October 10, 2012

Intel/World Vision partnership brings computers to Africa

Through an innovative partnership between World Vision and the Intel Education Service Corps, children are crossing the digital divide and gaining access to 21st century skills.

In rural schools across Africa, children are crossing the digital divide, thanks to a partnership between World Vision and Intel .  

World Vision and Intel are working together  to deploy technology solutions to classrooms in Africa, setting up computers and training teachers to improve student learning with technology. 

A Citizen award finalist

This unique partnership is among the finalists  in the “best partnership” category of the the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Citizen award.

The Citizen award for this category is dedicated to a business-nonprofit collaboration whose goal is to achieve high impact and sustainable results on a single social, community, or environmental issue.

The public is invited to vote for the winner  of this award.

Computers open new world for students

Students in Africa fortunate enough to finish school may never touch a computer. But in a school in rural Zambia, children are crossing the digital divide. 

“I’ll never forget the mood inside the classroom on the first day of computer classes,” says David Owens, World Vision’s chief development officer, who was present at a student PC deployment in Zambia. “Most of all, I remember the complete silence as the children waited for instructions on how to use their new computers.”

Within minutes, that silence was replaced with laughter and the joyful sound of learning.

The school headmaster expressed to Owen, “These computers are not only going to help our students learn, they will make coming to school more attractive.” 

Intel has completed four projects with World Vision in Zambia and Senegal in just the past year, and two projects are currently in the planning phase for Rwanda and Tanzania in late 2012.

Vote for the World Vision/Intel partnership

Vote for us  in the “best partnership” category of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Citizen award, organized by the Business Civic Leadership Center.