Link launch Solar Connect in South Africa.
Date: October 2010
Location: Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Location: Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Our Development Officer Natalia Battistini recently visited the Eastern Cape of South Africa to assist our team there to launch our exciting new project, Solar Connect. Solar Connect takes solar power, computers, and internet access to rural African schools and provides the training necessary to use this equipment.
Over the course of two weeks, eight schools and the Qumbu District Education Office were installed with solar power. Link staff provided training for 30 teachers and education staff introducing the issues of climate change and solar energy as well as computer use and internet.
The project provides the school with a sustainable electricity source and assists the teachers in communicating with their peers, district education office, local Link staff and introduces a new channel of communication between them and their UK based partner schools.
The teachers were extremely excited about the project and keen to set up a school email address so they could start communicating with others straight away. The Link team visited each school after the installations and held a meeting to introduce the project to the whole school community and discuss the responsibilities of the equipment. Watch this video to hear more about this trip;
Solar Connect from LCD International on Vimeo.
‘We have learnt so much from this training. It is very interesting to know how climate change is affecting our environment and we can now do more research on this using this internet. We are excited to have Solar energy providing us with electricity and we will make sure our community supports this project by keeping the equipment safe. Our school is going to really benefit from this and we can now communicate with so many people.’
Temba Siqhola Albert Ludidi JSS
For more information about installing Solar Connect in a rural school please contact natalia@lcd.org.uk
