Elisabetta and Ilaria's account of their mission in Maputo
From 19 to 24 May, project manager Ilaria Graziano and project officer Elisabetta Gramatica are in Maputo to take part in the final seminar of the Coding Girls in Mozambique project and to meet partners, institutions and young people involved in the three projects active in the area: Coding Girls in Mozambique, Digital Embrace and ICT Employment Generation. This strategic mission serves to strengthen ties, share results and look to the future of educational and digital cooperation. We asked Elisabetta and Ilaria to share their experience day by day. Here is the second “page” of their travel diary [read also the first page].
Day 3, Wednesday 21 May
Today was the first day of the seminar marking the conclusion of the Coding Girls project in Mozambique, three intense and experience-filled years. As Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS, we have had the privilege of contributing to numerous activities: from reviewing syllabi to training sessions for Mozambican trainers, the “train the trainer” programme, from online cultural exchanges between Italian and Mozambican Coding Girls to inspirational role modelling meetings, to the training of local technicians and trainers for the launch of start-up incubators.
We had a busy morning at Eduardo Mondlane University: after the institutional greetings from the numerous partners, we also had the opportunity to share our point of view and talk about the activities we have carried out. In addition to the official speeches, the testimonies of the delegations from the provinces of Niassa, Nampula and Cabo Delgado were particularly moving. Between sessions, we enjoyed a live musical performance by a “Delegado alla Cultura” (Culture Delegate).
One of the most significant moments was the speech by three young women who presented their business idea, which was born thanks to the incubators developed during the project. Among these, we were particularly struck by the idea of a young student and her colleague: a start-up dedicated to facilitating access to mental health in virtual form, designed to reach more and more people, especially young people, and offer an essential service that is often difficult to access.
The morning ended with a convivial lunch with partners and delegations, enjoying typical Mozambican specialities.
In the afternoon, we moved to the Sommerschield neighbourhood, where we had a fruitful meeting with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation – Maputo office. It was a valuable opportunity to reflect on the results achieved, but above all to look to the future and new opportunities for collaboration.
The day ended with a walk through the tree-lined avenues of the “Jardim dos Namorados”, letting ourselves be inspired by the almost slow pace of the city at sunset. A moment of tranquillity before returning to the hotel and getting back to work: 8,000 kilometres from home, our commitment continues, always connected, present and even more motivated, in a new place, far from our everyday lives, but always part of it.
