Computer Project for township schools

Need for computer education in Nemato

Few of us have any idea just how desperate the circumstances are in most schools in Nelson Mandela Township. The student's home circumstances are poor, the parents are usually unemployed, and schools are seriously under-resourced. One of the major disadvantage of our youth is the lack of computer literacy. Computer skills will better the student's job opportunities. There was an urgent need to get computers into the classrooms.

Click here to read a report about the township schools.

Aim

The aim of the Computer Project was to give people from Nelson Mandela Township (Nemato) a chance to become computer literate. The main focus was the youth. The fast majority of the youth leaved school without ever having touched a computer. That is a very serious disadvantage for further education and for finding jobs.

Results

Over 180 computers and other equipment have been collected in Germany and Holland for this project. It was all shipped in a 40ft container from Europe to South Africa. It gave us major difficulties and a many months long delay to get the container cleared by the border police. The container was transported to Port Alfred. Step by step computers were fixed and software installed. There are computers from the Matinyana Fund Computer Project in all 5 township schools and at couple of farm schools.

Nomzamo Secondary School
There is a computer room ready and working with computers from the Matinyana Fund and from Old Mutual, Cape Town. The computer are used by learners and teachers. There are after school computer lessons in Windows, Word and Excel.

Kuyasa Combined School
This school went through a major building and renovation project. It is a big improvement for the school. It has many new classrooms including one especially prepared for computer education. The school have been using Matinyana Fund computers, but they are replaced by donated new computers.

Mtyobo Public Primary School
This school also has a secured computer room and they are using Matinyana Fund computers.

Dambuza Primary School
The security and cabling (donate by CHN) of one room in this school is ready. The school got about 15 computers from the Matinyana Fund and is actively using them.

Port Alfred Primary School (Station Hill Township)
This school has limited space so we only delivered 4 computers and a printer to the school.

Farm schools
A number of farm schools around Port Alfred now have our computers: in Southwell, Trappes Valley, Bathurst and Riebeek East.

Thanks to all the people and organisations that supported this project!

Click here for pictures of the Computer Project

From collecting computers in Germany and Holland...

...to computer lessons in schools in Nemato.