Strengthening the Technological Capacity of RAIDH
In the fast-paced world, we live in now, it is imperative for civil society organisations to not only be abreast with the latest technological applications and tools, but also master their utilisation in order to enhance their organisation’s overall development.
Regroupement des Acteurs Ivoiriens des Droits Humains (RAIDH) based in Cote d’Ivoire, identified some technological skills gap among its staff. They realised the need to step up their game especially in the area of data management. Hence, they applied for the technology project initiated by WACSI in July 2017, which was supported by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
“We lacked the sufficient skills needed to handle our information management systems, understanding its functionalities and mastering the software. We desperately needed RAIDH members to gain prowess in this area and that’s how pivotal the WACSI-OSIWA technology project was for our organisation,” Doudou Lou Goore Corinne, programmes staff at RAIDH said.
To extend their reach and brand visibility, RAIDH needed to have a website that helps them to project their story to their audience. Unable to raise the funds to acquire a functional website, they were ecstatic when they realised that the support from WACSI and OSIWA would enable them to develop an institutional website.
“Our participation in the project was timely for the advancement of our organisation. Not only did we benefit from a seed funding that has helped us to get a website, but our skills have been strengthened,” Corinne happily exclaimed.
“Currently, RAIDH no longer needs to call a webmaster for the management of its website, because its members now have the needed skills in managing a website,” she added.
The wind of change that has blown through the organisation is evident from the widespread visibility of RAIDH’s activities throughout Cote d’Ivoire and around the world.
“We look at our organisation, and we’re dumbfounded by how much we have metamorphosed. We can attest to an increase in knowledge about the latest technological tools, and an expansion in our reach and audience. We can only attribute it to the training and aid we receive from the WACSI-OSIWA technology project,” Corinne disclosed.
Almost a year later, RAIDH has the required skills to access and effectively manage their data. They continue to build their capacity by applying the knowledge they acquired from the training and technical assistance in 2017.