Computer literacy for 400 poor Pakistani girls

Computer Literacy for 400 Poor Pakistani Girls

In the first three months, AWARD Pakistan successfully enrolled 48 girls in its Computer Literacy for 400 Poor Pakistani Girls program in rural Faisalabad. These participants, mostly poor and school dropouts, are undergoing 10 months of structured training designed to build essential computer and digital skills.

Training sessions are conducted daily across three IT Centres, established in August 2025 at:

• Chak # 3 JB

• Chak # 246 GB

• Chak # 118 JB

Each class concludes with a daily test to reinforce the day’s lesson, and regular presentations are held to strengthen confidence and communication skills. The curriculum has been carefully designed to cover a wide range of digital skills, including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, internet browsing, email usage, typing, printing, software installations, social media management, and AI basics.

Progress in the First Quarter

During the initial months, participants began with foundational lessons to build familiarity and confidence with computers:

• Introduction to computers (hardware, software, operating system basics)

• Computer introduction & typing (A–Z, 0–9)

• Typing tutor (daily practice in English/Urdu)

• Understanding the desktop, icons, and taskbar

• Mouse operations (right click, left click, double click, drag & drop)

• Basic keyboard keys (alphabet, numbers, enter, spacebar, backspace)

By the second month, students advanced to Microsoft Word (English) with both basic and advanced applications, including:

• Creating, saving, and formatting documents

• Copy-paste functions and file management

• Tables, headers/footers, page setup, and printing

• Continued typing practice

Impact Highlight

Within just three months, girls who had never touched a computer before can now operate systems independently, prepare documents in MS Word, and confidently manage basic digital tasks. The combination of structured lessons, daily assessments, and presentation practice has boosted their confidence and demonstrated the program’s strong role in bridging the digital divide for rural girls.

Way Forward

Now, as the program moves forward, students will continue with MS Word practice before transitioning to Excel, PowerPoint, internet browsing, and email usage. In the later stages, they will also be introduced to software installations, social media management, and AI basics, ensuring that they are well-prepared for education, employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities in a digital future.