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Why We Do This

Computers are at the center of all aspects of life in the 21st century. Having access to technology and developing the skills and knowledge to critically navigate the digital world are now essential to thrive in the modern world.

We are committed to digital literacy in Ghana because:

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Africa is the future

In terms of population, Africa is currently the second largest continent and the fastest growing population in the world. It is imperative that access to digital technology and the skills to use it effectively are available throughout the continent to ensure that the next generation of Africans not only consume in the digital world, but produce and innovate.

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Giving students equal opportunity

Access to technology and the ability to learn how to use it effectively should not depend on where you were born. Whether browsing the internet or developing complex computer code, students across the world from rural Ghana to New York state need to learn ICT skills from an early age to thrive in the 21st century.

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Technology empowers

Today’s students will build the solutions of tomorrow. By cultivating ICT talent in students from a young age, we empower individuals from all backgrounds to create a better future.

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The Digital Divide is Unacceptable

In sub-Saharan Africa, less than 10% of households have a computer and 24% of people have access to the internet.  This should be contrasted with the figures in the United States where 92% of households have a computer and 93% of people use the internet. This broad gap places African nations at a disadvantage on the international stage in an increasingly globalized world.

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OUR MISSION

Kente Connect has the broad aim of improving digital literacy in rural Africa, thereby bringing technological justice to the fastest growing world population. We are a non-governmental and non-religious organization and welcome all who are stakeholders and share the values of our mission.

Technological Inequities: Growing up without access to a computer or digital device, and by extension access to the internet,
means that “digital intuition” is not learned from an early age as it is in developed nations. Upon reaching adulthood, such
individuals are at a considerable disadvantage in economies and societal structures of the 21st century. Such access
disproportionately affects rural communities, particularly those in Africa. African nations have endured a long history of
colonization and exploitation by nations which have themselves benefitted from this exploitation in ways that have enabled
them to excel in the digital age. Bridging this divide is essential to ensure that the future population of Africa can equitably
participate in the globalized and digitally-connected world, not only as consumers but also as creators. It aims to further the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, specifically targetting

An Organic Beginning: This mission has grown from the friendship of two science educators, Sam and Phillip, who met in 2018 and connected through their shared interests and love for teaching. With the support of others, Sam and Phillip carried out two programs (January 2019, August 2020) to acquire and send laptops to junior high schools in the Ashanti region of Ghana. These efforts were funded by individual donations and although ultimately successful, the manner in which they were executed was inefficient and required considerable logistical work by single individuals. However, the result has made a difference and established a foundation upon which to expand these efforts in a sustainable and codified way by establishing a dedicated charitable organization – Kente Connect.
Connecting Computers and Connecting People: The work we do embraces the “globally connected” world and is executed by sourcing used computers and peripheral devices to be refurbished, repurposed, and distributed to rural communities in Africa. This is done in a “community driven” way by soliciting direct donations from individuals and through partnerships with broader umbrella organizations (e.g. ComputerAid) to expand our reach to broader pools of donors while amplifying collective efforts through consolidation. As such, donations of hardware and financial support is critical to achieving our goals. Once the hardware has been established in a community, intensive training is provided to a core group of educators in the community to both students and teachers. In this respect, we also welcome support in the form of volunteering on site in Ghana to implement these educational programs. These volunteer opportunities not only foster increased ICT expertise in the community we are serving, but it also cultivates cultural exchange thereby creating connections between individuals who likely come from very different backgrounds. In this way, by providing computer hardware and “software” (i.e. knowledge) this program empowers communities with greater access to 21st century skills while connecting people through a shared appreciation for these skills and the possibilities that they provide for a richer life.

Solutions to Empower: This work aims to bridge the educational divide and empower local schools and the communities they
serve to leverage technological and intellectual resources to their full capacity.This begins to bridge the educational divide and allows local schools to leverage these new technological and intellectual resources.

A Focused and Sustainable Approach: The ultimate goal of having “one computer for every child in Africa” must be achieved by working in partnership with individual communities to develop Kente Connect in an organic and sustainable way. Doing so will enable the members of our team to develop expertise in the non-profit ecosystem while establishing mechanisms to allow us to function as autonomously as possible while contributing to existing efforts as appropriate. As such, this work has begun in the community of Adanwomasi, Ghana in the Ashanti region expressly because of the established relationship with members of that community, namely Sir Philipp Bimpong and Eric Kwame Boakye, who can support the development of the organization’s efforts locally. Furthermore, Angela Tabiri and Sam Meehan have long established professional relationships with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Accra, Ghana which can help facilitate broader local support from local leading academic institutions.

Finally, we have established a partnership with Maxim Nyasa, a non-profit sharing our overarching goals who has been established in Ghana since 2015 and has begun establishing missions in neighboring African nations and with European support from the Netherlands and Belgium. With our focus being targeted in Ghana, our efforts serve to amplify this common, but broader, broader African mission. In the future, the reach can and will be expanded to more communities in Ghana, but for the time being we follow the philosophy of quality over quantity. When it comes to digital literacy, we feel this is best approach because our mission is to providing infrastructure – material infrastructure (i.e. computers) and intellectual infrastructure (i.e. training). In terms of material infrastructure, secure, accessible, and high quality technology will serve the broadest community of people – teachers, tudents, and community members. In the case of intellectual infrastructure, high quality training with a focus on both “teaching the teachers” while directly enriching ongoing classroom activities will impart key knowledge that can be passed on to others. In both avenues, having each intervention adhere to high standards will ensure the maximum possible positive impact. In other words, we believe in quantity over quality because “quality begets quantity”.

About Us

Kente Connect is a registered 501(c)3 organization in the United States. Within Ghana, we work in partnership with Maxim Nyansa IT Solutions.

We value transparency. Our essential organizational and financial records can be found here.

Contact Us

US Location

321 Homewilde Lane
Northfield, VT
05663 USA

Ghana Location

AD-320-3849
P.O Box KJ 785
Kejetia – Kumasi, Ghana