Bringing Technology to Rural schools in Zimbabwe

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to you for your continued support of our Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) project. Rural schools in Zimbabwe are operating on shoestring budgets; as a result they are unable to effectively offer computer training because they simply don’t have the funds to purchase the equipment. Unlike urban schools which have computers and have integrated ICT in their curriculum, the majority of the rural schools cannot effectively include ICT training in the curriculum because they don’t have computers. In order for computer training to be effective, the students need hands on training. Lack of access to technology has created a digital divide that is disadvantaging a whole generation of kids growing up in these rural areas. This project is our strategy for bridging this digital divide that exists between rural and urban schools. It aims to build the ICT capacity of rural teachers while providing computers and internet access to rural schools in Chipinge. According to research, the following are some of the positive outcomes linked to the use of technology in schools:

• Improvement in the quality of education as the teachers will have better tools for teaching
• Improvement in students' academic performance
• Increase in economic opportunities as there is a need for computer skills in today's workforce

We are pleased to announce that in keeping with the goal of the project, The Tekeshe Foundation donated five brand new HP (dual core processor, 4gig ram, 320gig hard drive) computers to Mbeure Primary school on June 8, 2021. The computers were purchased from a company located in Harare called Touchpad Technologies. The total cost of the computers including a 4 year warranty was $1,500 (US dollars). Here is what the headmaster and the head girl at Mbeure Primary had to say about the donation:

In his own words by Mr. Mambanda, Mbeure Primary School Headmaster

"We are gathered here at Mbeure Primary with the SDC (School Development Committee) members, teachers and the grade seven students to receive the donation of five computers from Tekeshe foundation. We are very grateful for this donation. It has come at the right time when the dictates of the new curriculum are that kids should have hands on training on every subject. Though basic computer training is one of the subjects we offer as part of the curriculum at Mbeure Primary, we didn’t have any computers. Consequently, the computer training was not that effective. Mbeure is a big school with 1600 students. We are very grateful that this donation has come at the opportune time. We are going to make maximum use of these computers. We will keep them in a safe place. I promise you that when school opens on June 28th, our students will start using these computers. Thank you very much! God bless you."

 In her own words by Mbeure Primary School Head girl

"Tekeshe foundation we would like to thank you a million times for giving us the much needed foundation in information and communication technology. We are living in the computer era, a time when everything is computerized. If it weren’t for you, who would have given us these much needed computers? You have come to our rescue when we needed you the most. Thanks again!"

As you can see in these pictures, your donations are playing a major role bridging the digital gap that exists between urban and rural schools. We couldn't have accomplished all this without your help!

Thanks again.

Best Regards,

Thelma

Thank you so much for your continued support of our Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) project. This project is at the heart of our organization and is our strategy for bridging the digital divide that exists between rural and urban schools. More than 75% of Zimbabwe's 16 million population lives in the underserved rural areas where there is limited access to technology because development is disproportionately concentrated in urban areas. Unlike urban schools which have computers and have integrated ICT in their curriculum, the majority of the rural schools are faced with a big challenge. They cannot effectively include ICT training in the curriculum because they don’t even have computers. Even though there are a few rural schools that offer computer training, the quality of education is very low due to lack of equipment. An example is Rimbi High school; the student-to-computer ratio is 1,200 students to 20 computers.

This project aims to build the ICT capacity of rural teachers while providing computers and internet access to rural schools in Chipinge. We are pleased to announce that in keeping with this focus, The Tekeshe Foundation donated five brand new HP (dual core processor, 4gig ram, 320gig hard drive) computers to Rimbi Primary school on November 2, 2020. We purchased the computers from a company located in Harare called Touchpad Technologies. The total cost of the computers including a 4 year warranty was $1,300 (US dollars). Here is what the headmaster and head girl at Rimbi Primary had to say about the donation:

In His Own Words by Rimbi Primary School Headmaster

“It’s a big day today at Rimbi Primary school because of this donation of computers. This day should be recorded in our history books that on November 2, 2020 we received a donation of brand new computers from Tekeshe Foundation. We are very grateful for this donation. Thank you very much everyone who made this possible. As we all know we are in the era of ICT. Everything we do requires technology. As a result the Zimbabwe Government requires ICT to be part of the curriculum starting at preschool level.

We feel very fortunate to receive these computers. The basic ICT training we offer at Rimbi Primary was very limited as it was just based on theory. The practical aspect of the education was lacking because we didn’t have computers. We taught the kids about the keyboard, mouse etc. but it was not that effective. Everything was based on the kid's imagination. This donation will greatly enhance our ICT training going forward.

Today because of this gesture, Rimbi Primary school is now on par with urban schools. Harare has been brought to the rural areas. We assure you that we will take very good care of these computers. We are planning to convert class room 13 into a computer lab. We will put burglar bars on the windows and on the door to ensure that the computers are secure. To the students, I am appealing to you to please handle these computers with utmost care. To Tekeshe Foundation, we continue to look to you for more help. We greatly need Wi-Fi and more computers if this is possible. Thanks again for this great donation.”

In Her Own Words by Cindy - Rimbi Primary School Headgirl

“On behalf of Rimbi Primary school students I would like to express my profound gratitude to you for the heartfelt gesture you have shown us and our entire community. Prior to this glorious day we have been learning abstractly about computers. Now with these computers donated to us by the Tekeshe Foundation we can have direct ICT experience. We are now part of the world! May the Almighty meet the desires of your hearts. Thank you.”

As you can see your donations are playing a major role bridging the digital gap that exists between urban and rural schools. We couldn't have accomplished all this without your help!

Thanks again.

Best wishes,

Thelma