Objectives
1. NairoBits general information
2. NairoBits course structure
3. NairoBits relationship with CBO’s
4. Issues on Commitment fees
5. Parents role
6. Parents expectations
NairoBits general information
We described in details what NairoBits was and when it was established .We also took time to explain the successes the organization has witnessed since inception and what we were expecting to realize in the next coming years. Parents hailed the meeting as very informative as many of them were discovering so much about NairoBits and the students at large.
NairoBits course structure
We also took time to elaborately walk the parents through the NairoBits course structure. In this explanation we sought to explain to the parents our procedure of work from the time we recruit a young person, to course one, course two and three, media lab and then finally when a student becomes an Alumni. We explained at length why we usually drop some students along the course and what levels of skills these young persons walk away with at the end of the entire course.
NairoBits relationship with CBO’s
Parents were interested in knowing how we recruit students into the program. It was not very clear for them that we only recruit from the CBO’s that partner with us. In the process of defining how we get our students, we began explaining our partnership with CBO’s as well.
It became clear that an interested youth must join a community youth group that partner with us in order to benefit from the system. And that the youth must be pro active in implementing the organizational duties prior to selection to NairoBits. It is only from this youth organization that the youth can be proposed or suggested to NairoBits for the program. We urged parents to keep posting their children to the youth groups as a way of developing the community as well as to enable them stand a chance of benefiting from programs like the one offered by NairoBits.
Issues on commitment fees
Parents expressed their wish of having the chance to pay commitment fees in bits as opposed to once in a lump sum format. They said it was a real challenge for them to acquire such huge amount of money at a go. Some said what we ask for as commitment fee was sometimes twice the house rent they pay in the community.
Of course after listening to their wishes we explained why it was important to pay as we asked and for such arrangements as paying in bits were only possible but not to all the parents based on past experiences when collecting such fee.
Parents role
Parents were informed to be proactive in the lives of their children. As much as NairoBits was struggling to find internship positions for the graduates, it was a responsibility left for parents to satisfy. NairoBits was not in a position to post all the students given the nature of the diminishing job market in Kenya and the expansion strategies it was taking. Our major task was to provide ,cheaply, skills and knowledge necessary to make youth competitive in the ICT market.
There are petty charges that sometimes come up during the program such as picnic fee and others that may be determined as need a rises .It was our plea that the parents corporate with the students if such requests were to feature. Parents also asked NairoBits to be providing them with adequate information, in advance, on such instances so as to help them plan and assist.
We asked parents to insist on the past students giving back to the CBO’s as well as the self help groups. This was the only way through which the community would develop from the skills the students acquire from NairoBits programs such as ICT,SRH(Reproductive Health), Lifeskills and Entrepreneurship.
WAY FORWARD
Parents were provided with all the necessary contacts and as such it is expected that they will use the contacts to facilitate communication to and from NairoBits. They were also shown the responsible persons at all levels to communicate with in future.
