Cybersecurity Trainings

Cybersecurity Trainings

How Gender Tech Initiative Uganda is Safeguarding Female Advocates and Vulnerable Communities.

In a small, sunlit room in Gulu, Northern Uganda, a group of women sit huddled around their laptops, their faces lit with determination and curiosity. Among them is Piloya, a soft-spoken but bold journalist who has spent years reporting on critical issues affecting her community. Piloya ‘s work, however, has come with risks, she’s received threats online, her social media accounts have been hacked, and her personal information has been used to intimidate her into silence. Today, she’s here for a different reason: to learn how to take back control and protect herself online.

 

For the past few years, Gender Tech Initiative Uganda has been at the forefront of conducting cybersecurity trainings tailored for female journalists, Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs), children, and feminists. These sessions are more than just workshops; they are lifelines in a world where online threats are growing increasingly sophisticated and personal.

The Fight for Digital Safety.

In today’s digital age, the internet has become both a powerful tool for advocacy and a dangerous weapon for harassment and disinformation. For women and children, the threats can feel particularly overwhelming. Female journalists like Piloys face online harassment daily, ranging from trolling to cyberstalking. Women Human Rights Defenders advocating for justice and equality often become targets of hacking attempts designed to undermine their work. Meanwhile, children navigating the internet are exposed to risks like cyberbullying, exploitation, and harmful content.

Gender Tech Initiative Uganda saw this growing challenge and responded with urgency. Through our cybersecurity trainings, we aim to provide these vulnerable groups with the tools and knowledge to not only protect themselves but also empower others within their communities.

Lessons Learned, Skills Gained.

Our sessions begin with simple, relatable analogies. We often compare digital security to locking your house at night. Just as you wouldn’t leave your doors or windows open, you shouldn’t leave your online accounts exposed. From this foundation, we delve into practical skills: setting strong passwords, recognizing phishing scams, using two-factor authentication, and securely managing sensitive information.

Piloya, for example, learned how to encrypt her emails and use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to anonymize her online presence. “I never realized how much I was leaving myself open,” she said after one session. “Now, I feel like I have a shield—I can keep doing my work without fear.”

For WHRDs, the training goes even deeper, covering how to detect spyware, secure mobile devices, and safely store evidence of abuses. Feminists who rely on social media to amplify their voices learn strategies for countering doxxing and trolls while maintaining their advocacy efforts. For children, the focus is on creating safe online habits, teaching them to identify inappropriate content, and fostering open communication with parents or guardians.

Building Resilient Communities.

But our trainings are about more than just technical skills; they are about fostering a sense of community and resilience. Participants often share their personal experiences, creating a space where others feel less alone in their struggles. During a recent training for feminists, one participant shared how she used newly learned digital safety practices to help a friend who had been blackmailed online. “This training doesn’t just help us individually,” she said. “It helps us protect each other.”

The Road Ahead.

Our mission doesn’t end with the trainings. Gender Tech Initiative Uganda continues to support participants through follow-up consultations, mentorship, and resources. We’ve also started building local networks of trained digital safety advocates who can cascade their knowledge to others in their communities.

The impact is already being felt. Female journalists like Piloya are reporting without fear, WHRDs are defending justice with renewed confidence, and children are navigating the internet with greater awareness. Together, we are creating a safer, more inclusive digital world—one where women, children, and marginalized communities can thrive without fear of online threats.

At Gender Tech Initiative Uganda, we believe that everyone deserves the right to feel safe online. Together, we can make this vision a reality—one training, one empowered voice, and one secure connection at a time.

GTI creates interactive and engaging experiences that promote STEM learning for girls who are often underrepresented in the field of STEM.

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