Pictured above: Mike Musson, ICT Cluster Manager and
Phil Layton, Marketing Manager of IT Schools for Africa
The ICT Cluster, an Advantage West Midlands funded initiative
which supports regional technology companies, has announced its
support for I.T. Schools Africa (ITSA).
ITSA was chosen by the ICT Cluster as this year's charity
partner for the annual ICT Conference in November. ITSA, which
refurbishes computers for use in African schools, hopes to build
awareness of its work amongst the West Midlands community.
ITSA is looking for bulk donations of old computers and
accessories from the education and business sector and is seeking
to establish relationships with IT suppliers to schools. The
charity needs over 600 computers per month to satisfy its
commitments in Africa.
Mike Musson, ICT Cluster Manager comments: "We're delighted to
be able to support a commendable organisation like ITSA. Equipment,
which is considered outdated in the UK, still has a considerable
lifespan of 5-6 years in Africa providing powerful teaching aids
and helping to develop an IT-trained workforce. We are asking all
regional companies and schools to contact the charity to help
Africa's children gain from our old computer equipment."
ITSA was established in 2004 to accelerate education in Africa
by addressing the problem of text book shortages in schools.
Donating refurbished computers to schools allows teachers to
download curriculum material free of charge, providing children
with greater access to learning. It also provides students with
valuable IT skills, essential to securing a good job, and widens
their understanding of the world by enabling cross-cultural
communication.
Working with its sister charity Computers for African Schools,
ITSA has sent over 20,000 computers to Africa, equipped over 1,000
schools with IT labs and trained over 650 teachers. The
charity estimates it has provided over one million African children
with access to IT training.
The charity supports the local community in the UK- working with
prisons, the unemployed and people with learning difficulties - to
refurbish computers, clean them of data and prepare them for
shipping.
"The ICT Conference provided excellent exposure to a wide range
of local educational establishments and businesses that may be able
to support our cause and boost our donations of computers,"
comments Tim Barnes, Programme Director, ITSA.
The 6th annual ICT Conference, the region's largest technology
event, was held at the National Motorcycle Museum on 10th November
2009. It seeks to gather together ICT companies and
organisations to inspire innovation, gain industry expertise and
provide networking opportunities.
ITSA is seeking: working desktop computers Pentium III or above;
15" or 17" monitors, less than 10 years old; laptops - Pentium IV
or above accompanied by a power adaptor; keyboards, mice and power
leads; and spare hard-drives, CD drives and floppy drives.