Digital citizenship and online safety program scale-up with Webfala
Webfala have designed an online safety program to educate students, teachers, parents. They are scaling up their initatives.
Project status: Closed
Country: Nigeria
Partner: Webfala Digital Skills for All Initiative
Impact goal: 2000 school children and 100 teachers + 25 youth through the fellowship
About the project
In our increasingly connected world, technology permeates nearly every aspect of daily life. Emphasizing the internet and the ubiquity of social media and online platforms make it imperative to educate students, teachers, parents and others about responsible online conduct. Through Webfala's Digital Citizenship and Online Safety Program they emphasized that digital citizenship and online safety not only equips young learners to traverse the digital landscape safely but also teaches them to engage ethically. The Digital Citizenship and Online Safety program was thoughtfully designed to address these challenges directly, empowering students, parents and teachers with the skills needed to navigate the digital world safely.
To further Webfala's mission of empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills to thrive in the digital age, they will launch the Digital Citizenship and Online Safety Fellowship. This fellowship program will target 25 educators, youth leaders, and community advocates passionate about fostering safe and responsible internet usage. Selected fellows will undergo 2 weeks intensive training program covering critical areas such as digital literacy, online ethics, and strategies for combating cyberbullying and misinformation.
Updates
On February 11th, 2025, Webfala successfully organized the Safer Internet Day 2025 Summit, bringing together 100 key stakeholders, including educators, parents, policymakers, and young internet users.
The Digital Citizenship and Online Safety project was developed to equip young adults, parents, and teachers with the essential knowledge and tools to navigate the digital space responsibly, ethically, and safely. A core component of the project also focused on reaching children in underserved rural communities by providing them with foundational digital literacy resources. Through this dual approach, the project sought to build a more informed and resilient generation of digital citizens across diverse communities.
The project fully achieved the intended objectives and, in some areas, surpassed expectations. Through the Digital Citizenship and Online Safety Fellowship, the Webfala team successfully trained 25 fellows, comprising educators, youth leaders, and advocates, equipping them with essential knowledge and practical tools on digital rights, online behavior, cyberbullying, data privacy, and misinformation. These sessions were led by experienced facilitators and provided fellows with both theoretical knowledge and implementation strategies.
Following their training, the fellows implemented step-down activities in their respective communities, reaching over 50 schools and more than 2,000 students across Kwara State with workshops on safe and responsible internet use.
Additionally, under Webfala's Digital Citizenship Rural Advocacy program, they conducted outreach in 10 rural communities, engaging approximately 500 parents, youths, and students using our specially developed digital literacy toolkit. This ensured inclusive access to online safety education, particularly for underserved populations.
Overall, the project significantly enhanced awareness of online safety and digital responsibility among children, parents, educators, and community members, fostering a safer, more informed digital environment. Approximately 2,625 people directly benefited from this project.
About the partner
Webfala Digital Skills For All Initiative is a non-profit organization established in 2018. Their mission is to empower underprivileged children, girls, youths and women in Nigeria with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and digital literacy skills that will enable them create their own future and compete favorably in this digital age.
Webfala provide them with the tools to operate at the speed of digital, to innovate and to ignite social change in their respective communities and beyond. At Webfala, they don't just close the digital gap, they influence and empower marginalized young Nigerians to create a whole new reality and future for themselves through trainings and supports.