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Partnership with Helios Towers

Helios Towers is a leading multinational independent telecommunications infrastructure company, focused on driving the growth of mobile communications across Africa and the Middle East. As the leading independent towerco in Tanzania, Helios Towers Tanzania supports mobile operators as they expand their coverage across the country. 

Last year, Helios Towers Tanzania donated computers and funded Camara Education Tanzania to set up an eLearning Centre at Kurasini Secondary School in Dar es Salaam. The success of that project has led Helios to commit to supporting at least one more school a year in the future: the centre at Mkwajuni Secondary School in Zanzibar was completed in time for the new school year in September 2023; a centre at Mzumbe Secondary School in Morogoro region will become operational later this year.

As ever, Camara’s contribution involved much more than installing the networked computer lab – at Mkwajuni we provided a broad range of locally-appropriate learning materials and conducted an intensive 5-day training program for school leaders, teachers and students. This training initiative was a transformative experience, equipping a total of 27 dedicated teachers and 7 school leaders with the skills necessary to effectively manage their classrooms, create educational materials and confidently navigate the digital realm. 45 students also took part, learning how to leverage computers to enhance their learning, acquire essential digital skills, and explore the endless possibilities offered by the digital age. These skills will be passed on to their peers.

The grand unveiling of the computer lab at Mkwajuni school was graced by the presence of Tom Greenwood, Group Chief Executive of Helios Towers, and the Head of the ICT Training Department from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training in Zanzibar, Sadiq Makanyaga.

Tom Greenwood, Group CEO of Helios Towers, speaking at the launch

Tom Greenwood delivered an inspiring message to the students, encouraging them to embrace a lifelong journey of learning and to dare to dream big. He underlined that their potential was boundless, with the power to become engineers, doctors, athletes, or anything they aspired to be. Furthermore, he urged them to harness these computers as tools for their personal growth and transformation.

Sadiq Makanyaga

In a parallel context, Sadiq Makanyaga, Head of the ICT Training Department, emphasized the pivotal role of teachers in ushering in this educational transformation. He pledged continued support and ongoing training for educators to streamline and enhance the teaching process. Mr Makanyaga expressed a strong desire for teachers to shift away from traditional teaching aids such as blackboards and chalk, noting the success of smart classrooms in many other countries.

And this is what a couple of the students at Helios schools had to say:

 “Experiencing a computer for the first time was like stepping into a whole new world. I had never touched a computer before, and to be honest, I was a bit nervous. But the teachers and Camara Team guided us patiently, showing us how to navigate the system and use basic applications. As I started exploring, I was amazed by the vast amount of information and learning resources available. The computer became a window to a world of knowledge that I had never seen before. It opened my eyes to new possibilities, and I’m excited to continue learning and exploring with this incredible tool”

Mwanaidi Othumani

“Receiving the computers has changed the way I approach learning and problem-solving. Before, I struggled with accessing the latest information for my science and history projects, but now, I feel more confident and informed. Computers have opened up a world of knowledge that has inspired me to delve deeper into various subjects and expand my horizons.

James Liwale

A view of the completed lab
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MOU signed with Makueni County

Camara Education Kenya and the County Government of Makueni signed a new Memorandum of Understanding at a meeting presided over by Makueni County Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili and attended by Camara Country Director Biniam Yayehyirad, County Executive Committee Member for ICT, Education and Internship Elizabeth Muli, Camara Kenya Technical and Communication Officer James Jira, and other representatives of the county Government of Makueni.

Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili and CEC Member Elizabeth Muli sign the MoU
Camara Kenya Country Director Biniam Yayehyirad signs the Agreement

The key objective of this collaboration is to increase access and opportunities through ICT for as many individuals within Makueni County as possible and specifically:

  • Increased access and digital literacy for students and community members in Makueni County, both in and out of school;
  • Increased capacity of teachers and school leaders within Makueni County to incorporate ICT into teaching and learning;
  • Increased capacity of staff working in Makueni County’s Department of ICT, Education and Internship to use ICT in their roles;
  • Increased opportunity for students to develop technology-based skills and understanding of STEM subjects through ICT clubs;
  • Increased learner motivation and engagement by supporting inclusive education;
  • Technical support and guidance to ensure ICT equipment can be fully utilized and benefited from;
  • Provision for e-waste management so that all end-of-life equipment is appropriately disposed of; and
  • Strengthened relationship and partnership between CKE and Makueni County for the overall benefit of Citizenry within the County.

Under our previous agreement, in Partnership with Dell Technologies, Camara Education in Kenya has provided support to 15 secondary schools, 3 technical training institutes, and an innovation centre in Makueni County.

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Turning Roses into Computers

Sher High School in Ziway, Ethiopia, has received not one but two brand-new e-learning centres, thanks to generous funding from the Dutch Flower Foundation and Afriflora.

Afriflora/Sher Ethiopia grows, harvests, grades and packs roses at three farms, the largest of them on the shores of Lake Dembel just outside Ziway. Between 2.5 and 4 million roses are processed every day and transported to Europe for further distribution. This makes Afriflora/Sher Ethiopia the largest rose grower in the world and the biggest supplier of roses in Europe, as well as a major foreign currency earner for Ethiopia. Around half of the students at the Ziway Sher High School are children of Sher employees.  

Camara installed 50 computers and two servers in the two centres, and our trainers spent a week training 26 teachers on how best to use the computers to deliver the curriculum and giving advice on basic maintenance.  We’ll also provide ongoing support. Camara’s computers run on the Ubuntu open-source operating system. They are pre-loaded with a range of educational software, from simple games to specialized Camara Learning Studio resources for maths and science. All computers are also loaded with an offline version of Wikipedia, creating an extraordinary learning resource for schools with limited internet connections. And most important of all, the computers are installed with PDFs of Ministry of Education textbooks covering the entire school curriculum. Textbooks are in very short supply in many of Ethiopia’s 40,000 schools, so this alone is a crucial resource.

The Dutch Flower Foundation (DFF) aims to improve the living conditions and well-being of people in need and in particular children. They focus on countries where Dutch Flower Group (DFG) companies are active with an emphasis on connected community projects. Through the activities of DFF, DFG gives substance to its responsibility for the world in which we live.

Hundreds of students will benefit from the new computers according to Sher School director Mr Negusse Aga: ‘Computer-skills are extremely important for our students. Sher schools have an excellent reputation in Ethiopia. Almost all the students qualify to attend universities. New computers enable us to uphold our reputation and open the digital world to our students. On behalf of the students and teachers we would like to sincerely thank DFF and Camara for their highly appreciated contribution in this project.’

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Dell Technologies Partnership update

The second phase of our latest project in partnership with Dell Technologies in Ethiopia was completed in April, as the tenth school was connected to the server at Camara Ethiopia’s offices. This project allows us to remotely monitor the eLearning centres at these ten schools, in addition to the five that were beneficiaries of the first stage of the project.

Each school has been furnished with a networked eLearning centre equipped with 25 desktop computers. In addition, Camara provides teacher and leadership training to promote stakeholder engagement, as well as access to Camara Learning Studio via the server, supplying curriculum-aligned content for maths and science classes for students in grades 9 through 12. Our technicians provide support and use the server to track and evaluate learning outcomes by analysing usage data on the Dell server.  

The principal aims of the project are two-fold: to improve teaching quality through training; and to enhance students’ experience, academic results and life chances with digital education.

Each school has been furnished with a networked eLearning centre equipped with 25 desktop computers. In addition, Camara provides teacher and leadership training to promote stakeholder engagement, and access to Camara Learning Studio via the server, supplying curriculum-aligned content for maths and science classes for students in grades 9 through 12. Our technicians provide support and use the server to track and evaluate learning outcomes by analysing usage data on the Dell server.  

Students in the lab at Don Bosco School

The principal aims of the project are two-fold: to improve teaching quality through training; and to enhance students’ experience, academic results and life chances with digital education.

Teachers’ Professional Development will lead to:

  • Improved teachers’ capacity (both contents and pedagogy) in teaching Science, Mathematics and English subjects with IT
  • Improved teacher motivation and interest in the teaching profession

Provision of the networked lab and usage monitoring will lead to:

  •  Increased classroom interaction in the teaching and learning process
  •  Decrease in student dropout rate
  •  More efficient management of the ICT infrastructure and resources resulting in more effective eLearning centre utilization

The schools involved in the second phase are:

MISRAK GOH SECONDARY SCHOOL
DON BOSCO DILLA SECONDARY SCHOOL
HARAMAYA SECONDARY SCHOOL
LIDETA CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL SCHOOL
DR. HADDIS ALEMAYEHU SECONDARY SCHOOL
ADDIS ABABA BETHEL MEKANE YESUS SECONDARY SCHOOL
KOMONA SECONDARY SCHOOL
HARAMAYA UNIVERSITY MODEL SCHOOL
DIMTU SECONDARY SCHOOL
BULBUL SECONDARY SCHOOL

While we continue to offer support to the five schools from the first phase:

SHIMELIS HABTE SECONDARY SCHOOL
ASSAI PUBLIC SCHOOL
NATIVITY GIRLS SCHOOL
BASSO SECONDARY SCHOOL
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Teacher Andualem Tsegaye praised the scheme:

Andulem Tsegaye, ICT teacher at Don Bosco School

“I have been an ICT teacher at Dilla Don Bosco Secondary School since 2005. Now that we are using the new eLearning center based on a timetable, we are noticing a gradual improvement in academic results and students are happier to learn thanks to the Camara computers. They are also more motivated in enhancing their education.”

Semera Girls' leader

Empowering Female Students through Digital Literacy

Camara Education Ethiopia in partnership with British Council Ethiopia

Camara Education Ethiopia has been collaborating with the British Council in Ethiopia on a project involving six secondary schools in the Afar region and fourteen in Amhara. Both areas are in northern Ethiopia and were impacted by the recent conflict there.

In each school the project set up a fully functioning e-Learning centre designed specifically for the school’s individual climate and context. Computers were funded by the Ethiopian Ministry of Education, while Camara Education supplied the hardware, networking and technical support, ensuring that equipment was protected from power surges, heat and dust. The schools provided the rooms, furniture and their own dedication, committing to maintain the labs in the long term.

To support the use of the centres, the British Council and Camara Education provided initial and follow-up hardware support and software training. Each computer is loaded with educational resources and programmes working both on- and off-line. As well as British Council materials, these include resources from the Ministry of Education and Camara Education Ethiopia.

Empowering Girls

The centres aim to build skills and confidence specifically for female students. Gender and girls club members will be prioritised for using the labs and take on the responsibility to teach their peers. Two students per club will lead the training, which will cascade across all the students and staff at the school. This prioritisation aims to improve achievement levels for girls and gender club members, giving them status in the school and society and raising their ability, capacity and motivation to learn.

In Afar, training for teachers, club leaders, directors and education officers took place in the new e-Learning centre at Semera Girls’ Boarding School. The school is situated on the edge of Semera city, almost 600km northeast of Addis Ababa. The e-Learning centre is a clean, well-organized room at the heart of the school, now lined with desktop computers, with fans to cool them in Afar’s hot climate.

Putting Training into Action

Alem Tsehai, who works in another school in the project, explained the need for these e-Learning centres, “There are lots of challenges in my school”, she said, “there are only a few books and resources. This is a big opportunity to use this training and resources to improve my students’ learning outcomes. We used to have no computers in my school. Now Camara and the Ministry of Education have supplied more than 40”.

Another participant at the training talked about how labs can motivate teachers’ support for female students, “After this training I will have more resources for girls’ education and I will focus on girls’ education”.

Implementing Change

The training considered how to ensure this initiative is accepted and promoted across communities. Engaging the community will increase the impact on girls’ education.

As one of the teachers put it: “We need to work with religious leaders. We need to encourage them to send their girls to school. Once in school we need to support girls to engage more with school and with technology.”

Once back at their schools the teachers’ work must be two-fold, as one participant explained, “I will cascade this training for other teachers when I return to my school and focus on girls’ education”. Another recognised the project aims as sitting firmly within their own hopes for education: “If I was made the Minister of Education I would raise teachers’ professional competency. I would implement policies and improve learning outcomes.”

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Leadership Training supported by Dell Technologies

As part of our ongoing partnership with Dell Technologies, we’ve been providing school leadership training in both Ethiopia and Kenya. Head teachers and senior administrators play a key role when it comes to integrating digital technology into schools. The objective of this training is to empower school and education leaders so that they can understand the potential and practicalities of digital learning and support teachers’ use of ICT to improve student achievement.

In Ethiopia, support from Dell Technologies in 2022 enabled Camara Education Ethiopia to provide five schools with upgraded eLearning centres, each with 25 computers. Camara and the schools can track usage of the computers through a remote server using Camara Learning Studio (CLS), a platform that provides curriculum-aligned content for maths and science classes for students in grades 9 through 12.

Refresher leadership training was provided for the leaders of the five schools, including a presentation of each school’s usage data as tracked through the remote server and discussion of strategies to increase usage. The schools involved are:

  • SHIMELIS HABTE SECONDARY SCHOOL
  • ASSAI PUBLIC SCHOOL
  • NATIVITY GIRLS SCHOOL
  • BASSO SECONDARY SCHOOL
  • ST JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

In Kenya we have also been running training for secondary school leaders as part of our STEM STEPS Towards Positive Futures project in association with Dell Technologies.  A session at Khadija Secondary School, Mombasa County, was attended by leaders from Khadija Secondary, Kongowea Secondary, Al-Farsy Girls Secondary, Msumarini Secondary and Mnarani Secondary. In Kilifi County, north of Mombasa, a training session at Shangia Secondary School included leaders from Shangia Secondary, Migundini Secondary and Mwijo Secondary.

Also this month. in Makueni County, leadership training at the Makueni PWD Vocational Training Centre, attracted heads and administrators from five secondary schools and three vocational training institutions: Moi Girls Kibwezi, St Jude Girls, Kavingoni Secondary, Kambi Mawe Girls, Mwaani Girls, Kathonzweni County Technical Training Institute, PWD Vocational Training Centre and Makueni County Technical Training Institute.

We would like to thank Dell Technologies for being such an amazing partner throughout this journey of the STEM STEPS towards positive futures project.

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A Container of Computers

The latest consignment of computers has arrived at our offices in Mombasa, Kenya, part of our ongoing partnership with Dell Technologies to bring educational technology and digital access to marginalised areas. 23 Kenyan schools will benefit from new eLearning centres, and we’ll also be setting up three ICT innovation hubs.

As soon as the container arrives it is unloaded, prior to thorough final checks on the equipment before it can be dispatched to a waiting school. Thanks @DellTechnologies!

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Kurasini School sponsorship

We’ve recently completed an eLearning centre installation at Kurasini Secondary School in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The work was carried out thanks to Helios Towers Tanzania, who provided computers along with funding to cover the renovation of the room, networking, teacher training and other project activities. Kurasini is one of the schools where Helios has installed a telecom tower, serving several of its clients in Tanzania.

The centre was officially opened on November 25th 2022 by Helios Tower Tanzania’s managing director, Gwakisa Stadi, along with Anna Marika, representative of the district executive director. Camara trained 38 teachers for five days and provided ICT awareness training for 120 students.

From the beginning of this term, students at the school have had Computer and Information Studies available to them as part of their curriculum.

Helios Towers is a leading independent telecommunications infrastructure company, focused on driving the growth of mobile communications across Africa and the Middle East. Their principal business is building, acquiring and operating telecommunications towers that can accommodate and power the needs of the regions’ major mobile network operators. As the leading independent towerco in Tanzania, Helios Towers supports mobile operators as they expand their coverage across the country.

These are some of the steps involed in putting the centre together:

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TECH FOR ALL: our partnership with Lenovo

Olympia Park Secondary School is based in Lusaka, Zambia.  It currently caters for 3309 students who are completing their secondary education from Grade 8 up to Grade 12.  The school has 62 teachers with an average class size of approximately 72 students.  Due to the number of students attending the school, there is a split timetable with students attending for either morning or afternoon sessions. 

Before Camara’s intervention, as part of the ‘Tech for All’ project funded by Lenovo, the school had only 14 computers.  

Fumboni Gondwe, pictured here with her teacher Suzyo Nachali, is a 14 year old student currently studying in Grade 9 at Olympia Park Secondary School in Lusaka, Zambia.

Fumboni said: ‘I love using the computers to learn, they are fun and I now know how to do a lot of things on them. I have a great teacher and she has helped me to learn so many new things on the computer which has helped my studies. I want to work hard and finish school as I always wanted to be a doctor but now I would also like to be a computer specialist’.

From another of the schools that our partnership with Lenovo has enabled us to help, we received the following message:

‘I write on behalf of Butondo secondary school to express our heartfelt gratitude for the job well done, from the very beginning when the news broke of the computer donation to our school, the Camara team has been outstanding in ensuring that the whole process is actualised.

As a school we will remain indebted to Camara as an organisation for the job well done. From the installation of the computers by Francis to the training by Emmanuel everything went on well. 

May God richly bless Camara as an organisation.’

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FINASTRA PARTNERSHIP

Finastra is the largest pure-play software vendor that serves the entire financial services industry. It recently teamed up with Camara Education to process retired laptops and other IT equipment, generating funds to bring ICT resources and skills to those who need it most in the developing world. Camara offers a safe, secure and reliable logistics chain for the collection of retired equipment from multiple global Finastra locations. In turn we provide technology and education to thousands of children in Africa, and support Finastra in its goal to become carbon neutral by 2030.