The Turing Trust and Rotary Club of Currie Balerno were delighted to be recognised for our work in reusing PCs in schools in sub-Saharan Africa. Gordon MacDonald MSP tabled a motion celebrating our work, that has been supported by the Scottish Government International Development Small Grants Programme.  The motion received cross party support reflecting the commitment in the Scottish parliament to global citizenship and to using technology to drive social change in the developing world.

We appreciate the thoughtful comments on our work – it gives us great encouragement for the future and that we can build on what we have already achieved. There was great understanding of some of the challenges we face in getting technology into remote rural areas, where schools often do not have access to electricity, but also of the importance of the need to equip as many people in Africa as possible with technology to ensure that they are not left behind and are equipped to tackle poverty. It was heartening to be reminded that computers that may be considered old-fashioned in the developed world can still have a value and contribution to make – both in terms of education, but also in terms of the environment. There was also acknowledgement of the role of volunteers and the difference that they can make, particularly when working in partnership, both at home and abroad.

So thanks to Gordon MacDonald MSP for putting forward the motion and to all those who spoke in the debate (Gordon Lindhurst MSP, Stewart Stevenson MSP, Alison Johnstone MSP, Alexander Stewart MSP and Ben Macpherson MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Europe, Migration & International Development).

If you didn’t catch the debate, you can watch it here.