Digital skills make the difference

It was a sweltering day.

I was eating lunch in the work place square.

I remember it was just one plate and a loaf of bread.

That was all that was available at the time, and I was in a hurry to finish designing the news page I was responsible for and deliver it before 6:00 PM.

At that moment, a girl appeared, wearing a black abaya and covering her head with a black shawl.

She was young and beautiful, but her eyes were sad.

I wondered why she was wearing black.

Why was there such sadness in her facial features?

Who was she?

I had never seen her before.

Then I heard her talking as she asked about the news section. I answered her and pointed to it. She quickly left.

Then, with my intuition that never left me, I followed her news.

I learned that she was a new trainee looking for a job opportunity.

I was new to the newspaper; I had only been graduating and working at the newspaper for one year, but I was armed with my tools.

I deliberately approached her to find out the reason for her sadness and distraction. I learned that she was sad because she had suddenly become responsible for her five siblings in various stages of education, due to her father's sudden mental illness. She was also looking for work. After a short time, she approached me and befriended me. She explained that she was not proficient in writing and that her field was accounting, but she did not want anyone to know that. She asked for my help. I wasn't in a position of responsibility at the time, but the right of fellowship came first, and the right to help those who wanted it. My concern for her, as well, prompted me to help her according to a plan I had devised. "First, I would help her learn the basics of journalism, then I would also learn office and printing programs. I was the only journalist at the time who printed, designed, and uploaded her news to the newspaper's website." I agreed and forged ahead with great determination. However, she left news paper fetching another job and faced the challenges of compromising her principles for the sake of securing a job, given her difficult financial circumstances. Here, the question dawned on me: How many young women, new to work, are exposed to such temptations? How many girls would weaken for the sake of making a living and living freely without pressure? Their right to a dignified life without humiliation or abuse. I founded an initiative to support girls entering the job market by training them in computer use, digital tools, social media, Office programs, Excel, accounting, and secretarial skills, in coordination with various entities. I also learned about girls who wish to obtain jobs in international, national, or charitable organizations, and how to obtain funding for their own projects, in coordination with consultants who have their own offices to train them in this field. I also learned how to obtain advertisements and coordinate advertising and media campaigns to increase their sources of income so they are not forced to sell their value in the job market. The organizations paid the full cost of the training, and all they had to do was attend. I coordinated with several foreign organizations that provided them with digital tools, including computers, cameras, and modern interview recording equipment.

My classifying worldly as UN journalist and top women leader journalist help me to be able

to hold the training in several countries and coordinate with several organizations to undertake the funding.

I was able to combine a human development trainer and a media professional for a period of time.

The light that shines in my heart tells me that assistance is the spirit of God.

It is what brings strength to women to live freely and purely as God created them, without pressure or influence that stifles their creativity and self-esteem.