The Charity Ghana Computer Charity (GCC) is a small charitable organization with the purpose of increasing computer literacy and knowledge of Information Technology among children in rural areas in Ghana, other disenfranchised individuals in Ghana.
We aim to accomplish this goal through specific and targeted interventions, such as developing computer centres where computer training workshops will be delivered to the target audience and beneficiaries. The GCC charity was initiated by Issah Benson in May 2006 after discovering the shocking statistics of computer usage in Africa (Ghana) compared with other developing countries the rest of the around the world.
Our Charitable Objectives In the immediate future, GCC aims to address the need by exposing children to computers at an influential age, therefore ensuring the future generation’s assimilation to the electronic age. The exposure to computers, and material they are taught should ensure more confidence in a computing environment. Basic computer skills will also mean that children have a certain level of literacy with regards to computers that they may otherwise have missed out on. Statistics show that many Africans (Ghanaians) do not have access to global information technology. While the world continues to participate and reap the benefits of the rapid advancements in global information technology, many individuals in Ghana find themselves marginalized without access to or knowledge of reliable information technological systems. This lack of information technology causes a social economic deficiency in the livelihoods of many individuals which translates into few and low skill employment opportunities, little or no access to the wider world, and the loss of an essential transferable skills. This combines to leave individuals already deep in poverty at a further disadvantage ¬ pushing them further into poverty.
This lack of access to information technology is due to a number of reasons.
Firstly, within poor regions of Ghana, there is usually no stable communications infrastructure capable of adequately supporting internet technologies. The lack of computer literacy adds to the apathy concerning information technology. Only the more affluent children are exposed to a computing environment through personal use or private education. A recent article in the; 'Business Today' section of The Punch newspaper in Nigeria quoted a ratio of 1 :200 as being the ratio of PC-to-students in Nigerian Universities. Within the state controlled primary and secondary institutions, the ratio is much worse. Usually, any IT knowledge gained is theoretical, with little or no practical computer systems experience.
Similar charities exist, aiming to satisfy the need, however they employ a somewhat different approach. Recent efforts specifically in Nigeria include the Computer for All Nigerians Initiative whose aim is to increase Nigerians access to computers, as opposed to educating students about their use.
Ghana Computer will Offer offers a unique approach in that we plan to teach children directly, allowing them direct interaction with computer systems and therefore ensuring that learning material is delivered in the most effective manner possible. By using this approach, various nuances of computer and information technological systems is fully portrayed, and physically demonstrated which has an invaluable effect on the students’ enthusiasm for and absorption of the relevant material. This approach has the additional effect of filtering erroneous information that is often delivered when information technology is taught from a third party, theoretical standpoint. It is imperative that the children of Ghana have an interest and desire to incorporate information technology into their future. The children of today will determine the future fate of Ghana and if information technology is not fostered in them today, Ghana will fall further behind in terms of global development as the continent continues to fail to utilize the benefits of information technology. This also applies on a community and individual level. Individuals and communities without access to and knowledge of information technological systems will also be relatively marginalized compared with those individuals and communities that do.