Digital acceleration during COVID-19
How our IDAHOT moved online!
Written by Cosam Mc’Oveh, ICT officer with PEMA Kenya. PEMA Kenya is an LGBTI-led organisation on the coast of Kenya implementing a regional empowerment grant to reduce stigma of LGBTI people in East Africa.
I like to pride myself as a jack of many trades. I am currently an ICT officer, with a couple of skills under my belt; I am a graphics designer, a software creator and a writer. As part of my job, I manage the website and social media engagements of PEMA Kenya, a regional empowerment grantee for Voice.
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us to get out of our comfort zones. For most of us, this is the first global crisis we are seeing – probably the last, but there is something that we can all do to help the situation. As PEMA Kenya, we started a COVID-19 resource mobilisation team that is strategising on the various ways in which we can be part of the solution, especially to individuals and families who have been affected.
IDAHOT 2020
We have always had plans for IDAHOT every year. This is a day when we create awareness on various issues to our members and we also remember the human rights defenders we have lost in the Gender and Sexual Minorities movement.
Using online media plaforms
During this pandemic, I have been keen to not only share information but share the right information to our constituents – through the closed groups we have (Facebook and WhatsApp), partners, and the general public. We have also been partnering with other stakeholders to create awareness through different Twitter chats and information posting across the organisation’s social media platform.
I am glad that the PEMA Kenya’s COVID-19 resource mobilisation team has been able to secure a donation that has seen us make our first disbursement to all people within our membership. We are hopeful as we continue resource mobilising for more.
