PHASE 2 APRIL 2008
Computers from the UK for Schools and NGOs.
Click here to watch the project on you tube
An official handing over ceremony took place on Friday 11th April 2008
at St Martin’s Secondary School at 11.00am. Mr Steve Hyacinth Chief Education Officer was in attendance.
Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge, The Sustainable Living Initiative Centre, NS Optimum, and Lifeline Ministries, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of The Commonwealth of Dominica, are pleased to welcome a donation of 250 computers for schools and NGOs from NS Optimum and six schools in the UK.
These computers are being installed by NS Optimum technicians this week and next in the following schools in Dominica:
- Grand Fond Primary School
- Convent Prep
- Orion Academy
- St Mary’s Primary
- St Joseph SDA
- Grand Bay Primary School
- WS Stevens Primary
- Wesley Primary School
- Sineku Primary School
- St Martin’s Secondary School
- Isaiah Thomas Secondary School
- Dominica Grammar School
- Pierre Charles Secondary
Several community organisations and NGOs will also benefit including
Escalier Motivators
Committee of Concerned Women
Rhema Centre
Adult Education
The Special Olympics Committee
Life Goes On
PACIS
The Grotto
Dominica EcoTourism Association
This is the second donation of reconditioned computers sourced by Rosalie Forest eco Lodge and The Sustainable Living Initiative Centre to resource schools and other community based organisations in Dominica.
These computers have been donated by:
- Bromsgrove school,
- Uppingham School,
- Sharples School in Bolton,
- St Josephs school in Horwich,
- Idsall School in Shropshire and
- Richmond County High School in Lincolnshire.
Geest Shipping who gave a generous discount transported them.
The AID bank has also donated 70 used monitors.
Various other companies who wish to remain anonymous.
In the past, donated computers have presented a problem as the Ministry of Education lacks the technicians, spare parts and infrastructure to accommodate and maintain the hardware.
Hence, SLIC’s Partnering Agency in the UK, NS Optimum, provided the technical assistance needed to train indigenous technicians at the sites together with the technicians from the Ministry of Education. NS Optimum have also donated the spare parts needed and paid for the freight to Dominica and have recently established NS Optimum Caribbean Ltd. to enable them to offer an enhanced support service. The Ministry of Education have identified sites to receive computers and have provided transportation and two of their staff to oversee operations. Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge and Home from Home are providing accommodation and SLIC is providing meals and administrative support.
This project will result in a total over 400 computers installed in schools and NGOs. This is a second set of computers, the first set which were installed with help in 2007 from the British High Commission are still in good working order in secondary schools maintained by the Ministry of Education and school technicians. It is hoped that this can become an annual project helping British Schools to comply with recycling regulations and giving Dominican children greater access to computers.
The Sustainable Living Initiative is a Dominican NGO dedicated to keeping Dominica Green and Beautiful by educating people about Alternative Energy, Organic Farming and Recycling.
Information about joining SLIC, taking part in Alternative Energy workshops, accessing the revolving loan funds for alternative energy installations or recycling your old computer can all be had from Lifeline Ministries who take care of SLIC’s administration.
Contact: Mrs Tina Alexander lifeline@cwdom.dm +1 767 4498593 / 2358367
OR Jem Winston jem@rosalieforest.com +1 767 4461886 / 2751886
Or Gavin Rose gavin@nsoptimum.co.uk
www.nsoptimum.co.uk
To read a blog by one of the uk technicians, Mark Allan, click here
This was also the time for the announcement of the launch of
SLICs Recycling Programme…….
We can take away your old computers and squashed aluminium cans……Just call us on 4498593 or e mail lifeline@cwdom.dm The Smith Foundation has agreed to make a donation to charity from the proceeds it makes from exporting the constituent parts.
PHASE 1 - MARCH 2007
The mission : To transport, re-cycle and re-install Computer Systems from Bromsgrove School in the United Kingdom to the secondary schools in Dominica. The computers in question have been used on Bromsgrove School’s network. Due to the requirement to upgrade operating systems these units were replaced during the summer of 2006. The Bromsgrove School has generously agreed to donate these compurters through SLIC to the schools of Dominica.
A company called NS Optimum, based in the U.K. has the contract maintaining the schools computer systems. The manager Director, Gavin Rose, is also close friend of 3 Rivers and The Forest Retreat. His company has refurbished around 200 of these computers, to a specification suitable for the secondary schoools here in Dominica, free of harge.
Under the umbrella of The Sustainable Living Initiative Centre (S.L.I.C.), in collaboration with the ministry of Education of The Government of Dominica, The programme was a resounding success, and a team from NS Optimum flew to Dominica in January to measure up the schools and make preparations for the arrival of the computers. All paid for by NS Optimum.
In March, at the same time as the computers arrived, a team of technicians and cablers arrived to help run workshops training local Dominicans how to set up, cable, network and keep running the new computer systems, including servers and switches and fibre optic cables, at most secondary schools on the island, at no cost.
Over the next year or two, a technician from NS Optimum will return to assist where required, if needed. The aim is that the newly trained technicians, including students from the Dominica state College, will be able to handle it themselkes. Hopefuilly highly Sustainable!
The Computers were shipped at a greatly reduced cost thanks to the generosity of Geest shipping in the U.K. and the balance was being covered again by NS Optimum. The British High Commission in Barbados help towards the cost of hosting the technicians.
On behalf of the schools of Dominica, we would like to thank once again the Bromsgrove School in the United Kingdom , NS OIptimum and all other stakeholders, and we look forward to an extremely successful project.
To read a letter from the prinicipal of The Dominica Grammar School explaining what the project means to him and his school, click here
Or to read a Bromsgrove School areticle about the project Click here
To become a member, please visit the membership section
