An Experiential Digital Training at Tarkwa Bay Island

Learning can be really enjoyable, meaningful and productive. This fact was made realizable for the children of the Tarkwa Bay Island in Lagos, Nigeria as a group of volunteers from the OneAfricanChild Foundation visited the community on Saturday, April 27, 2019.

Tarkwa Bay Island houses a beach that people from within and outside the country visit to relax and savor the beauty of nature—lush green palm trees, crystal-clear water, soothing sea breezes, and a shimmering sky at dusk! However, the Island is also home to several disconnected and underserved children.

As it is one of the missions of the OneAfricanChild Foundation to help bridge educational gaps in African communities through concerted efforts, deploying Education for Sustainable Development agenda, the foundation, with the support of Learning Equality, took a training program on digital literacy themed: “A Hands-on Digital Training” to the children of the community on Saturday, April 27, 2019. The training was the first of a series of trainings on digital literacy that would be carried out in the community by the foundation. Also, the Takwa Bay community is only one of many communities that would be benefiting from this valuable training that would help improve lives and ensure quality education.

 What Participants Learnt

A total of 30 children including girls and boys between the ages of 10 and 12 years were taken through a series of lessons about the computer. Understanding what computers are, the various parts of a computer, types of computer, and how computers simply work are fundamental aspects that pupils must be familiarized with in order to be able to independently make effective use of computers to access learning contents towards having well-informed minds, and being relevant in this continually changing world.

The pupils were taught these various elementary topics about computer using video recordings as well as relatable examples from adept OneAfricanChild volunteers. Beyond this, the students learnt about the pivotal roles of digital proficiency in any of their chosen future careers and the world at large.

Learning Plus Fun

 For us, it is just as important that children have lots of fun as they become equipped with valuable technical skills. This goal was realized as children learnt how to use the computer, and played games whilst at it! The participants learnt how to play the “BLOCKY GAME” made available in the Kolibri learning studio. They all had a hands-on experience of using the computer parts such as the Keyboard, Mouse, and Monitor, and drawing on life-skills like collaboration and critical thinking whilst playing the “Blocky-Game’’, and having fun.

Testimonial of an Impressed Volunteer

“Learning to help others who are in need, and not only people of one’s family, is a great virtue which I would always cherish. It was a great achievement to see the pupils have a wider vision to life with what was impacted into them. I will forever be a Volunteer of One African Child.”

— Ridwan Adetayo