Remy GakwayaDzaleka, Malawi
My name is Remy Gakwaya, Burundian by nationality, currently in Dzaleka, Malawi. When I started to learn English I also started taking computer courses and tutorials through online websites, until JWL presented a six-month ICT track. I learned a lot through this and then engaged in research about Android development, as there are many work opportunities in that field.
I believed that if refugees were able to work freely and were equipped with programming knowledge, this could be the answer to poverty and the hard life in refugee camps (with the generation of income opportunities). Therefore, I started a lab with one computer which turned out to be so interesting to many young people in the camp. Two individuals supported me with four used computers which I am still using to teach computer programming in JAVA and focusing on Android development.
Since then, I have hundreds of young people have come who are interested and hungry to learn from me, to acquire Android development. However, on account of the lab capacity, I can only take a relatively small number of them.
I managed to get a second online job in which I shall involve some of my students to make sure that they start making money and gain online work experience. With these skills and knowledge, I believe that any nation will be able to accommodate refugees, allowing them to make positive contributions towards the development of both host and home countries.
I would be happy if many people joined me and takenoLAB in supporting this goal of empowering refugee youth by imparting knowledge and skills in computer science, to help them in their future lives.