2023 Phase 1 Underway [2023-05-12]

It’s been a huge flurry of activity these last few weeks.  Reneal Team Tanzania completed the last 2022 Phase 2 projects, installed a new computer lab at Irkisale Secondary School in Monduli District and expanding the existing lab at Namanga Secondary School in Longido.  And almost simultaneously, the boxes for 2023 Phase 1 were sent on their way to Tanzania!  Thanks so much to Apto Solutions for continuing to support the students in Tanzania with generous donations of computer equipment.  The latest shipment will be used to install new computer labs in ten additional government secondary schools!

This week Reneal met virtually with Dr. Tanya Pergola and Natallia Clancy of Terrawatu to discuss opportunities to partner.  Terrawatu (terrawatu.org) has a broad range of projects in Tanzania, overlapping Reneal in their passion for education and ICT.  The 2023 Phase 1 computer lab installation at Moshono Secondary School in Arusha will be a joint project between our organizations, and we look forward for other areas in which to partner.

Neal has continued exploring the system developed by Teacher-in-a-Box (TIB), an Australian NGO.  We were excited to receive a donation of small desktop computers from Apto Solutions that can be used as TIB servers.  We hope to deploy these systems in some secondary schools in Tanzania in September as a pilot project.  The TIB server is connected to a wireless device, so teachers can access the extensive collection of on-board educational content by phone or tablet.

Reneal Team Tanzania has continued to work with the JRI Institute of Technology in Arusha to develop training for the Reneal computer teachers.  This effort has finally kicked off, and we look forward to refining and rolling out this training to other schools in the coming months.

Reneal Country David Nyangaka is already turning his attention to the 2023 Phase 2 projects.  It is a big task to identify and evaluate candidate schools and then to assist the selected schools with preparing a computer room.  Here in the US, we are starting to acquire the server hardware for these projects.  A million thanks to our major donors Apto Solutions and Network the World, along with many individual donors who make Reneal’s work possible!

[Photos: End of 2022 Phase 2 and beginning of 2023 Phase 1!  Juma Ramadhani finishing the computer lab installation at Irkisale Secondary School in Monduli, and turnover of computer equipment for Bihawana Secondary School to Dodoma officials by Country Director David Nyangaka]