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DONATE
As a local NGO we need your donation in order to provide high quality IT lessons to our learners in the awarenet programme. Support us!
TEACH
You are a teacher and want to offer your learners high quality IT lessons? Be part of the movement and join our professional network.
LEARN
Access to knowledge, creative projects, IT and Internet skills and improved employment chances. There are many reasons to join awarenet.
VOLUNTEER
You would like to get involved? Welcome on board! Find out how you can join our awarenet team and the weltwärts community.
About us
Awarenet is a learning program using the power of technology to enhance knowledge and educational outcomes. Situated in a disadvantaged area in Makhanda, South Africa, the program gives school learners and community members who have little access to information and communications technology (ICT) in their home and school environments the opportunity to develop their knowledge through the use of innovative technology. The projects in the program include robotics classes where school learners learn the principles of coding by having fun programming robots. Awarenet also offers mathematics classes blending offline and online teaching with the use of trained tutors and an interactive online platform; sparking the interest of learners in maths. Furthermore, we offer groups of learners weekly educational support throughout their five-year high school career after school in a variety of subjects with the use of tablets, computers and a variety of online tools. Awarenet also provides SD-cards to school learners and their families with 64 GB of curated, age appropriate educational resources such as learning videos on every subject on the South African curriculum, e-books and audio-books and previous exam papers. It also helps schools directly by helping revitalise, maintain and supervise school computer labs.
The Awarenet Open Lab is a project that gives all community members free access to the two computer labs at the Joza Youth Hub. The philosophy of the Open Lab is that you can “learn by doing” – we therefore encourage community members to learn about computers and the internet by exploring these on their own pace according to their own needs. Around 90% of the users of the Open Lab are school learners who frequently do school projects and homework in the labs. If space is available they are also allowed to play games and use social media as children with little access to ICT at home and school also become computer literate through such playful use. Adults who use the Open Lab often use if for job and university applications. The Open Lab is monitored by trained supervisors.
The robotics and coding program gives learners from disadvantaged schools a head start in the future-orientated field of coding. The learners are taught to program the advanced moves of LEGO robots on laptops. The robots are then run on an obstacle course; making it into a fun and educational game that trigger the early interest of learners in coding. Our learners also take part in national and local competitions such as the World Robot Olympiad.
OUR TEAM
Kjetil Torp
Zintle Vambe
Thanduxolo Royi
Martin Zabel
Kela Iheanetu
Latifa Abdoulahi
Simphiwe Gwaza
Richard Were
Clement Simuja
IT and Educational Advisor
Rod Amner
Chairperson
Dr Sarah Hanton
Educational Advisor
Craig Renaud
Legals, Treasurer
Ronald Wertlen
German Partner
DR ANNA WERTLEN
German Partner