Finding Her Voice: From Self-Doubt to Confident Community Trainer
In 2026, Informed (formerly Internews Europe), Digital Society of Africa (DSA) and Asociação Kutakesa (Angola) jointly implemented Safe Sisters fellowships in Lesotho, Namibia and Angola. The programme focused on proactive preparedness and prevention of digital risks through a complete cycle of Training of Trainers, peer support, mentorship and community-level training allowing fellows to turn new knowledge and skills into usable capacity for others.
Implemented under the AGILE project, the activity upskilled 34 women and female-identifying journalists, communicators, human rights defenders and activists across the three countries with practical digital safety skills adapted to their context and supported them to train others within their communities.
This series of transformation stories illustrate selected fellows’ journey to becoming digital security trainers for their community. Beyond gaining technical knowledge and skills, the stories demonstrate individual and professional growth, confidence and leadership, and the value of community and care in building resilience.
When digital security training becomes an opportunity for emotional growth
Lerato (name changed for confidentiality), a journalism graduate working in NGO communications, applied to the Safe Sisters fellowship after learning about it from a colleague. It felt like a timely and urgent opportunity she could not let pass. In her work, she had witnessed how increased reliance on digital technologies was exposing women, girls and rural communities to digital threats, and the growing need for practical knowledge to protect themselves online. After being successfully selected as fellow, Lerato began her journey as digital safety trainer. While she expected to gain technical knowledge on digital security and how to pass on these skills as a trainer, little did she know that she would also face and finally overcome an anxiety she had buried.
By joining the Safe Sister fellowship, Lerato entered a community of like-minded women. For weeks, she participated enthusiastically in the online ToT, engaged with learning materials, and joined other fellows in an in-person gathering in Maseru to complete the training process. She felt content and comfortable with her progress.
Then, things abruptly changed.
On the final day of the in-person training, fellows were requested to facilitate a mock training session for their peers and facilitators, a practical exercise designed for fellows to apply their new knowledge and skills and to receive feedback before planning and delivering trainings for their networks and communities. The mock training exercise was built to replicate real-world digital safety scenarios.
Lerato had prepared her mock training on the importance of using strong passwords, but once her turn came, she had trouble finding her words. As she stood in front of her group of peers, desperately trying to recall what she had planned to say, she was unexpectedly flooded by painful memories of being put down and made to feel “not good enough” as a child. Her mind raced from childhood to more recent workplace experiences when she had been made to fear people’s judgement and being perceived as incompetent. Much as she tried to focus on the task at hand, Lerato felt panic rise in her chest, until the anxiety became so overwhelming that she had to abandon the mock training midway.
“My biggest challenge was standing in front of people and presenting. I didn’t want to be in a position where everyone had to look at me or pay attention to what I was saying.”
Lerato’s participation in the Safe Sisters fellowship could have ended there. Instead, Lerato stood up to her fear. She participated in one-to-one mentoring with Safe Sisters facilitators, and was able to build her confidence step-by-step. The mentorship focused on strengthening both her facilitation skills and mastery of the training content. Mostly, it helped her understand what happens physically and mentally to individuals who experience performance anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and stage fright. Guided by her mentor, Lerato explored practical techniques to manage the worst symptoms and strategies to deliver audience-focused presentations that shift attention from the trainer to the learning experience.
During a month, Lerato worked diligently. She grew comfortable with training content and facilitation skills. When she delivered the mock training a second time, she did so successfully. Lerato did not allow her past define her, instead, she decided to move beyond it. The community around Safe Sisters created a safe and supportive space for reflection and growth.
“I used the obstacle that I faced… to challenge myself and say, ‘I’m not going to allow it to happen again for the second time.’”
Carrying knowledge and awareness into the community
Lerato’s achievement became even more meaningful after she delivered her community training. She selected a familiar setting in a village on the outskirts of Maseru and designed a safe, relevant and accessible learning experience for fourteen members of the community –women and men– focusing on mobile security and TFGBV risk mitigation. Lerato delivered the training in Sesotho to communicate concepts simply and effectively, used relatable examples for participants and distributed accessible printed materials for participants’ future reference.
The demonstration of how to lock SIM cards was the most popular aspect of the training. Participants learned that protecting their SIM cards could prevent unauthorised individuals from using them to access mobile money services, send messages impersonating them, or to make fraudulent calls if the phone was ever lost or stolen. Participants with smart phones also recognised that they often carry sensitive information on their phones, including photographs, videos, voice notes, and private communications. The training increased their understanding of the importance of securing their devices and using applications to prevent unauthorised access, information leaks, and misuse of digital content.
The community training experience gave Lerato a sense of pride and achievement and made her more confident and excited to facilitate additional digital safety trainings in the future, particularly in rural communities, where many participants had never considered digital hygiene and safety before.
This change matters because sustainable safety and security support depends on local trainers who are both technically prepared and confident enough to facilitate learning for others. Lerato’s journey from learner to trainer demonstrates the value of investing in locally-grounded digital hygiene and security trainers to create a multiplier effect and increase the resilience of individuals and communities facing digital risks.
Digital safety relies on emotional resilience and community support
The most significant aspect of the Safe Sisters fellowship is not technical knowledge. While technical expertise matters to create digital safety, it is emotional resilience and community care that makes a difference to keep women digitally safe. Only in a supportive environment that considers the personal journey of its participants can an activity focusing on TFGBV be truly meaningful and sustainable. When trainers and peers are supportive and caring, participants receive the space and time to absorb complex digital safety content and to make sense of their own experience of emotional unsafety. Safe Sisters recognises the link between digital safety and emotional resilience. This helped Lerato see herself from a new perspective: not as someone who had failed after her mock training, but as someone who could take ownership of her own story to become an effective trainer.
“It wasn’t just about learning about digital safety; it was also about supporting each other.”
By the end of the fellowship journey, Lerato carried both new technical skills and a renewed sense of purpose. Her story demonstrates how a well-supported ToT model can unlock individual confidence, enable community-level training, and strengthen local capacity for digital safety.
“I’m an empowered woman, so I will make sure that I take on board as many women and vulnerable people as I can into the boat.”
Anonymisation note: The fellow’s real name and identifying personal details have been replaced or omitted. Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity while preserving meaning.
Advancing Global Innovation and Learning Effectively to Build Resilience in Independent Media (AGILE) is a four-year project co-funded by the European Union and implemented by a consortium led by Informed UK (formerly Internews Europe) in partnership with ARTICLE 19, Canal France International, Fojo Media Institute, and Thomson Media. The project seeks to strengthen the resilience of independent media worldwide against complex and evolving threats.