On Monday 22nd July 2024, Afrocats organised a computer literacy drop-in session to help women asylum seekers and refugees in Manchester learn more about becoming tech savvy, and support them in expanding their digital skillsets.
They found out how to set up their laptops to order food online, join Zoom meetings, respond to UCAS university applications, and watch YouTube cooking videos – which are vital when displaced from their home countries and, by extension, favourite national dishes.
Whilst the women were waiting in the queue for the session, some also took the opportunity to doodle with mindfulness colouring templates, which made for a more relaxed session.
I also chatted with a participant from a previous session where we helped them find a culturally-appropriate recipe they could follow on YouTube or elsewhere online so they could practice it at home.
The participant told me about the hours that went into lovingly cooking the Arab dish maqluba, and that she and her friends and her had a lovely time making it, saying that the videos we found helped her a lot in recreating her favourite food.
Afrocats’ digital literacy sessions give participants the agency to harness the power of the internet to find out how to cook dishes from their homelands more easily, shop online, attend classes on Zoom, and find the freedom to grow more confident within themselves as part of their lives in the UK.
Words by Amina Beg
To find out more about how we help combat social isolation in Manchester, visit our 'About Us' page.
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