G-3872

Sun Books E-Learning Libraries

Description

Financing

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Project Description

Region: Africa

Country: USA

Location: Palm Springs

Total Budget: $144,000

Areas of Focus: Basic education and literacy, Community economic development



According to UNESCO, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of education exclusion in the world, with 182 million adults unable to read or write and more than one-fifth of children aged 6 to 11 currently out of school. Traditional literacy alone is no longer sufficient-today's rapidly evolving world requires digital literacy, technological access, and skilled teachers prepared to integrate digital learning into their classrooms and communities. This project directly addresses these urgent gaps by creating sustainable E-Learning Libraries and Community Hubs that expand access to education, strengthen local economies, and empower entire communities.

The project design includes adding an E-Learning Library and Community Hub to each of six schools. Each library will be a dedicated, solar-powered room on the school campus used by children and teachers during the day, and by community members at night for digital upskilling, phone/computer charging, further education, and job searching. This dual-use model maximizes social impact by ensuring that educational content, connectivity, and digital tools are accessible to learners of all ages-improving literacy, digital readiness, and economic opportunity.

Teachers will receive training in digital literacy, computer skills, and technology integration, helping them confidently adopt innovative content and teaching approaches in their classrooms. This strengthens local education systems, improves teaching quality, and ensures sustainability long after the initial installation.

The E-Learning Libraries will significantly expand access to meaningful educational resources-including children's books, vocational training materials, and StoryTime International's offline learning content-supporting students, teachers, and adults who lack computers or internet access at home. This promotes digital inclusion, educational equity, cultural preservation, and 21st-century workforce readiness.

To sustain the project, community members will pay a small fee to use or rent a computer for a few hours after school. Revenues will be directed toward feeding children lunch-a critical need, as local community funds currently support school meals due to the loss of government-provided lunches. Additional funds will launch school gardens and other community programs, such as food-growing instruction, reusable sanitary pad workshops, or small social enterprise development. This creates a self-sustaining ecosystem where education directly supports nutrition, skills development, and community resilience.

Each E-Learning Library and Community Hub will be equipped with:

10 mobile tablets for each primary school (20 tablets for ITT Africa vocational computer lab)

10 laptop computers for each primary school

A smartboard

A RACHEL WiFi system loaded with offline digital curriculum

Educational resources and books

Solar power to ensure reliable access

By combining improved digital access, teacher empowerment, vocational pathways, and community engagement, this project provides a sustainable foundation for literacy, learning, economic growth and feeding children a school lunch. It enables schools to become centers of innovation and opportunity-supporting students during the day and uplifting entire communities at night.

Primary Host Partner

District: 9213

Rotary Club of: Bugiri

Primary Contact: Charles Muwangala

Email: charlesmuwangala@gmail.com

Primary International Partner

District: 5330

Rotary Club of: Palm Springs

Primary Contact: Rossana Jeran

Email: rossana.jeran@hello-computer.net

Project Status

Need $144,000
This project needs to receive some pledges to go to the next level. Please check the "Financing" tab to see the list of current pledges. Once the amount pledged is equal to the project budget, the status of the project will be automatically changed to "Fully Pledged".
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Project listed for the 2025-26 Rotary Year.

The TRF Grant application number is #257901.

Proposed Financing

Existing Contributions Towards This Project

Date

Cash

DDF

Total

There are no contributions yet for this project.

Remaining Amount to Raise

Additional Club Contribution (Needed) - Add a contribution

$144,000

-

$144,000

Amount Requested from The Rotary Foundation

-

$0

$0

Total

$144,000

Note: as of July 1, 2015 there is a 5% additional support fee for cash contributions. This fee does not appear in the financials above because it does not apply if the funds are sent directly to the project account (without going through TRF, and therefore without Paul Harris credit). Clubs sending their cash contribution to TRF must be aware they will have to send an additional 5%.

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