Peace Mutuwa
Makerere University
Local Academy

Peace Mutuwa is one of the Cisco Instructors at the ITU-Cisco Internet Training Center at the Department of Women and Genders Studies in Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. With an arts background, Peace enrolled in Makerere University to obtain her Bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science. While there, she realized a growing interest in the field of information technology (IT). After receiving her Bachelor’s degree, Peace was accepted to Makerere’s graduate program in Computer Science. With a post-graduate diploma in Computer Science, Peace was immediately hired by the university after graduation. She now works as a Systems Administrator at the Department of Women and Gender Studies.

During Peace’s first month on the job, Makerere University was selected by the ITU and Cisco as the site for a new Internet Training Center. Peace was among the first to be selected to undergo instructor training at the Uganda Communication Institute, Cisco’s Regional Networking Academy. “The Networking Academy Program curriculum is methodical and comprehensive, and easy to understand even to those who do not have any prior knowledge in IT. It is even more interesting when theory is transformed to practice,” says Peace. The training she underwent in preparation for becoming an instructor provided even more knowledge that could be applied to her role as System Administrator. “I am now very comfortable and confident with maintaining and troubleshooting the networks.”

Pursuing a career in IT was not an easy path for Peace. Her female friends were often skeptical and questioned her ability to manage a career in IT with an arts background. “Women in Uganda have what I may call ‘techno phobia,’ a fear of technology. The biggest challenge was trying to convince my friends that as long as we are human beings, we can all make big achievements in the IT Field,” she says. “I am now proud to say I managed to convince most of them to join the course and am happy to note, as their instructor, that they are really doing very well.” Peace says that the Cisco Program has helped her to define her to learn and to really define her career goals; she now hopes to become a networking expert

The empowering capability of the ITU–Cisco Networking program is that it gives women the opportunity to discover the reality of building a career in IT. “Women now feel this program is tailored to their needs because the ITU-Cisco Internet Training center is located in the Department of Women and Gender studies. Providing training in internet technology will generate skills that are essential in this global economy to further development,” says Peace. “The fact that I am a female instructor helps the students gain confidence and this also depicts me as a role model not only to the women but also to students from arts backgrounds.”

Through the support of ITU and Cisco Systems, the academy has trained three female instructors and one male instructor. “There is also a women-only class in the program now, which gives the women a chance to work together and to make decisions on their own, without the men.” Peace notes that, in this same-sex class, women are much more confident and vocal.

Peace is constantly encouraging women to apply for IT jobs that have been dominated by men over the years. As she emphasizes, “People, especially women, should overcome techno phobia. Females have a lot less exposure to IT-specific resources and, as a result, the interest levels among them are low. This is an opportunity for them to take part in the IT world to help bridge the digital divide.”