On 2nd June 2017, a ceremony was held at the Runda Technical Secondary School in Kigali, Rwanda for the donation of 50 computers to Rwanda Workforce Development Authority (WDA) by the South South Education Foundation (SSEF) and its sister organization, the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation (FCSSC). Among the participants were members of the Parliament of Rwanda，officials of the WDA as well as teachers and students of the beneficiary schools.
This was the result of an agreement reached in 2016 between SSEF and WDA regarding the donation of computers through the “One Laptop, One Dream” project. WDA subsequently selected two schools, the Runda TSS in Kamonyi district and the Bushoki VTC in Rulindo district, as the beneficiaries and each school received 25 computers.
“One Laptop, One Dream” is one of the main charity projects of SSEF. In a belief that “education catalyzes positive changes worldwide and the improvement rests upon our interaction and exchange”, SSEF is devoted to cooperation with the global South to understand their demand for education and help them achieve sustainable development through transforming challenges and concerns to high quality educational programs, innovative solutions and real opportunities. The Foundation has been attaching importance to school infrastructure, education quality, elite exchange, talent training and application of IT technology in education. The “One Laptop, One Dream” project aims to empower students in the global South to live their dreams with internet and IT technology through donation of computers and thus narrow the technology gap between developing and developed countries. Up until now, this project has been implemented in Nepal, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Hungary and Rwanda and is going to benefit countries like Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Sierra Leone and Serbia.
During the ceremony, Hon. Tengera Francesca, a Member of Parliament in Rwanda and the guest of honor of the ceremony, expressed her gratitude for the support given to WDA by SSEF, and particularly thanked Ms. Suzan Zhao, the SSEF representative and the key person in this initiative, for her efforts in organizing the donation. She noted that the computers received by the students would help them acquire technological and IT skills as they pursue their training and research work.
Mme Anne ABAKUNZI, the Deputy Director General in charge of Corporate Services of the WDA, thanked SSEF for donating the computers through the “One Laptop, One Dream” project. She commented that the Rwandan government has initiated a policy where each school must have a smart classroom. These computers are a boost to the smart classroom policy.
The two School Managers both expressed their gratitude for the computers received and thanked the SSEF as the donating organization and also thanked WDA for having chosen their schools among the many schools to benefit from this program. They promised to make sure the computers are well utilized and that the students truly benefit from using them. The donation ceremony came to a close with a performance of local cultural dances by students of Runda TSS.
