When I started the course I was not sure whether I would make it because:

• I am not from an ICT background;
• although I am knowledgeable in my own field I did not know how to upload assignments and share documents with group members;
• also the fact that connectivity is a major problem in Namibia, I was worried that I would miss deadlines and chat sessions.

I have to say that I was bothering everyone be it tutors or fellow participants. Whenever I had a problem, I made it a rule to send it to all the tutors whether they were supervising that part of the course or not. I was impressed by the support given to me. Not only did they keep sending me links where I was to send my assignment, but they also called me to guide me through the process. They were there for me whenever I needed them. When we started group assignment, I was blessed not only with knowledgeable professionals but I got brothers and sisters. They supported me throughout without complaining!!! Learning became fun and enjoyable. Our group leader organized meetings for the group to share responsibility and guide the process. The ALICT course gave me the platform to learn from other countries how they apply ICT in improving the livelihood of people. It also highlights the importance of making ICT infrastructure accessible and affordable to all the citizens in order to give them a competitive edge and to encourage innovation. Namibia as a country is not doing enough to empower the masses. Also, the current leaders are concerned with managing people instead of managing results and linking people to processes and resources. For the first time in my life, I used cardless withdrawal. i.e. using your cellphone to withdraw money. If we can teach all the people to do that, it is revolutionary way of banking. All the account fees and charges are history!!! After our graduation on 5 July 2013, I wanted to give our graduation a high profile by briefing our President. Some of my colleagues convinced me that we first need to brief the Minister of Education and the Minister of Information, Communication and Technology and they will arrange that but up to now nothing happened because protocol wise I cannot go see the President before having an audience with the Ministers. By Sarah Vranckx
Director of Vranckx Investments, Namibia
ALICT alumni and guest blogger