How a computer lab on wheels is changing the way kids learn in the African Bush
Project Luangwa has been a longtime friend and partner of the Africa Hope Fund, with its focus on helping schools and projects within the Luangwa valley of Zambia. The organization’s latest venture is a pilot program that was launched in January, called Digitruck – a mobile computer classroom.
Ian Macallan, Project Luangwa’s CEO, has plans to bring an alternative learning environment to the local schools of the Luangwa Valley. Too often classrooms in Zambia lack resources and are overcrowded (a single classroom could have up to 80 students in it!). This, paired with the shift of many schools and universities to an online learning platform, has caused an increase in disadvantaged areas like the Luangwa valley.
“Digitruck benefits from the ability to track and analyze learner progress in almost real time,” Ian said. “Between the monitoring and evaluation tools built into the Mwabu software, and the direct involvement of our teacher coaches, we can track progress in a way that cannot be done through traditional teaching methods. Digitruck provides the flexibility for children to learn in or outside the classroom, to hook up to projector screens for large class learning, or to individually work through tasks using their own tablet.” Ian
Currently this program is being piloted at the Chiwawatala Primary School, with the plan to expand to other local schools, ultimately reaching over 2,000 students! This is especially exciting for The Africa Hope Fund because one of the schools on the list, Uyoba School, was the first school we supported and built classrooms for 10 years ago. It is also home to the location of our first library.
We live in a digital age, and we firmly believe that this new way of learning will only help engagement and school attendance, in addition to better equipping students for the challenges they face in this era.
The current cost is about $65,000 to get this project up and running, including construction costs, solar panels, projectors, tablets and more. Be a part of an important movement to help educate children in rural Africa who live miles from a school.
The Africa Hope Fund will MATCH up to the first $10,000 donated!
