Working with schools in Africa
We
advise you read through all this section before partnering in
Africa.
If you simply want fresh, first-hand
information about life in a country such as Kenya or Ghana, you
should think twice about whether you really want a link. Up-to-date
'real' resources are readily available from Oxfam Education or
Plan, such as this one on Ghana:
A partnership with a school in Africa should
be envisaged as a long-term commitment. If you look through
messages on the Global Gateway it will give an overall view of the
range of schools and their different objectives and characters, but
most by far are seeking a partner school with which to build a
partnership over time.
FAQs about linking in African countries
Will schools in Africa expect us to
fundraise?
Schools on the Global Gateway are told the
partnership must have an educational focus, but many give a clear
expectation that they would like to receive assistance in kind or
through sponsorship, which is expressed in their message. For
instance some have a support scheme to fund children that cannot
afford school fees. Others are keen to receive text books,
computers or (one school found out recently) a roof! In development
education, this notion of charity is being replaced by a duty to
work towards ending poverty and asserting basic human rights. The
important thing is to manage expectation and try not to set up a
donor-recipient partnership – which will result in thank-you
letters rather than a frank and open partnership where both schools
work together to address such needs. More>>>
How can we explore sponsorship and/or
enterprise to meet the resources gap?
The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust's international arm,
iNet, is trialling a mechanism for this. More>>>
We want to fundraise and make this the focus
of our link, but we will also deliver global dimension education
for learners.
Schools have achieved this through fundraising and sponsorship,
but also considering learning outcomes in the classroom. Red Earth
Education is a useful example to look at. More>>>
We want a 'light touch' connection with a
school in a country like Kenya.
If you want this sort of connection (rather
than a partnership), using the free website for schoools,
SchoonetGlobal might be the answer. Here
students can look at information from other schools and add
their own contribution. Here's an example.
How can we link in Africa without having to
manage an actual partnership?
You can link to Buhumba Primary School through contact with a
charity based there. Beans Means Brains runs a school meals
programme in Uganda and there are lots of ways you could relate
their story to healthy eating and children's rights themes. You can
send pictures of your kitchen garden to show on their
website and compare it to the one at Buhumba.
We want regular communication and
online dialogue with our partner school.
Read the messages on the Global Gateway
carefully - all types of schools at all levels of the
socio-economic scale are represented. A better resourced school may
offer this. There are some schools from Africa active on Rafiki (secondary) and on SuperClubsPlus (primary) - both these are
educational community networks which will charge a
reasonable annual fee for participation.
Why can't we set our partner schools up with
computers and email?
Email exchange can often take place teacher to teacher but only
rarely learner to learner; especially if you are looking for a
rural or township school. If your partner school is not internet
enabled, you may be tempted to send computers; you could also work
with organisations that provide computers. Be warned that this
usually takes at least a year to organise, if at all! More>>>
We want a partnership with rural and
developed schools in Africa!
You should consider an organisation
called AfriTwin that has set out to meet the dual objectives of a
well resourced school and a township/rural school link. Please say
you were referred from the Global Gateway. More>>>
We want a Francophone partner where we can
exchange work in French as well as find out about the country
On the Global Gateway we usually have Cameroon
and Rwanda, Reunion and sometimes Morocco, all of which make
terrific partner schools. email us on partnerfinding@globalgateway.org
What curricular work can we do?
You’ll find curricular guidance in Partners in
Learning. You can also look at some examples on Link Community
Development (see below).
We want a partner school but with minimal
organisation and time spent.
Link
Community Development has been running for over 10 years and
runs development projects that support hundreds of twinned schools
in Ghana, Uganda, South Africa and Malawi. There is a lot of
freedom in how you run the link and the team is very experienced
with excellent support for the partner school. We list other NGO
managed linking schemes here. More>>>
How much will this cost?
Global Gateway linking is free. For a managed
partnership you can be linked free in some cases, or Link Community
Development charges from £250 pa to cover postage and support
service. Plan-ed charges £600 but offers comprehensive curricular
support. When you work with an NGO there is an expectation, though
rarely a requirement, that schools will fundraise, either directly
for the school or for the NGO.
We like the idea of a managed partnership,
but can we still apply for the DFID funding for a visit?
Please email globalschools@britishcouncil.org
outlining the organisation you would work with and your
objectives.
Everyone seems to partner in Kenya, Ghana,
South Africa or Uganda – how can we get a link in a Muslim African
country such as the Gambia or a less well-known country such as
Zambia, Cameroon, Rwanda, Namibia or Zimbabwe?
These countries are all represented on the
Global Gateway; if you want help just contact us. partnerfinding@globalgateway.org