Monis attends the Royal Garden Party!

​Huge congratulations to our very own Monis Khalifa! 
​
Monis was invited to attend the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace last month, with our GM Lucy Pollock, in recognition of his work at
​IT Schools Africa (ITSA). Monis has been with ITSA since its very beginning. He is not just a very well recognised face with our volunteers, but has been the heart of the charity over the last 17 years.  

​The seed for IT Schools Africa was sown when an old computer was thrown into a skip - watched by Monis - he thought to himself, is there not a better way to recycle old computers? He mentioned this to his friend Michael Ratcliffe, and between the two of them, they decided that there definitely was a better way - to send them to schools in Africa!
 
Subsequently IT Schools Africa was established in 2004 and operations started the following year, with the renovation of a warehouse in Cheltenham and from there the first refurbished computers were shipped in a container to Africa. The rest, as they say is history! 

“When I first started the charity, I thought it was just about sending computers to schools in Africa so that school children could benefit and have the opportunities that IT can give. It has been so much more than that. I have learnt so much from our wonderful volunteers and I have seen them grow in confidence and self-esteem which is so rewarding – I am truly grateful to them. It is thanks to our wonderful, selfless volunteers who have allowed us to achieve so much.”
Monis Khalifa – IT Manager, IT Schools Africa