"We are empowering
people to link
to the world and learn
about conservation"
J
ames Mithamo normally isn't
called upon to implement
an AWF project in the field. But
this was an exception, and late
2011 found AWF's director of
IT spending a lot of time in rural
northern Tanzania.
In early 2012, thanks to the efforts
of Mithamo and the Maasai Steppe
Heartland team, as well as the
funding support of Annenberg
Foundation, AWF unveiled a brand-
new computer lab at Manyara
Ranch Primary School. The school
is located in the Manyara Ranch
Conservancy, which helps protect a
critical wildlife corridor connecting
Lake Manyara and Tarangire
National Parks.
The state-of-the-art facility, which
features 40 new HP 500 desktop
computers with Internet capability,
is a rarity for Tanzania. "Everyone
is looking at this as a model for the
future of schools," Mithamo said.
"There is a lot of excitement for the
community, teachers, and students."
Indeed, interest in the computer
lab has come from far and wide,
according to Maasai Steppe
Heartland Director John Salehe.
"Teachers from other schools have
asked to come and study with
the teachers here in the evenings,
workers from Manyara Ranch
have been attending training
lessons, and villagers have been
asking about the possibility for
them to attend lessons on the
computers," he related. An IT
assistant provides on-site support.
While there have been some
hiccups--ensuring continual
electricity to the school was an
early challenge, and until recently
there was a shortage of paper,
which limited the printing of
exams and student assignments--
teachers and students have
moved forward with using the
technology. "Students have shown
an interest in being able to write
letters, stories, or songs, using the
computers," Salehe said. "There
have also been some teaching
games, whereby the students are
increasing their typing speed."
Next up: a Manyara Ranch
Primary School blog.
Greater potential
For AWF, supporting the school
incentivizes the community to
conserve the corridor for wildlife.
But Mithamo sees even greater
potential. "Information is power;
knowledge is power," he said.
"We are empowering people who
live in a remote location to link to
the world and learn about wildlife
and conservation."
This potential is not lost on the
students of Manyara Ranch
School. When the lab was opened,
one wisely predicted, "We will ...
discover the world."
Access to technoLoGy AnD the WorLD
p
AWF has trained both teachers (pictured here) and students so they can
adequately use the IT lab at Manyara Ranch Primary School--a rarity in Tanzania.
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