Q - How did you first hear about ITSA? 

Mark - I was introduced to ITSA via a Work Programme experience offered by the DWP and I became a volunteer in February of 2016. 

Q - What type of tasks are you involved in at ITSA?

Mark - My initial task was to help in the office, making telephone calls to potential future donors to discuss the possibility of them giving their unused PC equipment to ITSA. 

Q - What is your favourite thing about being part of the ITSA team? 

Mark -  The collective efforts of everyone at ITSA mean that a computer's lifespan is extended for 5 years or more and children in Africa get a life changing opportunity to improve their future. No wonder everyone smiles every day at ITSA! Thank You ITSA for the experience.         

​When IT Schools Africa first started sending computers to Africa, we gave them as donations. At the time, when the charity was just finding its feet, we were not aware that despite it being a kind gesture, this wasn’t a viable way of encouraging the teaching of IT in African schools in the long term.  

The trouble we faced when giving the computers away at no cost was that a number of the schools were not aware of how to get the most out of the equipment. Due to lack of IT training available for teachers, and little accessible educational software, the computers were not being used to their full capability. 

ITSA recognised this problem and made the decision to begin charging schools a minimal cost for the computers.  This cost recovery strategy allowed ITSA to be able to provide needed support on how to get the most out of the technology.

10 years have passed since ITSA put in place the cost recovery strategy and it is clear what a difference it has made, not only to the students using the computers but to the teachers and wider communities. The schools now see their computers as valuable assets and utilise them as much as they can - with many offering extra classes out of school hours for people in the local community. 

ITSA has 3 technical centres in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. They employ local people to provide schools with ongoing support when they buy computers and laptops. The technical centres provide teacher training to ensure a good and up to date understanding of technology is passed on to students. 

The strategy ITSA implemented back in 2006 has made it possible for the charity to grow and has helped more schools have access to affordable computers. The technical centres continue to thrive and we hope that in the next 10 years we will be working with more programmes right across Africa. 

Teachers, IT departments, parents and students before you run out the door to enjoy your 6 weeks summer holidays, we need to ask a favour! 

Schools make up ITSA’s largest percentage of donors with a whopping 48% of all donations coming from schools.  Which makes you a huge part of our mission to close the digital divide between nations. 

Now before you set your ‘out of office’ and put on your sunglasses we are asking if you can put together any IT equipment that your school no longer uses for us to collect and put to better use. 

We are in need of:

• Computers (in working order and less than 6 years old)
• Flat screens
• Mice
• Keyboards
• Power Leads
• Laptops
• Tablets

If you work for a school who you think might be able to help, let us know! Email louise@itschoolsafrica.org or call us 01242 228800. 

​In Africa IT skills are essential for young people to access better paid jobs. Furthermore, without an IT literate workforce, countries are less able to broaden their economy and access the benefits of the information revolution. 

Lack of IT literacy in Africa is also a barrier to further education, with students struggling to complete coursework and dissertations without being able to use computers. Some schools have such limited resources; one computer is shared between ten children, and other schools ask for broken machines just to explain the basic elements of computers to the children.

Over the last decade IT Schools Africa has been improving education in Africa, working closely with our in-country partners to provide good quality, affordable computers to schools. 

We understand the needs of the schools; what the teachers want and importantly how we can help to improve the learning experience for children in Africa. 

Our computers have educational software pre-installed, ready for the teachers to use to make their lessons not only informative but also interesting and interactive for the students.  

Our e-Learning Centres in Malawi have been so successful we plan to develop more in Zambia and Zimbabwe. These projects are able to transform IT Education for the students, increasing the number of children taking exams in the subject and improving the teaching of other subjects. 

We plan to further improve education in Africa through the development of projects to provide access to IT for vulnerable communities; for young, unemployed adults or adults that perhaps didn't get the chance to go to school. ​