Introduction
In December 2023, the Holy Hill Foundation organized a visionary board picnic party aimed at empowering low-income women from underserved communities. As part of this initiative, Tech Herfrica, in collaboration with the foundation, provided training and equipped 10 women with smartphones to expand their reach, access vital information, and utilize financial services. Following the success of this event, Tech Herfrica conducted a dedicated training programme on February 11, 2024, in Mpape, Nigeria, targeting 13 women from various backgrounds, including four (4) women who had received phones in the initial phase, six (6) women with smartphones but do not know how to use them, and (3) women with feature-rich phones seeking to enhance their skills.
Training Overview
The initial training in December focused on online safety practices, including creating strong passwords, safeguarding personal information, and verifying messages from financial institutions. Additionally, participants were introduced to the benefits of e-commerce and how to leverage their smartphones or feature-rich phones to increase income and access financial services. These women also went through basic bookkeeping and learned how to envision the life of their dreams and stay motivated.
Building upon this foundation, the training on February 11th delved deeper into using WhatsApp and Facebook for business purposes. Topics covered included pricing strategies, optimizing image and voice quality, and practical exercises to apply learned techniques.
Training Outcomes
As a result of the training, over 70% of participants successfully established functional WhatsApp business accounts and gained proficiency in utilizing the platform. Furthermore, participants with smartphones activated two-step verification on their WhatsApp accounts, enhancing security measures.
Post-training assessment revealed that 100% of the women affirmed that their knowledge and confidence in using WhatsApp and Facebook for business had significantly improved. However, only 85% affirmed motivation to use the applications.
Notably, one of the women who received the phone in December reported that her husband had taught her how to use WhatsApp and that she had acquired two new customers. She further stated that this development has convinced her husband to be her greatest cheerleader.
Impact and Future Outlook
The training programme women with valuable skills to expand their businesses and increase their income, using digital applications like WhatsApp and Facebook.
Feedback on customer acquisition indicates that our approach puts the women on a path to increased income and demonstrates how involving men can lead to clear benefits.
Moving forward, there is a need for continued support and mentorship to ensure sustained growth and utilization of digital platforms for business purposes.
Tech Herfrica remains committed to bridging the digital divide and empowering underserved communities through technology training initiatives.