Last week ITSA travelled to Cambridgeshire to take a look around one of our UK prison programmes. HMP Whitemoor have been working with IT Schools Africa for over 8 years in a scheme that has developed and expanded to become a key component in the process of sending IT equipment to schools in Africa. 

The prison focuses on helping inmates make positive use of lengthy sentences and reduce the risk of re-offending through practical work and education. The ITSA workshop provides an environment for prisoners where they have the opportunity to develop IT skills as well as working as part of a team who are taking part in useful, positive work for charity. 

As part of the visit ITSA were given a tour around the workshop which is divided into two sections: the first for learning basic IT skills where inmates can complete internationally recognised qualifications, and the second is the ITSA workshop. The more experienced prisoners in the scheme work with the newer prisoners to help teach them the process which helps to develop team and leadership skills - appealing skills to potential employers upon their release. 

From taking a look around the workshop it was inspiring to see the prisoners so engaged with the work they were doing for ITSA. All the prisoners that we had the opportunity to speak with were very interested to hear about the work we do in Africa and mentioned how pleased they were to be able to give something back to those less advantaged than themselves. 

Ultimately the prison programme is about making positive use of the inmates time to help ITSA send as many computers as we do to African schools. Without the prison programmes in place the charity would not be physically able to distribute the same quantity of computers to give access to e-Learning to children in Africa. 

Take a closer look at how we work in the UK!

Computers for Zambian Schools (CFZS) are a not for profit trust that work together with ITSA to manage the distribution of IT equipment to schools in Zambia. For this weeks' blog we had a chat with Boni Chipembere, manager of CFZS, who is based in Lusaka, Zambia. 

Q - CFZS have been in operation since 2001, and they've been working with ITSA for 5 years now. How did you first become involved with the charity?

Boni - I became involved when CFZS, in collaboration with ITSA, when they were hiring a Programme Manager earlier this year. 

Q - What would you say are your key responsibilities as Programme Manager? 

Boni - My responsibilities are vast, they include:

• Clearing shipments - ensuring containers are cleared in line with country policies - liaising between transporters, clearing agents, both here in Zambia and in the UK
• Managing CFZS personnel - ensuring that my team of 3 technicians and 2 interns are efficiently carrying out their duties. These duties include: testing machines, serving customers and office work - where I currently work with one of our interns.
• Communicating - this can be with stakeholders including Ministries and Local District Boards. I communicate with them for a range of reasons, for example informing them of any changes and the arrival of containers etc. I also liaise with ITSA and my Zambia Board to highlight any issues that may either pose as a risk or an opportunity to us. 
• Recycling - any IT equipment that is brought back to us needs to be disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner. 
• Marketing - our educational software and teacher training 

Q - What is the most rewarding thing about working for CFZS?

Boni - There is such a dire need for affordable computers in Zambia, so when we tell customers what we charge they are always ecstatic. When we inform them of the additional services we offer such as - free printers, speakers and educational software their expressions make my job worth it. 

Q - In the future what challenges do you predict the charity will face? 

Boni - 

• Recycling - there will need to be a focus on the affordable recycling of computers. At the moment we send our computers to South Africa to be recycled, this comes at a considerable expense. 
• Monitoring + Evaluating - for us to progress, it would be ideal if we could assess the impact of our computer sales by tracking success stories. From this we could evaluate why they are successful and duplicate the success, as well as working on any issues that were identified in monitoring. 

Q - How does the work carried out in the UK by ITSA, link to the work your team are doing at CFZS?

Boni - ITSA have been a good partner and team player with CFZS, and play an important part in sourcing affordable stock. The prison programme, that works very well in the UK, is something we are looking into to see if this could work in Zambia as well. 

Q - How much of an impact does the work you're doing have on schools in Zambia?

Boni - Over 500 schools are now able to sit their ICT exams because CFZS have supplied them with the needed equipment. It is not just the schools that benefit, some of our former employees have left to set up their own successful businesses as well. 

Thanks for taking the time to give an insight into life as a Programme Manager for Computers for Zambian Schools, Boni! Read more about Zambia.

As a young adult who has grown up in the digital age, I cannot imagine a world without IT. Throughout my education, from the age of 4 until the present day, I have been privileged to have access to the World Wide Web at my fingertips – a tool I have, unknowingly, always taken for granted. 

As technology continues to evolve, so do our expectations of the internet and the devices we use to access it. But can you imagine if one day every smartphone, tablet, laptop and computer suddenly vanished. Would you be able to cope without the very thing we’ve become dependent on? If I think about this question honestly, my answer is no. My social life, career and education revolve around technology, and it is bizarre to think how different my life would be without them. 

I find it hard to picture what my world would be like if computers never existed. If I couldn’t connect with friends and family thousands of miles away in a matter of minutes. If I couldn’t Google the questions that wander around my mind. This got me thinking. Imagine the millions that this is a reality for. 

IT Schools Africa recognise this inequality and strive to make a change. By donating IT equipment, and fundraising to help build IT classrooms for children, we move one step closer to welcoming children in Africa to the technology age. 

Well it may be the summer holidays in the UK but that didn't stop Cheltenham Ladies College opening their doors to ITSA for a very generous donation of IT equipment. 

Cheltenham Ladies College are no stranger to ITSA and often donate their redundant IT equipment to ITSA, as well as supporting and promoting the charity in the local community. So with my trusty camera in hand, I went along to the collection last Friday to share it with you!