After nearly 30 years in corporate IT, Ahmed Ismael set out in 2006 to use technology to make a difference in the communities. Eight years later, Siyafunda has launched over 80 community technology centres nationwide and benefited tens of thousands of people.
Smiley, as Ismael is popularly known, notes that not all community development initiatives work, often because the organisations running them are in 'charity mode' and dependent on funding. In designing the Siyafunda model, sustainability and income generation were top priorities, he says. While Siyafunda's engagement models and the services it offers are continually evolving, sustainability has remained the cornerstone of its strategy.
Ismael began his IT career in the '70s, working as 'one of the back room IT boys' at Makro, Massmart, Affinity Logic and UCS Solutions. "I travelled a lot to countries like India, and saw how communities there were benefiting from IT education and community centre-based training," he says. "In the early 2000s, my association with the Black IT Forum reinforced my interest in taking technology learning to local communities, and spurred me on to get something going."
With the collaboration of the mayor of Ekurhuleni, the first Siyafunda Community Technology Centre was opened in Palm Ridge in 2006. Focusing on access, sustainability and affordability, the model empowered local communities to run the centre, generating an income by offering IT skills training, IT access and services to the community.
As the Siyafunda centres spread, funders and local and national authorities came aboard, and the model evolved to include business and IT skills training, small business services, and certification courses. Community ownership and engagement are key, Ismael says. He created a business model that has made the services affordable while ensuring community involvement in protecting the centres. In future, he would like to see the centres developing further and becoming innovation hubs for their communities. Having won the trust of many strong partners and proven that technology can indeed change lives, Smiley can only be expected to make this ambition come true, too.
First published in the January 2015 issue of ITWeb Brainstorm magazine.
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