Tanzania, Komolo, Simanjiro: Komolo community | E.ON Off Grid Solutions | Rafiki Power

When Rafiki Power first connected Komolo Primary School, due to limited financial capacity and lack of electrical appliances, the school only connected the administration office. As a public school, Komolo Primary School provides education for free. Parents do not pay tuition, but instead contribute to porridges and stationaries when they are able to. Under this tight financial condition, classrooms were not lit and there were no computers, printing machines, etc.

Although limited in resources, Komolo Primary School is the educational centre of two communities around this sparsely populated area. The headmaster contacted Rafiki Power and expressed that although resources were limited, the school was ready to increase its budget on energy, to provide better education. So in early 2017, Rafiki Power and Labdoo set up a partnership, to address the headmaster's concern. Rafiki Power contributed its operational trips and brought 20 Labdoo laptops from Germany to Komolo in Tanzania without any additional transportation cost.

However, there were other challenges faced by Komolo Primary School to add computer training to the curriculum. First of all, the classrooms had no electricity outlets. Secondly, not all of the teachers were trained with computer skills. With financial support from E.ON Unterwegs, Rafiki Power was able to complete the wiring of the school and to offer trainings for teachers. Rafiki Power also designed a social tariff that better serves the financial situation of social institutions in the village, and will allow for the school to use electricity for the next three years.

With the joint efforts of the school leadership, teachers, E.ON Unterwegs, Labdoo and Rafiki Power, by the end of December 2017, computers were successfully delivered to Komolo Primary School. Wiring has been properly done in every classroom and the school immediately set up a computer lab. By early January, Abdi Shabaan, a Tanzanian computer expert with Labdoo software experience travelled to Komolo and conducted a 6-day training workshop with the teachers.

Right now, students from age 12 to age 14 enjoy one computer class every week in Komolo Primary School. The headmaster is excited about the change brought about by electricity access, and is gathering funds to equip the school with a printing machine and preparing to improve curriculum so as to provide computer classes to younger students.
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