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Computers for African
Schools (CFAS) is a registered charity committed to improving educational opportunity in Africa .
Based in Reading and Cheltenham, we are run in the UK exclusively by volunteers. As our name suggests, we work to place redundant working computers, donated by firms and other computer users in the UK , in to schools in southern Africa . Usually these are state and mission secondary schools and all schools receive the computers free of charge.
Through our teams in the recipient countries we prepare and install the computers, give training to teachers in IT for each school in the scheme and ensure responsible disposal of the computers at the end of use. To date we have sent in excess of 18,000 machines and these have been placed in over 1000 schools. Our programmes are in Zambia (over 8000 computers in 500 schools) where every state secondary school has computers from the scheme, Zimbabwe (almost 3000 computers in 200 schools), Malawi (over 4000 computers in 150 schools), and Zanzibar (with 500 computers in 70 schools). And we have just launched a programme in Tanzania. We have also sent 2000 computers to 100 schools in eleven other countries.
We work very closely with a sister charity, IT Schools Africa, based in Cheltenham (www.itschoolsafrica.org). Computer acquisition for the CFAS schemes is done though ITSA.
CFAS and ITSA operate on the basis of:
- Ethical re-use of 'redundant' equipment: our scheme offers businesses, organisations and individuals an ethical and environmentally friendly way of disposing of redundant IT equipment (but which still has potentially several years of service as a teaching aid) at low cost to them but with a massive potential benefit to education in developing countries.
- Recycling rather than landfill: CFAS can arrange for recycling of unwanted, working PCs to make them ready for use in schools in Africa. Computers are refurbished at the ITSA technical centre in Cheltenham using volunteers. However, a large proportion of the computers are processed by prison inmates, though a number of prison training schemes. The operation is done to high standards, checking all equipment for operation and electrical safety and if needed making repairs. Hard drives are wiped to US Min. Defence standards. We also work with other charity and professional computer recyclers and have been involved with sending out donations of ready-refurbished computers from large UK organisations processed through their own recycler.
- Work with and empower organisations in recipient countries: We work through our own local NGO's, set up by our own local volunteers and including other agencies as trustees, such as the British Council, VSO, Ministry of Education and other similar organisations. The local organisations ensure the best possible use of the computers and technical self-sufficiency once installed in local African schools. They run technical centres, where locally employed technicians install software; set the computers up in the schools; offer technical support for the computers; and train teachers in computer repair and maintenance and in the teaching of IT as a subject following a Ministry of Education approved IT curriculum. We also have had a range of volunteer placements assisting the schemes.
- Set up e-learning facilities in schools who couldn't otherwise afford the technology: schools receive a minimum of 10 free computers . Rather than targeting individual schools to support, our aim is to have an e-learning centre in every state or mission secondary school in the countries where we're operating
to ensure full inclusivity for the programm.
- We take an holistic approach:this takes in all aspects of computer acquisition, processing, shipping and software installation, system set up and school support once in Africa. The local programmes are designed to be self-sustaining and encompass: the development of local technicians, the training of teachers in IT teaching and computer repair and end of life disposal of equipment. In Zambia the scheme is now an officially registered NGO, 'Computers for Zambian Schools', (www.cfzs.org.zm)
and similar registration is being sought in Malawi and Zimbabwe.
- We rely on donations to fund our work: our
main financial donors include the Beit Trust and RSe Consulting. Generous donors of computers include HSBC, Computer Aid International, Digital Links,
the Hazelhurst Trust and Mobius and many more. British Airways support the scheme by donating free air carriage.
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