A small gift can go a long way!

Over the summer OBV donated five computers to community projects that aim to empower, educate and better their communities.

The first two computers went to Brightstart, an after-school club founded by two sisters from Lewisham; Tamika Murray and Toyah Holness.

They work together to provide after-school care for children in the area who do not have the money or the best access to services.

Having searched for after-school places for their own children, Murray and Holness have firsthand experience of how difficult this can be.  Holness said:

There just aren’t the spaces and a lot of the clubs we went to were overcapacity.”

But in an innovative move, with support from OBV, the sisters have started their own venture.

We’ve started the Brightstart Out of School Club that we hope will offer many services like providing food, a place for children to do their homework and also to offer jobs to local people. It’s really to offer access to services for the types of children that wouldn’t normally get them.”

A total of 35-40 spaces will be available at Brightstart which will be based in Hither Green, Lewisham. Although the club is currently running, Murray accepts any additional funding would be welcome. She added:

We’re still looking for more funding because we want to do more things. We always speak about the types of things we aim to do and the main idea is to be as inclusive as possible and offer new opportunities.”

The third computer was donated to Elevate Learning. Founded by Paulette Williams and Serene Yeboah-Jackson, the organisation seeks to provide educational activities to improve attainment, develop social capital and inspire young people between the ages of 5 to 16. Both women believe in the work they are doing and hope they can go on achieve bigger things. Williams said:

We've recently expanded our remit to North London and will continue to offer our services in other areas in the UK. We'll be developing our Youth Leadership Programme, growing our team and working with more young people. Long term, we hope that Elevate Learning will deliver internationally recognised projects that help young people all over the world".

Both Williams and Yeboah-Jackson have experience in this type of work. Paulette volunteered on several youth projects which sparked her interest in working to support young people. Serene, having completed a degree in Education & Community Studies, felt as though this was a progressive move forward:

We both have experience in the education, youth and voluntary sectors. We saw a need for out-of-school activities in Thurrock that were easily accessible, fun and add value to the education of young people".

With an ever-expanding organisation, Elevate Learning will continue to help London's youth for a long time.

The fourth computer and printers were given to former OBV intern Alex Boadi, who has set up a computer school in Accra, Ghana. The aim of the computer school is to increase computer literacy and usage among the people of Ghana.

Statistics show that computer usage in Africa is lagging behind the rest of the world. According to 2013 estimates, around 15% of the African population has internet access, compared to 78% of North Americans. Although Africans account for 15% of the world’s population, only 6% of the world’s internet subscribers are African.

Boadi, who worked for OBV in 2012, has just completed his Masters in Real Estate Development and Investment and has recently moved back to Ghana to manage the school.

The school scheduled to open in September, will begin with 30 students. And will be open to both adults and youth in Accra. Boadi aims to equip the young students of his school with basic computer skills and to familiarize them with Microsoft Office and other general software packages.

Boadi hopes that his school will,

Give adults the opportunity to gain more skills as it will enhance their job opportunities not only in Ghana but possibly abroad as well."

With the current labour market and economic climate, basic computer literacy is becoming more of a necessity in being able to compete in the employment arena, and so Boadi’s initiative is welcomed by many.

The fifth computer goes to Olivia Joseph-Aluko for personal use. Joseph-Auko is a case worker for a law firm in London that deals in family law, immigration and mental health.

She is passionate about justice and equality for all, and has dedicated her career to ensuring ethnic minorities are treated fairly in society.

Rafiq Maricar, OBV’s IT Manager had this to say:

Over many years, OBV has donated refurbished computers, benefiting community projects as well individuals. This year we’re delighted to see our computers and IT equipment go to great causes and make a difference. By donating we also promote IT reuse, which contributes to greener environment”

We wish Tamika Murray and Toyah Holness, Paulette Williams, Alex Boadi, and Oliva J-Aluko all the best with their endeavors.

Written by Adam Charles and Kei-Retta Farrell