Orange Botswana targets 100 schools by 2024

Orange Botswana through the Orange Foundation continues to show its commitment to closing the digital divide by donating to Moreomaoto Primary School in the Northwest District.

Through its CSR arm, the Orange Foundation aims to bridge the existing digital divide in remote communities by championing innovation and investment.

Kickstarting it’s 2023 roll-out, Moremaoto was the 60th primary school to benefit from Orange Foundation’s digital school programme by receiving ICT equipment worth P100,000.

The digital equipment donated will be used to assist the learners of Moreomoato Primary school in their studies, giving them access to the opportunities and educational enrichment available through digital technology. The donation will furthermore help facilitate the operations of the school, providing a much-needed enhancement to the existing ICT equipment used by the school.

Speaking at the official handover, Legal and Corporate Affair’s Director, Lepata Mafa indicate that Orange Botswana recognizes the importance of education for all citizens of Botswana. The telco company has aligned all effort to promote quality education with the vision 2036 that emphasizes education and skills as a basis for human resource development.

“We are determined to play our part as a responsible corporate in transforming and shaping the future through various initiatives that promote education. The Digital schools programme is our effort to ensure that children have access to quality education with the integration of ICTs in learning. The programme addresses issues of digital inclusion by leveraging technology to improve access to education,” she said.

The donation made to Moremaoto Primary School included but was not restricted to; 50 Tablets, 2 Raspberry web servers loaded with content, 50 Headphones , Projector and 1 Projector screen, 1 Laptop and a printer.

The Orange Foundation additionally donated an additional 5 laptops, and 4 printers to be used in various sectors of the Boteti West Cconstituency. The laptops and printers are to be shared with the various empowerment partners, operating as NGOs in the area. The NGOs currently implementing an array of developmental interventions throughout the Boteti West Constituency.

Receiving the donation at a ceremony held at Moremaoato Primary School, His Honour, Vice-President and Member of Parliament for Boteti West, Slumber Tsogwane, said,” I would like to thank Orange Botswana and the Orange Foundation for their generous donation towards the young minds and futures of Boteti-West and Botswana. I believe that the ICT/digital equipment handed over today will go a long way in improving the services of Moremaoto Primary School and richly enhance the educational experience of the school’s learners. Furthermore, I am excited about the opportunities that will be availed to the learners as they step into a more digitally inclusive world.”

Launched in 2018, the Digital School Programme’s mission is to implement and integrate ICT in education and champion the issues of digital inclusion. Orange Digital Schools Programme prioritizes the implementation and integration of ICT in education while addressing issues of digital equality and solidify the mission of investing in the youth, the programme has seen 30, 000 students benefiting from deployed schools, with 509 teachers trained in using digital kits as a mode of teaching.

Moremaoto Primary is the 60th school to receive donations as part of this nationwide initiative. The school continues to perform well in the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE), and consistently works to ensure children learn vital life lessons both inside and outside the classroom. Moremaoto Primary boasts excellent academics, leadership, sports, and culture.

A total of 30 000 number of students have benefitted from the digital school’s programme. 590 teachers have been trained in using digital kits as a mode of teaching. Orange Botswana anticipates 86 number of schools to benefit from the programme in the year 2023 alone and are eager to keep extending the numbers.

The Orange Foundation looks forward to growing the Digital Schools Programme even further, expanding it beyond secondary education and truly living up to our aim of providing access to education for all. We strive to provide Batswana across all ages with innovative and relevant solutions and bring them even closer to better opportunities, both locally and internationally.