insideKENT ' s Adam Ready and Donna Martin at the Computers 4 Africa warehouse in Kent
district of Tanzania – it is one of the poorest parts of a poor country. Unlike many small NGOs who build schools, dig wells and run health clinics, we have as an objective fostering the community’ s self-sufficiency so that we become redundant. The way it works is that the community sets its own priorities and objectives each year and then, subject to it conforming to UK charity law and to there being sufficient funds, we fund it. We therefore place the responsibility on the community itself.
“ It is an unusual approach, but it works – up to 1997 only one child in the entire history of the Chole community had ever completed secondary schooling. Now six have graduated( including last December the first woman, who was also the first ever university student from Chole to read science) and another eight are either in university or studying for diplomas.
“ The project works in close partnership with Chole Mjini Lodge, the island’ s tiny, magical eco tourist lodge, which has no running water or electricity and which last year won the Gold Award in the World Responsible Tourism Awards.
“ When we need laptops we apply to C4A and if they have them available they are allocated. Sometimes – as in the case of insideKENT – they are donated, and in other cases we pay a small amount.
“ The laptops go to two places. Firstly, the community tries to equip every university and diploma student with a laptop to help them with their studies. It would be hard to succeed in university without them, and the local cost makes buying them completely out of the question. Secondly there is a primary school and a learning centre on the island, both run off solar power, which have small IT networks. The major function is teaching English( this is very important, because in Tanzania primary schooling is in Kiswahili whilst secondary is in English) using the GENKI computer-based English language system and, in the learning centre, providing remedial teaching to children who fail exams, plus some basic education to adults who never attended school.
To find out more about Computers 4 Africa or to donate, visit www. computers4africa. org. uk or email sharon. roberts @ computers4africa. org. uk.
To find out more about the Chole Project and its unusual but demonstrably successful model for development, visit www. choletrust. org or email chole @ rech. co. uk.
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