. The good thing about the centre is that I learn many things. For example, I have an honours degree in a completely different field, but I can now create and design,” she said.
Petrus further expressed her joy, stating that with the skills that she obtained from the centre over a year, she can create business profiles and company logos.
“I have assisted people with their proposals, be it academic or business, filming of events as well as composing CVs,” she boasts.
Besides, Petrus emphasised, the way people acquire knowledge is different as some people focus more on theory than practical. She, therefore, urged the youth to do things that improve their living standards.
MICT established rural information communication centres in all 14 regions, to narrow the information or knowledge gap to the rural communities.
Each region has two rural ICT centres, equipped with public address systems, video or still cameras and photocopy machines.
Importantly, the centres are by choice located in the remote areas of the regions where it is observed that communities travel long distances to access ICT services. The centre serves as an information hub to the rural communities. According to the National Development Plan (NDP) 4, ICT offers the potential to transform society, improve mutual understanding and eliminate power differentials.
Therefore, ICT provides fast access to information, which is a prerequisite for literacy and knowledge creation.