Dignitas, a non-governmental organisation that works to provide access to education in urban slums and Safaricom Foundation have donated tablets and free access to e-learning tools to students from over one thousand households in Kawangware and Dandora.
Dignitas, Executive Director, Deborah Kimanthi, said many children rely on school for protection and well-being as well as learning, therefore the partnership is timely during the ongoing pandemic.
“We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive and succeed. However, our support to children in this season will protect their well-being and promote learning at home so that all children can reach their potential,” Kimanthi said.
The project involves provision of tablets to student leaders and teachers from the two informal settlements who will use the devices to relay education content to other students both via SMS and through online platforms.
The current COVID-19 crisis has disrupted day-to-day learning which has unfortunately left some students behind; especially those who cannot afford smart phones or tablets for online learning.
“We are trying to bridge this divide not only through philanthropy like we are doing here today but also through products such as Shupavu 291 which is in partnership with Eneza and allows for access to learning and revision content via text messages and USSD,” said Joseph Ogutu, chairman, Safaricom Foundation.
Last month Safaricom partnered with Eneza Education, Longhorn Publishers and Viusasa Elimu to provide free access to educational content for primary and secondary school students studying from home.
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The partnership with Eneza Education allows students from grade 4 to form 4 access learning and revision content on the SMS-based Shupavu291 free of charge following a 60-day waiver of the daily KES 3 subscription fee. The platform can be accessed via USSD *291# or the short code 20851.
Learners with internet access can also access education content on Shupavu Web, Viusasa Elimu and the Longhorn E-learning portals through a free education bundle available on *544#
