Bringing Technology to Rural schools in Zimbabwe

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. As a result, rural schools in Zimbabwe are operating on shoestring budgets. Unlike urban schools which have integrated ICT in their curriculum, the majority of the rural schools cannot offer computer training because they don’t even have computers and the teachers lack computer skills. Even though there are a few rural schools that offer computer training, the quality of education is very low due to lack of equipement. An example is Rimbi High school, the student-to-computer ratio is 1,200 students to 20 computers.

Unfortunately, the majority of the students who graduate from the rural high schools have no computer skills. Yet after high school, over 70% of the students drop out of school due to poverty and they end up going to the urban areas to look for jobs. This is quite a challenge since they are ill-prepared to enter the work force due to lack of skills; unlike their urban counter parts who have computer skills. This digital divide is severely disadvantaging a whole generation of children growing up in the rural areas. This project aims to provide rural students with the skills essential for the 21st century that will place them on a level playing field to better compete for jobs.

Our strategy for addressing the digital divide that exists between rural and urban schools is to offer train-the-trainer workshops with the aim to build the ICT capacity of rural teachers. Once the teachers have acquired the necessary ICT skills they will be in a position to integrate ICT in the teaching process. 

Here are some of the highlights of what we have accomplished together:

• Provided VSAT Satelitte Internet Acess to Rimbi High School 
• Donated 5 laptops
• Donated desktops 
• Provided computer training workshops to 25 teachers

This project is a big success! Here is what some of the teachers at Rimbi High school had to say:

In His Own Words By One Of The Teachers Regarding Internet Access At Rimbi High School

"We would like to register our utmost appreciation to the donors for bringing this state of the art technology to our school. We used to be a school indeed just like other schools. On behalf of Rimbi school we feel humbled that from now onwards our school has the most advanved technology in the Sabi valley area. There is no other school in the valley with such technology. Our school is now in par with urban schools. Now that we are at par with other schools in the country there should be no excuse for mediocrity and below par performance."

In His Own Words - Special Thanks To You For Internet Access From Another Teacher

"It is quite a great pleasure to have this technology at our school, I will never cease to rejoice .I will never cease singing the AMAZING GRACE OF GOD. Thank you Tekeshe Foundation. Please extend my gratitude to our freinds who are out there who help us in several unparalled ways. They are are precious to us.

At a personal level, I am now a different teacher, my future academic prospects have been brittened by this . I wish to do my post graduate studies as soon as I get the opportunity. This technology will be instrumental in that endeavour. I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN. I WROTE THIS LETTER USING THE FACILITY, IT IS OWESOME TECHNOLOGY!
Yours sincerely
Matende"

Even though we have made a lot of progress in our effort to bridge the digital gap there is still a lot of work to do. Here is what we aim to accomplish together this year:

2018 Goals

• Provide basic computer training to 100 teachers. They will receive training on how to use use Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel & Power Point)
• Upgrade the VSAT satelite system at Rimbi High in order to increase the bandwidth and connect more computers to the internet
• Provide more desktops and laptops 
• Long term goal: Setup a community ICT center in Rimbi village so that the entire community can have access to computers 

As you can see we have accomplished a lot. These accomplishments would not have been possible without your help. Thank you so much for the major role you are playing in transforming the lives of rural teachers and students!

Best wishes,

Thelma