“UK Online Centre” Project Summary

For more than 8 years now, Monakka Monowar Welfare Foundation aims to reduce social isolation, disengagement and idleness faced by the Bangladeshi community in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. For the current project MMWF joined hands with the UK Online Centre to help this cause. According to research around 8 million people, don’t, or to be more accurate, cannot use the Internet and the social media websites in a way that will help them fight exclusion.

Why Are Social Media Websites And The Internet So Important?

In our modern era everything is run by technology and the Internet supports the whole process. Nowadays, the economy, education, healthcare and transport system, all rely on the Internet. Furthermore, it is the easiest way for people to connect to each other, create relationships and exchange information. The Internet and the social media websites are often used to promote new products, services, useful tips of all kind, health advice and new job offers. We, at Monakka Monowar Welfare Foundation, believe that if people know how to use the search engines, the online tools and the social media, they will have access to all the useful information they need and will be able to find jobs more easily.

Okay, But How To Make People Feel More At Ease Using Modern Technology?

With the help of the UK Online Centre (and all 3,800 partner centres), we used the Go On website (www.go-on.co.uk/learn) and the online courses available on it, as well as BBC resources to teach our participants how to use the Internet safely and how to work with a keyboard and a mouse. Upon completion, participants are also taught to use social media websites like Facebook and Twitter and how to interact with their friends and relatives safely.

What Were The Outcomes?

Since the inception of the project in 2011, more than 200 people enrolled on the Online Basic Course. Of the 211 people, 87,7% completed the course successfully and received certificates for their efforts. Participants reported feeling more at ease to work with computers and are overall happy to have undertaken the course. In conclusion, here are they are testimonials.

Yunus Khan- ‘I am very happy to have learnt to use facebook. This makes it easier to stay in contact with my family. It is lovely to be able to see the latest photos of my grandchildren.’

Natasa Alam-‘I was having trouble looking for job but learning how use online job search to find job has helped me. Thanks MMWF!’

Jude Perera-‘I would like to give big thanks to MMWF for making me capable of understanding how the internet works. Learning about internet safety helps me with supervising my children when they are on computer.’