A new collaboration between Huawei, Zain South Sudan and UNESCO will provide Internet access to a number of schools in South Sudan powered via Zain base stations.
This is the first project of its type in South Sudan, with the first phase of the initiative resulting in over 3,000 school children gaining access to the Internet for the first time.
Zain South Sudan will supply power and connectivity for the project, allowing schools within a 100-metre radius from its base station to gain Internet access.
Huawei is Zain’s predominate technology provider in South Sudan. As part of the project it will furbish computer laboratories, providing five computers and tables to each school, maintaining the computers, and offering school personnel basic computer training.
UNESCO’s role in the initiative will be to facilitate the integration of the selected schools into the UNESCO Associated Schools Programme Network (ASPNet) in neighboring countries. The UNESCO ASPNet constitutes a global network of schools partnering in the development of Environmental Sustainability Projects and Peace Building Initiatives by their students, allowing interaction and exchange of ideas among students and youths regionally and globally.
Zain South Sudan CEO Basel Manasrah said: “Zain is dedicated to the development of South Sudan as a country, and there is no better way to aid this than through working with the youth and equipping them with the tools necessary to grow up to become successful, contributing members of society.”
The UNESCO Country Representative Salah Khaled stated: “UNESCO is privileged to partner with Zain on this project, which is part of the range of environmental and peace educational programs and training material that we provide to benefit peace building initiatives and the youth in South Sudan.”
The first phase of the Internet connectivity initiative was launched on September 5, 2014, and further expansion of the project will be reviewed after the first six months of implementation.
