Victoire
Victoire Tsamedi is passionate about digital technology and communication. She is also an entrepreneur and promoter of “Vickycreations“, and committed to women’s leadership in the areas of entrepreneurship, social and digital development and environmental protection. Victoire holds a Bachelor’s degree in Strategy Marketing Management, Alumnae of „Amazones 3.0“ programs and Tech startup training from the US Embassy in Togo. Victoire is community Manager at „Je Parle Afrique 2. 0“, as well as the representative in Togo of the association WETECH (Women in Tech and Entrepreneurship).
The way to our project
Our project, installing local networks through the Raspberry Pi was introduced to Victoire and the other Local Leads by a team of the GIZ-Togo in November 2019.
The team then discussed the feasibility and its usefulness in Togo. Several months later, Victoire was asked to work on the project as a Local Lead.
Victoire says, she accepted the request with enthusiasm and she cleared her schedule as best she could in order to be available for the work awaiting her.
“It’s always a pleasure to be able to help in a high-impact, innovative project. It’s both a challenge and an opportunity for me to work with tech professionals. “
The role as Local Lead
According to Victoire, the role of the Local Lead is to introduce the project, explain it to the communities, encourage their participation and help them through the workshops, in order to identify their needs. Through the assistance of the Local Leads, the communities then develop the content, the network model, and the prototypes for the effective installation of the local network. In brief, the local lead must be prepared for any eventuality, have patience, and listen, because what one foresees is not always what happens in the end. The reality on the ground with the communities is often very different and there is always a need to adapt.
“Beyond all technical aspects, it is a very beautiful human adventure, and rich in our linguistic and cultural differences.”
The work within the project
According to Victoire, the current work in the project is going well. The collaboration with her colleagues is going smooth and we all share a common goal: the success of the project.
Victoire sees the local network project as the solution to improve access to information in the communities, to enable collaborative work and relaying information locally. At the same time the project is a good way to introduce digital technology and the of the Raspberry Pi to those who are not yet familiar with these technologies. The project in a contextual way is very beneficial for each community because of their individuality and particularity.
Séti
As Head of ICT and innovation of the KekeliLab association, a non-profit organization working for the integration of ICTs in education and training, Seti AFANOU is an expert in Java and mobile application development.
Séti graduated from the University of Rennes 1 in France. He is an application developer, passionate about the Android environment and certified by Google. He is also an entrepreneur, founder of Digital Inspiration, a company specialised in the development of mobile applications in Togo.
Becoming and being a Local Lead
Séti became Local Lead of our project by recommendation and appreciation of the GIZ team in Togo. In consideration of the technologies he was able to implement in the Kekelithèque project which is a virtual library powered by the Kekelilab association, he was invited to work on our project in cooperation with the other Local Leads.
We are very happy to have Séti, with all his technological and organisational competences in our team.
As one of the Local Lead of our project, Séti works in symbiosis with the other Leads Victoire and Ouisia to accompany the communities and co-create with them local networks based on Raspberry Pi and MAZI to create content that will be accessible to them within their communities in disconnected mode (without internet connection).
The uniqueness of the project
“This project is the only one of its kind in Togo.“
The project demystifies the use of ICTs in the communities by providing them with a local area network, as well as Raspberry Pi that can be used as a desktop computer. Furthermore it contributes to the reinforcement of the communities’ capacity by providing them free software solutions through the local network. This facilitates and encourages the creation, sharing and consumption of local content among the members.
Ousia
Ousia A. Foli-Bebe is a Togolese innovator and founder of #EcoTecLab MakerSpace where he empowers youth through innovation, tinkering, and STEM Education. He co-designed a respirator and is involved in the production of face shields for the COVID-19 crisis.
Initially trained in Environmental sciences and Renewable Energies, Ousia helps young entrepreneurs, makers in Technical or digital fabrication skills building and prototyping. With his years of experience as a maker, he co-designed and built the MoLab (http://www.molab-project.org); a mobile STEAM lab, through which he sparks genius in kids through STEAM Education workshops from school to school, all over the country, village to village.
The particularity of the project
Ousia was particularly interested in the D.I.Y and D.I.T aspect of the project as soon as it was presented to him and the (his) team by the GIZ. Considering his experience with workshops and communities he agreed to also contribute to the project with the other colleagues.
We are all very happy to have Ousia with his pragmatic and enthusiastic manner and his technical expertise in our Team. Thank you Ousia for your help in the organization and implementation of our joint project.
In his opinion the local network is very useful because of its potential to bring people from diverse backgrounds together, the ability for the communities to share their knowledge and interests as well as the possibilities for community development. This makes it possible to reach several layers of our community (artists, children from the streets, entrepreneurs, etc …) and allow them to help each other through the sharing of experience, knowledge and their passions.
Being a Local Lead
„Being a local lead for me means sharing a passion but above all learning from others, knowing their challenges, helping them achieve their goals and fulfillments. While also allowing them to contribute to the development of their communities.“