NEW OPPORTUNITIES AIMED AT EMPOWERING ALICE YOUTH

By Samkele Letese

The Calabar Foundation, the Sifunda Kunye Educational Project and other Stakeholders were in Alice at Ntselamanzi Village to visit the project site of the Bridging the Gap Hub as well as to present the project to the community. Bridging the Gap Hub is the container that will serve as the community’s internet hub.  Founder of the Bridging the Gap hub, Lwazi Mbambo said “In our rural setup areas there’s a digital divide but Sifunda Kunye has made it possible that today we (Ntselamanzi) are one of the townships that have free internet access and WIFI.”
Ali Pauluhn, the executive director of the Calabar Foundation and Sifunda Kunye, said “we’re here visiting our project sites for now, that includes our technology and computer labs at our five partner schools across the Eastern Cape and also visiting some potential schools where we will be building computer labs in the future.”Linked with the Sifunda Kunye project is the Nkonkobe Economic Development Agency (Neda) who will utilize the container as a business support center. Head of the NEDA, Mandisi Mali said “Sifunda Kunye we are going to a partnership, we have an internship program in place and we are going to offer those interns an opportunity to get practical experience through working with the project”. Mr. Mani also pointed that that Neda has to ensure that the local economy has growth and that there’s participation from the youth and local enterprises, etc.
Mr. Khai Webber from the German Development Corporation GIZ, working with Neda, spoke of the opportunity the hub will provide for Ntsela mansi village and that they plan to connecting the hub to business support so that businesses from Ntselamanzi Village will develop. Mr. Webber said that they would like to have business support on a fortnightly basis.
After words of welcome and the community leaders’ vote of thanks, one of the stakeholders, Mr. Andrew Summers shared some of his memories of Alice. He then said that after his successes in London and New York his way of giving back is to invest in rural education in the Eastern Cape. We provide schools with computer and literacy programs.Mr. Mbambo said that since Ntselamanzi has becoming a residence for students from Fort Hare and Lovedale College, and that this would benefit said students. He  also said “I also want to thank all our stakeholders, from Delyn Security, Neda,, our municipality and our community for embracing this project which is on the its baby steps but we are moving from strength to strength”Mr. Morne Tesnar from Delyn Security also sent a vote of thanks to be a part of the project. Delyn Security would offer free services to the hub.