TANZANIA / EAST-AFRICA
RPi Computer Program
- Peter Morrin
Dear Friends,
I am writing this from our kitchen table in sunny Tuscany. It has been 50 years since I've been in Italy, and I am enjoying many new experiences. They will perhaps be a story for a future article.
The past two weeks have been very busy for the club's International Services committee with an internal meeting on Sept 9 and the all-Kingston clubs (JIPC) meeting on the 16th. As part of my commitment to sharing more of what we do overseas, please find this summary of our projects in East Africa for 2025-26.
The RPi computer program is again our most significant investment in East Africa this year. We are focusing on training the teachers/ mentors from all 7 schools/organizations to whom we supplied RPi computers and hardware in previous years. Like all computer platforms, learning is really a self-teaching exercise, but a little bit of coaching helps smooth the bumps.
Headmaster & computer teachers of Ruicho Secondary School, Kagera, TZ
We will host a week-long training session at Tegemeo Primary School, Kagera (northern Tanzania, west of Lake Victoria, just south of the Ugandan border). This location was chosen for its facilities and proximity to the other Kagera school, Ruicho Secondary. The Kagera schools were the last to get the RPi hardware, hence have the greatest need for one-on-one training. We are bringing our 3 champions from Agnes Zabali Boys and Girls Club (AZBGC) in Kamengo, Uganda. It is a full days journey by bus and the first time any of the boys have been out of the country. To say they are excited would be an understatement.
Also joining us will be my friend Francis Ngowi who I met 10 years ago when he ran a welding Vocational Training Centre. Francis now heads up the Mara region of the Tanzanian Chamber of Commerce who promote business opportunities for small and medium size businesses in Tanzania. As in most countries around the world, this is the sector that is most likely to provide employment for youth, a chronic problem in the developing world.
Francis’ son is enrolled in computer science at the University of Dar es Salem and, if available, may join his father for the training session. We have another computer science student who is assisting tutoring at Trinity Academy while he awaits his university entrance confirmation. Extending the RPi platform to University Computer Science students is one of the natural progressions of this program to ensure its long-term impact.
Hussein Mbaga and I will travel from Moshi. Hussein is our local computer guru and is indispensable to our program. He will lead the technical sessions and provide individual tutoring.
Hussein & Darko developing the RPi server, Trinity School, Boma, TZ
Hussein developed our RPi server which allows us to provide off-line internet content to the RPi work stations or to anyone with a smart phone, without requiring them to use data. This is a huge advantage as none of the students and many of the teachers cannot afford the data costs. With the support of the Kingston Club, we will provide a server at each of the Kagera schools and upgrade the servers at AZBGC and Trinity Academy.
We will be providing a modified version of the Kagera training to our partners in the Kilimanjaro (Moshi-Boma) area. These are represented by Trinity Academy, Bright Future School (where Ilet attends) and Nuru Academy. We will have a strong representation from students and teachers at Trinity Academy since their RPi program was the focus of last year’s project. We are working on multiple one-day events which can be extended into the new year if additional funds are available.
The RPi seminars are supported by the club with a $3,500 allocation combined with a $1,000 contribution from the Kingston Club. We would like to provide an additional 12 workstations ($300 ea.) for our partner schools and are looking for funding from other clubs or individual members.
Our club has been awarded the Bronze Award for its sustained dedication to environmental issues.
