Harnessing solar energy for its power requirements, the facility provides much-needed education and health services to the surrounding community.
“Everyone speaks of the need to bridge the digital divide, but we can only really achieve this if we focus on the core objective of changing lives for the better,” said George Ferreira, VP and COO of Samsung Electronics Africa. “The United Nations says being online is now seen as fundamental to human development, and access to the Internet may soon become a basic human right, like access to water. Our challenge was to look at what was needed versus what was available and devise a plan that connected the two.”
Samsung’s digital village model addresses one of Africa’s largest challenges i.e., electrification. On average, less than 25% of rural areas on the continent benefit from electricity, resulting in isolated communities with limited access to education, healthcare and connectivity – all of which are key to socio-economic upliftment.
The digital village comprises the following elements:
Solar powered Internet school
This exclusively solar powered, mobile and completely independent classroom is built into a 12 metre long shipping container. The school’s solar panels provide enough energy to power the classroom’s Samsung notebooks and netbooks, an interactive whiteboard or E-board, Samsung Galaxy tablets and more. The school can accommodate up to 24 learners and can be used as an adult education centre in the afternoons or as a community centre on weekends.
Solar power generator
This provides easy, affordable power accessibility that will drastically reduce the community’s energy bill, freeing up funds that can be used for more pressing concerns, such as infrastructure. It provides sufficient electricity to power a complete e-learning centre comprising netbooks, printers, an E-board, lighting and other classroom peripherals.
Solar powered health centre
The health centre provides a variety of eye, ear, blood, dental and pre- and post-natal screening and treatments to the community. A ‘Mother and Child’ centre will specifically provide medical services to mothers and their babies. The units were designed to eliminate the economic and geographical boundaries that prevent people in rural communities from accessing quality medical treatment. The centre is able to move between areas to provide a range of medical services to the public. It will also focus on educating the community about health issues and encourage them to take tests as preventative measures.
Solar powered tele-medical centre
Through the tele-medical centre, the community has access to remote medical assistance through a centralised pool of medical expertise and experience. It reduces the need for qualified medical doctors in rural areas, of which there is a dire shortage, and reduces travel distances for community members. Advantages include faster diagnostic response times and reduced costs for rural inhabitants. The centre will work in conjunction with the Samsung Tele-Medical app, which will guide nurses through the necessary processes to ensure all relevant information is captured.
Solar powered admin centre
This will be used as an administration office by staff members.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony, Sung Yong Hong, president and CEO of Samsung Africa, said that the new digital village is just another step in the company’s ambitious goal to positively impact five million African lives by 2015. “We believe that this can most effectively be achieved if we connect our corporate citizenship initiatives with our history and core business,” he stated. “With the goal to grow our business on the continent, we also know that we have to sustain our level of innovation. This can only be achieved if we invest in education to facilitate African thought leadership.”
Samsung signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (DED), which is committed to exploring and investing in green technologies for green economies – and the Digital Village model aligns with this vision.
“We are encouraged by the work Samsung is doing in the green technology space. This type of out-of-the-box thinking is what will make a measurable and meaningful difference in people’s lives and, ultimately, change the world. The Digital Village aligns with government’s vision of finding alternative solutions to African problems, and we are proud to be a part of it,” said Albert Chanee, head of the DED.
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