We are all used to our formal education system, where a child doesn’t go astray from what is taught in the school syllabus. A child is only nurtured according to a defined path of education, not having the privilege to have other defined extracurricular activities.

Some NGOs understand that gap/changes in the learning system as per technological changes by providing chances for secondary schools students in developing countries to have extra studies, especially digital skills that will help them adapt and evolve in the digital era.

This is the story of a young girl, among many others, who has been empowered by digital skills to achieve not so much but at her age, a lot in her career and life from an NGO known as Apps and Girls. Highlighting a story of the determination of a young girl in the digital era.

Her name’s Doreen Fatuma Habib, Currently a 3rd year student at the Tanzania Institute of Accountancy (TIA) pursuing a degree in marketing and public relations. Her journey in digital technology goes back to 2019 when she graduated from her O-level studies.

She then joined Apps and Girls, which gives girls in secondary schools opportunities to learn digital technology. Basically, she learned how to code and how to create websites and applications for use. These skills helped her come up with a website.

Her first website, Doreefy, where people could see job advertisements, was a product of this training. In 2020, when she joined A-level, she had a chance to teach other students at O-level within the same school how to code, create websites, and develop applications through her knowledge.

It wasn’t all smooth to date; this website was shut down in 2021 because she couldn’t afford to pay the hosts of her website. That didn’t hold her back; she still uses social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to keep posting job advertisements through her Doreefy account.

Doreen can’t forget the chances she got at Apps and Girls in 2019. They were involved in the first global challenge that happened to be held in Dubai. And she got an opportunity to represent her country, Tanzania.

The focus was on creating robots that could be used to collect waste in oceans. With other members, they learned and created a competition. Though they didn’t win as a group, the experience and exposure gained from attending it were enough treasures to be kept.

Doreen is currently doing two more businesses online, selling snacks and clothes. She doesn’t own a physical shop or office for this. It’s through her social media pages that she is able to handle her business, and it’s doing well. Visit them; Doreefy’s Instagram account_, Doreefy job platform, and Doreefy_outfit_store.

In the future, she plans to revamp her website and add a shopping section for her clothes and snack business. Isn’t that enough to brighten up your life as a youth? Empower yourself through the digital economy.

Being in the 21st century is a blessing, through digital we are able to witness different journeys of youth at young ages being empowered by digital skills to discover their talents and make an impact in their life and communities.