By Katherine Bertash | Development and Administrative Officer, Camfed USA
The Samfya Resource Centre in northern Zambia is a remarkable business. Established and run by a group of former Camfed bursary recipients who had never previously used computers, the centre is now a thriving enterprise, providing crucial services to the whole community for this rural fishing area.
Goldman Sachs-Fortune Global Women Leaders Award winner Penelope Machipi manages the centre — and is looking for your support to take her business to the next level.
"As Samfya Resource Centre trainers, we are trying to raise funds to buy solar panels. This is so because we are experiencing a lot of power outages — in a week, we normally have power for just two days. This disadvantages the community who depend on the centre to photocopy and browse the net. Even when we have power in those two days, the voltage is very low therefore the computers cannot work as expected.
"Apart from the power outage challenge, the centre is working very well now. Our customers are mainly teachers, businessmen and women, school pupils, Cama members and people from the community.
"The teachers and pupils use the Internet for their research and assignments. The businessmen and women use the Internet for trading, while the community and Cama members use it to download application forms for various colleges and universities. The Cama members also use it to communicate with their fellow Cama members.
"The centre has made it easy for community members to access ICT services within Samfya district. They don't need to travel to another town to access Internet. This means that they can save their money, which they would have spent on transport or other things."
Solar power will make the Samfya Resource Centre reliable and effective. With your generous support, we are already half of the way towards the cost of buying and installing solar panels for the centre so it can continue to provide training and career opportunities.
As we are now seeking new means of supporting this center, we will be closing this project. Thank you to the Global Giving community for all of your generous support for this initiative!
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