Zoe fills in the background: “ICT for Development was one of my Master’s electives. Normally the course involves travelling abroad to help someone in another country overcome an ICT problem, but of course Covid made that impossible. So our lecturers decided to give the course a new international twist. They got students from Europe, Africa and Asia to meet online every day for a month to work on a range of different projects. The aim was to help solve problems in rural areas where resources are scarce. There was a list of projects to choose from, but MM Collection – a local jewellery business from Malaysia – caught my eye. I tackled this challenge with four other students, all from UNIMAS, a university based in Sarawak.”
“The owner of MM Collection rented a shelf in a store to display the jewellery she made. When Covid restrictions meant this was no longer viable, she went looking for ways to work on her online visibility. The project really appealed to me: not only did it give me the chance to empower an independent woman from a rural background, but it was also an opportunity to promote cultural heritage. The jewellery is made from local Sarawak clay and the designs are often inspired by nature, such as landscapes and places around Sarawak. For me, IT solutions for projects like this can be so much more interesting than most of the sites and apps we use in the West. That’s why I’m keen to make them my focus.”
“During the development process, we had frequent contact with the owner. An important principle in these types of projects is that you expand on what people already have and know. That is why we opted for a platform that she had worked with before. She was very happy with the result and really liked the fact that every aspect was tailored to her preferences. The website we built will help her draw attention to her products and sell them to a wider audience.”
Want to help?
The students have told the owner that they want to go on helping her to maintain, expand and optimize the website. Does this sound like a project you want to be a part of? Then get in touch with Zoë.
