Staff at NPO Mothers Unite have big dreams to make every resident in Hillview computer literate – and they are working hard to try and reach that goal.
Mothers Unite, in collaboration with the City of Cape Town, started their computer training classes about a year ago and has given nearly 100 people basic computer training.
Mothers Unite founder, Carol Jacobs, said the NPO, which has been around for nine years, operating as an aftercare and feeding scheme, hopes to have an impact in uplifting the community through their computer programme.
“We want to help the community of Hillview as well as the surrounding areas because many don’t know how to work on a computer because they’ve never had access to a computer,” said Ms Jacobs.
“You can see the hunger and the willingness to learn and be computer literate on the participants’ faces because this day in age many jobs require you to be computer literate. If we can get everyone in Hillview computer literate more people would be able to get jobs and that way we can tackle the unemployment numbers and stop the cycle of poverty,” she said.
The basic computer literacy programme is free and runs for two-week cycles at a time. Anyone in need of training is welcome to join by registering at the facility in St Swithin Road. Only 16 people can be trained at a time.
Unemployed Hillview resident Jean Hendricks, 35, who also has a hearing impairment, hopes to get a job soon after completing the computer course.
“I needed this computer programme because I want to be upskilled so that I could work with other hearing impaired people in the community,” said Mr Hendricks.
Another Hillview resident and community worker, Astrid Abrahams, 60, said she didn’t know anything about computers.
“Sometimes I go out and try and help people in my community with CVs and other things but then I couldn’t type on a computer or anything. That’s why I came to Mothers Unite to learn and now I am so motivated because we didn’t just get computer skilled, we were also motivated to reach for higher goals,” said Ms Abrahams.
For more information, contact coordinator Gloria Williams on 076 842 5770.