The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) as part of its service delivery model called Jozi@work, focusing on building the capabilities of its residents to enable them to provide services to meet the city’s resources needs. A roll out of a 1000 Wi-Fi hotspot throughout Johannesburg, the CoJ embarked on capacitating approximately 3000 Digital Ambassadors to train about 720 000 of its residents of capabilities and benefits. The ambassadors training was aimed at creating employment for the youth and empower them with communication skills and point them towards numbers of opportunities within the city so they can become entrepreneurs.
What skills and resources were you able to draw from the community for this project?
The city of Johannesburg provided a stipend to all trainers. The community needed to have their own cellphone and needed to be based near a wifi hotspot area. Resources that were required were research participants, in service training students at undergraduate and honors level, volunteers and student mentors.
The challenges
In South Africa over 8 919 608 people do not have Grade 12 or school leaving certificate. This adds to what is referred to as technophobia, which is the fear to use technology and which most people whom use Information and Communication technology for the first time in their late 30s get to experience. Tackling unemployment by encouraging entrepreneurship and employing 300 ambassadors
Addressing the challenges
Digital Ambassadors provides citizens with access to free internet and training in order for them to receive full benefits of the internet. Citizens have registered and make use of hotspot areas around their community to receive information on various schools without leaving the house, eHealth to check hospitals or clinic times which are convenient, banking online to have more access and flexibility with their money, searching and applying for work, finding the best route to an interview and even uploading work.
The achievements
The Jozi Digital Ambassadors have trained more than 400 000 residents on how to connect to the City’s free WiFi and make use of basic internet services through the Maru A Jozi portal. Access to essential services like Free WiFi is hugely impacting on the Jozi community as residents are enabled to change the way they engage with the world by accessing online services on the City’s Maru A Jozi portal such as registering for school & eHealth, banking online, applying for work, finding the best route to an interview, and even uploading work to clients. The impact of bridging the digital divide is evident though stories submitted by mentors, ambassadors and residents on you tube.
Johannesburg, South Africa