Education Projects
Educational projects that Vodacom Foundation funded:
Jabavu Library
Vodacom Foundation, the City of Johannesburg and the Department of Public Works have formed a partnership to create Jabavu Library. The state-of-the-art library will be the largest in Soweto and, in addition to reading material, will house a coffee shop, business corner, bookshop, music section, and computer with internet access.
Cangci Comprehensive High School
Vodacom Foundation has invested more than R12 million in the Cangci Comprehensive Technical High School at Bizana in the Eastern Cape, and an associated pre-primary school and clinic. The Foundation also invested in an educator and management development programme for the school that has resulted in significant improvements in the annual matric pass rate.
Kwadedangendlala School
When vandals broke into the Kwadedangendlale High School in Zola North, Soweto, in August 2006, the damage they caused to five classrooms severely disrupted learning at the school. Floors, ceilings, windows, lights and desks were damaged. Vodacom Foundation responded to the call for help, and the classrooms were repaired in time for end-of-year examinations.
Fort Hare Multi-Media Centre
Vodacom Foundation donated a multi-media centre to one of the most prestigious universities in Africa, the University of Fort Hare (UFH) in the Eastern Cape. The state-of-the-art computer centre will empower university students to compete in an economy dominated by information technology. The Vodacom Multimedia Centre is based in the Department of Communication, and consists of 30 computers, a server with backup drive, a data projector, a network printer and scanner and a 24-port ethernet switch hub. The value of the donation is R386 000. Some 300 undergraduate students, 12 honours' and 4 masters' students studying through the Department of Communication will benefit immediately from access to the new equipment and, through it, to the world of information technology. The centre will also allow the University to offer IT facilities to its broader 7000-strong student community.
E-Learning and Resource Centres
As part of the Digital Partnership SA initiative, Vodacom established 18 e-learning and resource centres (2 in each province) by providing 30 recycled computers for each facility to help students and communities become computer literate.
3G USO Roll-out
In terms of Vodacom's 3G licence obligations, the company is required to provide 3G wireless connectivity to 5 000 schools in under-serviced areas and 140 special schools over an 8 year period. Vodacom believes that the mere provision of connectivity does not guarantee access to IT. The Vodacom Foundation has therefore funded a project to provide computers, networking, software and training to schools that have been provided with wireless connectivity. To date, schools in Gauteng, KZN, Limpopo, North West, Eastern Cape, and Free State have been equipped.
Yebo Millionaires computer centres
Vodacom's Yebo Millionaires is a game show for Vodacom's customers to reward them for their loyalty. Customers receive two free SMS's per week with which to enter the game by SMSing their 9 lucky letters to 32082. As part of its commitment to the community, Yebo Millionaires and Vodacom Foundation donate 4 computer centres (each consisting of 10 computers, a server and a printer) to public schools during the show's TV screening on the 1st Tuesday of every month. 64 computer centres had been donated at the start of 2008.
CEO Student Bursaries
Vodacom has provided bursaries for the top 3 matriculants through its CEO Scholarship Awards. These prestigious awards, the first of their kind in the country, were inaugurated in 2006. The 2008 recipients - from Pretoria, Potchefstroom and Stellenbosch - are studying Electronic Engineering at the University of North West, medicine at the University of Stellenbosch, and BSc Computer Science at the University of Pretoria respectively they bring the total number of CEO Scholarship Award students currently studying (as at 2008) to 9.
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