Every £1000 raised gives a young person a place on our digital incubator programme
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FCRS promotes access to digital skills through our three-year “digital incubator” which supports young people into employment and develops their business, software and coding skills. The programme is supported by industry leading mentors. By ensuring that 50% of participants are girls we will help close the digital gender gap.
“The minimal usage of mobile internet is a lost opportunity for inclusive growth in Africa. Closing the uptake gap would increase the continent’s potential to create jobs for its growing population and boost economic recovery in a highly digitalized world.”
“A thriving digital economy, needs the presence of a sizable and skilled tech-savvy workforce that can build on digital advancements to drive innovation and productivity”Digital Transformation Drives Development in Africa, World Bank 2024
Friends of CRS, has run successful projects that have improved the school environment and raised educational aspiration and outcomes, including setting up a science lab, installing WIFI and providing toilet facilities. Access to education has been increased through the menstrual health programme, awarding scholarships, and providing free school meals.
Having demonstrated the ability to raise money for, and successfully implement projects, we now want to provide a road map through education to employment and better livelihoods. Guinea-Conakry is one of the poorest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and faces many challenges for development including a stubborn digital gender gap, and limited skills availability for digitally enabled industries. Many of the most able feel pressure to migrate to find opportunities.
Our DIGITAL INCUBATOR will mentor students, provide access to digital skills, and help achieve better livelihood outcomes that support local development. Commercial partnerships will ultimately replace reliance on donations.
In 2023, we ran a coding taster session followed by an intensive 6-week software academy taught by experienced Guinean IT professionals, supported by senior industry experts. Throughout the following academic year, we supported IT teaching through after school sessions and IT training for CRS staff. Building on the success of these initiatives and in response to the obvious appetite for digital skills, we are scaling up to a structured 3-year programme. This will provide training, mentoring, a space for peer support, work experience, a pathway to work and ensure gender parity at all levels in the programme.
This rolling three-year programme will create a significant team of experienced well-trained alumni. We will use our network of contacts in the technology and business sectors to open-up commercial opportunities for the team. The uptake of these will help reduce, and ultimately replace donations to run the programme in the future and provide financial support for the school.
First Summer school July 2023
Coding workshop February 2023
CRS IT suite
Mr Besmor Bah teaching
IT teaching for CRS staff
IT classes at CRS
Celebrating success at our first awards day
IMPACT
Students at CRS receive 3 years of skills development and mentorship
Students at CRS benefit from IT facilities and digital learning.
Students from neighbouring schools receive IT training
Teachers receive IT training, enhancing the quality of teaching.
Businesses benefit from small scale ICT projects
First IT suite at CRS
20 refurbished PCs shipped to Conakry from UK
School reopens after Ebola closes it for 18 months
IT classes continues. 10 refurbished laptops taken out on FCRS visit
First Coding weekend workshop
40 students are introduced to coding through the BBC microbit over
Conakry Academy of Science and Technology (CAST ) set up
6 weeks of coding course teaching web development using HTML, javascript and database development, taught by industry specialist followed by after school classes throughout the year
IT classes for CRS staff
2nd CAST summer school
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