Corporate partners

Digital Links runs on a social enterprise model, recouping most of the costs for processing and redistribution from computer recipients, however, we recognise that some people cannot afford even nominal costs, and therefore we work to ensure that even the very poorest can have access to technology.

Through partnerships with companies such as Cadbury’s, BUPA and Barclays, Digital Links can provide fully funded PCs to transform education and health delivery in some of the world’s most disadvantaged communities.

‘ICT in Education in East Africa’ is a 3 year project funded by Barclays’ Bank to scale up existing school computerisation programs in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania into sustainable national programs.

It was understood that a dramatic increase in scale will be achieved only by making affordable refurbished computers available and building a sustainable business model for distribution partners in each country. Funding was needed to cover part of the costs of sourcing and shipping computers. However, if the process were solely dependent on external donor funding it would have limited scope for growth and sustainability. The model thus includes a mechanism of cost recovery which offsets part of the costs of refurbishment, shipping, handling and distribution. Whilst our distribution partners have a high degree of technical, training and organisational competence, they do need considerable help in establishing sustainable business models.

The Barclays project has exceeded expected targets thanks to DL’s sound business practices. 6,600 youth were reached within two years, almost 40% more than the agreed goal. In its final year, this project promises to be a great success benefiting Digital Links distribution partners, governments, schools. The impacts of this project are significant with sustainable school computerisation programmes developed and deployed in 3 countries, over 10,800 computers installed in 540 schools and allowing over a quarter million young people their first access to IT. Additionally the project allows for the training of over 1,000 teachers in ICT skills and hardware maintenance, facilitate the provision of free or low cost Microsoft software with a value of around £1 million and train several hundred young people in IT hardware maintenance and repair.

‘Ghana’s Teacher Training Colleges- ICT Facilities and Training’ is a 3 year project funded by The Cadbury Foundation to provide ICT facilities and training to 9 teacher training colleges across Ghana with a full-time formal training suite and a student lab in each.

Given that only 12 of Ghana’s 38 Teacher Training Colleges have access to computers, the remaining 26 colleges have to learn the principles of ICT use and potential benefits through textbook based lessons and theory, hampering the development and integration of teachers and children in to the global economy. Therefore, in partnership with ICT NGO Ghana, Digital Links has undertaken to equip and train 9 of the remaining 26 teacher training colleges with the IT hardware and training necessary to join the modern marketplace and workforce.

Over the course of the first year ICT NGO has upgraded the electrical works, renovated tables and chairs, decorated the laboratory and installed new PCs in 3 colleges: Government Training College, St Francis Training College and St Theresa’s Training College. DL has now prepared and shipped the next wave of PCs for installation in 3 additional colleges. It is expected that the targets will continue to be met and by the end of the project all 9 colleges will be fully equipped with teacher training underway.

The impacts of this project are significant with 1,200 computers deployed into 26 Teacher Training colleges across Ghana. By building computer centres in colleges for training and practice, Cadbury’s and Digital Links will give over 11,700 trainee teachers access to computers, developing their skills to offer ICT training in schools, provide experienced trainers at each college to deliver training to students, encourage the use of multimedia by new teachers, in particular to support the teaching of Maths and Science and initiate change in teaching styles from a “chalk and talk” approach to interactive knowledge-based learning.

‘Computers for Healthcare in Moldova’ is a 3 year project funded by BUPA to cover refurbishment and shipping of 1,050 full systems to hospitals, medical organisations, orphanages and schools in Moldova.

Moldova is Europe’s poorest country and many medical institutions suffer from a serious lack of personal computers. Computers are invaluable in healthcare, providing a means to streamline administration, and access up-to-date information. In orphanages and schools they help to give underprivileged children access to a vast array of educational software, as well as the skills needed to find work.

In the first year DL have refurbished 800 PCs and deployed them to Moldova in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The Ministry had identified the key areas including primary health clinics, hospitals, laboratories, preventative medicine, medical schools and the medical university. Funding has been received for years 2 & 3 and an additional 1050 PCs will be supplied to 34 Moldovan schools, orphanages, hospitals and clinics.

‘End-of-Life Recycling Project- Kenya’ is a pilot project sponsored by Cooperative Financial Services and offering an interim solution to e-waste in Africa by developing a closed-loop system to return end of life PC components to the UK for proper recycling. Under this scheme, 2000 PCs have been mechanically shredded and sorted with up to 90 % of the non-reusable components returned to the manufacturing chain in the UK, limiting landfill. Going forward DL hopes to work with private and foreign investors in Africa and Europe as well as UK-based environmental disposal experts to develop a sustainable and profitable recycling solution in West Africa.

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