Connect for Change Trust calls on customers to support digital transformation at rural Butterworth school

JOHANNESBURG – The Connect for Change Trust, in partnership with Vodacom Foundation, is transforming Tanga Senior Secondary School in deep rural Butterworth into a centre of digital excellence. Following successful completion of phase one, the Trust is now calling on Vodacom customers to help complete this life-changing project. 

Through the Connect for Change Trust's Digital Education pillar, which focuses on transforming quintile 1 schools into safe, digitally-enabled learning environments, phase one has delivered significant infrastructure improvements. The Trust, in partnership with Vodacom Foundation, invested over R300,000 to refurbish a classroom into a computer lab, decommission pit latrines and replace them with proper ablution facilities, and install essential security infrastructure. 

Phase two will equip the newly refurbished computer lab with devices that give learners access to information, digital literacy skills, and the tools needed to achieve better educational outcomes. This phase requires R320,000, and the Trust is inviting Vodacom customers to contribute between R2 and R50 to help complete this transformation. 

"At Vodacom Foundation, we believe digital technologies are essential to addressing education inequality in South Africa. The work at Tanga Senior Secondary School demonstrates what's possible when we invest in infrastructure that enables learning. We're calling on our customers to join us in this effort. Every contribution through Connect for Change helps us build a more inclusive digital future for the country's youth," says Buhle Vilakazi, Trustee of the Connect for Change Board. 

Inspired by Vodacom's purpose to "Connect for a better future," the Connect for Change Trust was established in 2020 as a customer donation platform supporting three pillars: humanitarian and welfare efforts, quality digital education, and healthcare for underprivileged children. The platform enables Vodacom customers to become partners in creating an inclusive digital society. 

To date, the Trust has enabled the provision of 202,795 meals to more than 1,360 vulnerable children through its partnership with the Lunchbox Fund, which helps food-insecure children access the education they need to build a life free from poverty. 

Customers can donate between R2 and R50 through multiple channels: via the VodaPay app (My Account > Connect for Change), by dialling *111# and selecting Connect4Change, at any Vodacom store, or online. Every contribution helps build a more inclusive digital future for South Africa's youth.