New ICT centres for Prestwich Street Primary

Stephanie le Roux, one of seven mothers involved in the Reddam House Community Network, initiated the project by contacting Cape Quarter Spar. The network has spearheaded many community projects to uplift the school, including beautifying the school with greenery, providing the pupils with stationery packs, and painting a mural on the school wall.

Prestwich Street Primary is situated in an affluent business district in Green Point, but serves mainly underprivileged learners from Khayelitsha, Langa and Sea Point.

Approached by the City of Cape Town and Reddam House Community Network, M-Net Cares refurbished two existing computer labs. The two labs were outfitted with computers as well as software, including educational applications and programs as part of an interactive educational initiative for learners living in disadvantaged areas.

Importance of public-private partnerships

"With all the challenges that we face in South Africa, there is no way that any government can do things on its own. We need the partnership of the private sector and of civil society to make our country a success, so thank you very much, baie dankie, enkosi kakule," said Mayor of Cape Town Patricia de Lille, who also attended the unveiling.

"The computer lab will certainly help in establishing and bringing technology into the curriculum, and help our children tremendously. With the internet, the whole world just opened up to them and just by the press of a button. I hope that this generous donation from the sponsors here today will inspire other companies and other organisations to do the same."

In partnership with IT Health, two staff members at the school have been appointed to champion the project through a six-month training program to ensure sustainability of the initiative. The rest of the teachers in the school will be empowered in basic computer literacy training to take control and manage their lessons in the classroom.

"I think the computers are very nice and really useful. They are going to help us with homework, projects and research; our teachers can teach us how to use some other things on the computers," said one of the first pupils to experience the new labs.