July 2023
At her local YMCA in Ethiopia, Danayit Zegeye sharpened her social media
marketing skills while Fiona Meqa learned how to be an effective
business leader in Kosovo.
Thanks to a partnership between the HP Foundation and the
World Alliance of YMCAs, the HP Foundation’s free digital learning platform,
HP LIFE , is now offered to
students in seven YMCAs. More than 30 HP LIFE courses are available in
eight languages, covering a range of topics from starting a small
business to understanding 3D printing.
The partnership’s goal is to narrow the digital divide by helping
people—particularly younger generations—acquire new skills, secure
employment opportunities, and build a fulfilling future.
Danayit Zegeye and Fiona Meqa are among the scores of people tapping
into the free resources provided by the partnership.
Preparing for a successful future in Ethiopia
Danayit Zegeye lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is a student at her
local YMCA where she recently completed graphic design training. She
plans to start her own business in the near future.
“My business is in the research stage at the moment, so I was keen to
take courses that would help me develop a proper mindset and follow an
appropriate path from the beginning,” said Danayit who was introduced to
HP LIFE by the YMCA team.
Danayit enrolled in four courses:
Success Mindset,
Social Media Marketing,
Your Target Audience, and
Selling Online through which she
discovered the importance of having a successful mindset and sharpened
her social media marketing skills.
And this was just the beginning for Danyit who embraced the phrase ‘the
more the merrier’ by taking other HP LIFE courses and learning
additional skills, which she hopes will open up more possibilities for
her future.
Learning in-demand skills in Kosovo
Fiona Meqa has been an enthusiastic member of her local YMCA for two
years. She describes herself as extremely competitive and loves learning
new things. So when the staff at her local YMCA center introduced her to
HP LIFE, she was excited to try out the program.
Fiona enrolled in four courses—
Effective Leadership,
Design Thinking,
Success Mindset, and
Business Email—recommended by
staff who helped Fiona and her fellow students to navigate the platform.
“All four of the courses were very hands-on and allowed me to share my
thoughts and opinions while gaining knowledge on new topics,” said
Fiona. By the time she completed the courses, she had learned how to
craft a business email, be an effective leader, and cultivate a
success-focused mindset.
Fiona credits HP LIFE for introducing her to new skills—such as
professional email writing—that are not offered at her school, and she
has already started to use her new knowledge to inform her future career
path.