DOT - Digital Opportunity Trust

Published purpose

This project aims to improve the livelihood of individuals living in marginalized communities by building their capacity to participate in private sector development. The project uses a train-the-trainer approach. Thirty interns (recent college or university graduates) are selected and trained to deliver two training programs (ReachUp! and StartUp!) to 3,000 community participants. They teach practical knowledge about job readiness, entrepreneurship, and the income-generating potential of information and communications technologies (ICTs), through a combination of experiential learning, locally relevant curricula, and a program of advisory support. Digital Opportunity Trust interns and staff deliver the ReachUp! and StartUp! programs to individuals who live in disadvantaged communities, through a network of local community organizations and with the support of local government, donors, and private enterprise. In Kenya, communities include Nyanza communities of Kisumu, Sega and Ugunja; Western communities of Kakemaga and Webuye, and Nairobi districts such as Kibera slum. This is one of two components of a project valued at $500,000. The first component has been completed.