Now, the Eritrean refugee is running Information and Computer Technology (ICT) classes for 60 young people, 30 men and 30 women.
"I started training young people using my personal laptop and realized that there was a huge interest in ICT studies amongst the youth and particularly those interested in career pathways such as finance, science and medicine,” he says.
“In the current world that we live in, ICT is a gateway to a brilliant and secure future for any youth. It opens numerous doors of opportunities in education and for others it helps them secure better and well-paying jobs,” he says.
When Mohammed graduated from the Nileen University, Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology in Khartoum and returned to the Camp which hosts 9,847 persons of concern to UNHCR, he noted that there was a lot of idleness and hopelessness amongst the youth.
Mohammed approached UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, for support.
The UNHCR Kassala operation organized meetings with the Camp Management, refugee leaders and young people to discuss how to implement the project with the full participation and support of the community and thereafter provided 11 desktop computers and 5 laptops.
“After receiving the equipment from UNHCR, with the support of the community steering committee that is supporting this project, we put up posters, made announcements around the camp and posted the call for applications on Facebook,” Mohammed says. “Over 100 people applied but we selected 60 due to time constraints and the number of equipment that we have available.”
The project is equipping refugees with technological skills, building their self-reliance and helping them learn to use tap digital marketing techniques.
Mohammed has divided the 60 students into three cohorts and conducts 6 classes a week, with each running for 2 hours. He says that since the classes started, they have stirred a lot of interest and many more want to join the classes. He is running one-month courses and plans to offer more advanced courses in the future.
Hassina Abdalla, a 25-year-old Eritrean refugee and a mother of two saw the posters with the call for applications and informed her husband, who encouraged her to apply for the training.
“I have a very supportive husband and he is the one taking care of our boy and girl when I am attending these classes,” she says. “So far I am learning a lot and I know these ICT skills will benefit me a lot and I plan to teach my children.”
Enas Hassan, 21, wants to pursue a career in computer engineering and she chose to attend the classes so that she can acquire foundational skills in ICT and later enroll for advanced studies.
“I want to get dignified work in the future and that’s why I am equipping myself right now,” she says. “My parents and siblings are very supportive and that’s why my younger sister is also attending these classes.”
Abdul Osman, a 22-year-old Eritrean refugee says he wants to learn and give back to the community by training other youth.
“There is no need of having trainers coming from outside the camp. Mohammed and the other trainer supporting him are highly qualified, and they are providing us with great skills and mentorship which will enable us to pay it forward,” he says.
Abdul says that refugees should not be left behind and efforts should be made to ensure that more resources are provided to support the youth in the camps. “Computer technology is now part and parcel of humanity. There is so much to learn and shape our futures and that that’s why it’s important for the young generation to be equipped with these skills,” he says.
The UNHCR Kassala operation provides a range of humanitarian and development assistance to forcibly displaced people and will further strengthen coordination efforts with a range of development partners and the private sector to enhance refugees’ economic empowerment and self-reliance in the camps.
Mohammed Babiker takes pride in the work that he is doing to empower communities and he lauds the efforts of UNHCR in supporting refugees in the camps.
“I have big dreams and the next thing I want to do in the future if we get resources and equipment is to offer coding classes for children and app design for adults,” he says.
ENDS
