The project will reinforce a local grassroots organization that provides children living in Harobanda, Niamey’s poorest neighborhood, with afterschool classes and sports. The project will couple these existing initiatives with a targeted training program on digital and social media, providing invaluable skills and giving them a voice, while sharing their life with all its dignity and everyday challenges.
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Describe the specific community with whom you will be working.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
Children and youth will be responsible for the different content based on their age, interests and capacities. They will produce photos and videos, as well as blog posts of their hidden world and share it to the world using social media. Throughout these activities they will advocate for children’s rights, education and the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established that will contribute to the success of the project.
The activities will be implemented hand-in-hand with Académie de Rugby, the partner organization, who have worked closely with the targeted children for more than 5 years. They are well-known and trusted in the local community, and know all the participants and their families personally. In addition to strong community bonds, we seek to develop partnerships with local schools and UNICEF in order to share our work and seek other community partners
How many participants do you think will be involved in your project?
We propose differentiated trainings on computers, social media, and digital photography to the 150 children and 20 volunteer youth participants of the Académie de Rugby. The children are already participants in the local outreach program, hand picked on a need basis. With digital trainings that never reached these communities before, and possibilities of on-line self-expression, their participation and fascination by the subject is guaranteed.
Besides the microgrant funding, what other resources and support are you seeking for your project to ensure its success?
Technical support and consultation with experts and former grantees working with children on digital and social media skills would be greatly appreciated, as well as training manuals, preferably in French.
