Johannesburg, 14 Mar 2016
Wipro (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global IT, consulting and business process services company, has established a computer learning incubator (CLI) and a library out of an old shipping container at Zamani Primary School, in White River, Mpumalanga.
This new library-cum-Internet cafe has been equipped with books, computers, Internet connectivity and printers for the benefit of the students from Zamani Primary School, surrounding schools and people from the local community. This two-in-one solution has not only resulted in creating a hub of knowledge, but has also paved the way for sustainable job creation for the Zamani community.
Wipro is committed to its responsibility as a global corporation, and has launched a number of programmes as part of its SIYAPHA initiative. The goal of SIYAPHA is to provide skills development along with computer literacy, helping to empower citizens and ensure sustainable job creation in South Africa.
The Zamani Primary School project is in line with Wipro's focus on education at two levels: graduates and primary school learners. As part of its local internship programme for graduates that was launched in 2012, Wipro has enrolled 170 graduates in South Africa till date. This initiative is designed to stimulate an interest in technology among the scarce ICT skills pool in South Africa. The Zamani Primary School project is the fifth programme in three years that Wipro has completed so far.
In order to make this project a reality, Wipro once again teamed up with Breadline Africa, a Non-Profit Organisation that takes disused shipping containers and recycles them for essential community purposes. Since their establishment in 1993, they have provided 310 containers to poverty stricken communities for the purposes of school libraries and kitchens, toilets and classrooms in ECD centres. The Cape Town-based NGO has placed container and pre-fab libraries in each of the nine provinces. A total of 66 libraries and media centres have been placed in schools and education facilities across the country.
This initiative aligns with the South African government's vision to increase access to essential resources for an enriched education, after an annual national assessment report on junior education showed that the national average performance in literacy stands at 35% among grade three pupils and at 28% for grade six. It is also aligned with a national reading campaign called 'Drop All and Read Campaign', which urges the nation to focus on the importance of reading as an academic life-changer for learners across South Africa.
Gavin Holme, Country Manager, Africa, Wipro, said: "Education is the foundation on which a person can build a better life. It equips a person with the ability to improve their life as well as those of their families. Furthermore, it creates a platform to further contribute to the country's economy. This is why we are so passionate about providing sustainable assistance and support to those who need it the most. Our corporate social investment (CSI) initiative is also part of our culture and ethos which embodies the 'Spirit of Wipro', incorporating the belief that corporations are socio-economic citizens and that their objectives have to be congruent with society's goals and the power to do good."
Speaking about the impact of this project on the community, David Sibiya, Principal at Zamani Primary School, said: "This is an opportunity to grow our community in ways we could not have imagined before. With the help of the new library and access to computers with Internet connectivity, we will know more and our youth can dream bigger. It will make a huge difference to all of us."
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