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Refugee women take the lead in spearheading digital services

Every Thursady, Lydie Gakunzi, a Burundian refugee woman, is busy at Gikondo Community Centre assisting fellow refugees submitting applications online for the Economic mobility pathways project, a programme meant to help skilled refugees immigrate to Canada.

Lydie, a graduate in communication, has always been doing so over the past two months as a volunteer. She is keen to put her digital knowledge to good use in contributing to the well-being of her community.

“The use of digital tools is becoming indispensable nowadays,” she says. “It makes it easy to access information and facilitates communication wherever you are.”

Together with her peers, Lydie estimates that they have assisted hundreds of refugees submit their applications for the Canada’s Economic mobility pathways project. They have also helped over 100 young refugees to search information on scholarship opportunities and submit applications in universities based in Rwanda and abroad such as the US, Canada, South Africa and Ghana.

“I always feel proud to be part of digital solutions in my community,” she says. “IT tools enable us to bridge some gaps despite some cultural stereotypes that consider us as housewives.”

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