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Camara Impact Report 2023

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IMPACT REPORT2023

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CONTENTS1. Chair’s message2. Camara – what we stand for3. Camara – what we do4. ITAD5. Sustainability6. Our environmental impact7. Our impact in Africa9. UN Sustainable Development Goals10. Ethiopia12. Kenya14. Tanzania16. Zambia18. Accounts

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1Chair of TrusteesIn 2023, Camara supported 429 schools in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. We estimate that our projects and activities provided over 190,000 students with the opportunity to become digitally literate and improve their educational outcomes, which could significantly improve their futures.Some of the numbers behind the year:• 4,317 computers installed, along with educational content tailored to the needs andcurriculum of each country in which we operate• 1,966 teachers trained in the use of ICT in education• Reduction in the release of 8.5 million kg of carbon to the atmosphere and 42,000 kg ofe-waste to landfill by reusing end-of-life equipment.The covid years took an enormous toll on our organisation - many schools closed for long periods, donations dried up and we faced difficulties travelling to support our operations. Post-covid, I can say the organisation is back on track. The positive impact we achieved this year was due primarily to the skill, resilience and hard work of the amazing Camara teams in the UK, Ireland, USA and Africa. So a big thanks to all of them. I also want to thank our incredible donors who have worked closely with us to deliver these programs. Whether it’s computers or money, the impact has been significant on the teachers, their students and on the communities in which they live. Again thank you for all your contributions.As we look forward to 2024 and beyond, the need to deliver digital literacy to the world’s poorest people has never been more important, and Camara is committed to being at the forefront of that work.

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Camara is dedicated to improving the digital skills and learning outcomes of students in the four countries we serve – Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia.We aim to empower students and young people, particularly girls, to improve their life opportunities by providing them with the opportunity to develop vital digital skills, raise their educational standards and enhance their employment opportunities.What we stand for2Camara exists because we believe passionately in the power of digital education to transform the lives of children in Africa.Investing in young people’s education can change the trajectory of their lives and careers. We aim to ensure that all young people are empowered through innovative education to create the life they want to lead.

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What we doCamara sets up Digital Learning Centres in schools in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia and trains teachers and school leaders in how to integrate ICT into teaching and learning. Out locally trained staff provide ongoing maintenance and support to ensure the equipment can be fully utilised by students at all times.We achieve this thanks to generous funders, and also by working with companies around the world to recycle surplus or end-of-life computers and other IT equipment.Camara’s country-based hubs are each legally incorporated not-for-profit social enterprises, managed by local teams. Each hub serves its local country’s needs through a sustainable business model which can respond quickly to changing circumstances.These hubs provide an integrated package of products and services enabling schools to provide the resources necessary to encourage students to develop their digital skills to the maximum.3

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Computer re-useCamara Education partners with leading IT Asset Disposition companies worldwide to offer an IT collection service certified to the highest international standards.Our straightforward solution manages all aspects of the IT lifecycle including secure transportation, asset identification, data wiping and reporting.By choosing Camara to process their retired IT equipment, businesses can make huge strides towards meeting their sustainability and corporate responsibility targets – reducing waste and emissions around IT disposal while helping us provide transformative digital education.4

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Sustainability5Prolonging the life of computer equipment through refurbishment and reuse is a vital step towards sustainability and protecting the natural environment. Camara's work aligns directly with over half of the UN’s sustainable development goals and we can help any organisation achieve its sustainability and environmental targets, while promoting the circular economy.We operate a zero landfill policy and endeavour to ensure that when equipment does eventually reach the end of its useful life, it is recycled appropriately by our local partners.We use refurbished computers to help create a world where even the most disadvantaged have access to technology.

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Our impact: environmentIn a world increasingly reliant on technology, the issue of e-waste is a huge environmental concern. At Camara we are making a difference by refurbishing and reusing IT equipment rather than manufacturing new computers, monitors and peripherals.In 2023 alone, we estimate that Camara’s ITAD activities deferred over 8 million kilograms of CO2 emissions, saved over 5 billion litres of water that would otherwise have been used in manufacturing equipment, and avoided the mining of over 33 million kilograms of earth for mineral extraction. Recycling of any items that can't be reused also keeps huge amounts of waste out of landfill - over 40,000 kilograms in 2023.Our environmental Impact 202368,459,400Kg of Co2 release deferred5,327,620,014 Litres of water not used33,837,600Kg of earth not mined42,297Kg not destined for landfill

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Our impact: Africa7Camara’s country-based hubs are not-for-profit social enterprises, managed by local teams. They provide an integrated package of products and services enabling schools to integrate technology and provide students with the access and support to develop essential digital skills.Camara’s strategy focuses on the importance of continuous and sustainable impact. The charity supports schools by providing computers loaded with educational content and resources, developing the digital skills of teachers and leaders through ICT training, and offering technical and maintenance support for equipment. We also work to ensure we provide an environmentally responsible service by removing and recycling end-of-life computers.Our Impact in Africa 2023429Schools supported1,966Educators trained4,317Computers installed194,280 Learners impacted

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Debrabant School, Tanzania8

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UN Sustainable Development Goals9Camara aligns with more than half of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, above all:4 Quality Education5 Gender Equality12 Responsible Consumption & Production13 Climate Action

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ETHIOPIA10Camara Education Ethiopia, based in Addis Ababa, works closely with the Ethiopian Ministry of Education and during 2023 has also collaborated with partners including the World Bank, The Waterloo Foundation, Lenovo, CHK, Africa Code Week, the British Council and Dell Technologies.Camara Ethiopia uses a digital dashboard to monitor student computer usage data, track learning progress, provide feedback, and assess the impact of its initiatives.In 2023, as a result of our interventions:• 142,757 children (51% girls) gained access to digital education and developed essential digital literacyskills• 101 schools were equipped with Digital Learning Centres• 2,400 computers were installed (20-25 PCs per school)• 1,008 educators were trained in the use of ICT in education.

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ETHIOPIAAfrica Code week 2023One of Camara Ethiopia’s favorite projects is Africa Code Week, an annual event which brings together hundreds of schools, teachers, governments and organizations to address the digital and gender skills gap in Africa. The purpose of Africa Code Week is to empower the next generation by teaching them the coding skills they will need to succeed in the twenty-first century.Over 41,000 young people took part in 2023, more than half of them girls, and Camara was able to provide in-person and virtual training to 252 teachers.New Agreement with the MoEIn July 2023, we signed a renewed five-year agreement with the Ministry of Education, taking our long-running collaboration through to 2028. The new agreement incorporates lessons learned from three previous federal-level projects, with an even greater focus on learner outcomes. Through this new project and with the support of our key funding partner, Dell Technologies, Camara aims to: • Equip 875 more schools with 35,000 computers loaded withcurriculum-aligned content and innovative learning platforms• Train 9,450 more educators• Impact 790,000 more learners.11DELL ProjectOur enduring partnership with Dell Technologies continued with a new project that aims to enable digital access to the national curriculum and complement it with STEM based knowledge. It seeks to achieve this by utilizing recycled technology on a large scale and by equipping 50 new schools along with ongoing support for schools from previous projects.

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In 2023, the Camara Kenya team was focused on implementation of the second phase of the STEM STEPS project, funded by Dell Technologies. Following the arrival of a container-load of equipment for the project, the team installed and networked computers and classroom servers in 23 new schools and 3 technical training institutions. 31 schools from the previous phase of the project received ongoing technical support. In all of them, we offered teacher and leadership training to ensure that schools were fully equipped to integrate ICT into teaching and learning and support students to develop essential digital skills. KENYA12As a result of our work on STEM STEPS and other projects:• 18,645 learners improved their digital skills• 58 institutions were supported• 313 teachers and leaders were trained• 713 computers were installed.

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KENYATestimonialsElizabeth Dama, an 18-year-old from Bandari on Kenya’s east coast, said: “I joined Bandari Secondary School in 2020 and completed my secondary education at the end of 2023. With the help of the Camara computers I managed to get a good grade; this is where I mostly researched and learned about the subjects I was taking for my final National exams. With just class work I would not have been able to grasp the subjects to anything like the same extent. Now I am hoping to go to university to study medicine, especially nursing.”Nkoroi Mixed Day Secondary School in Kajiado County had a learning centre installed in March 2023 as part of Camara Kenya’s partnership with Dell Technologies. Mr Bonventure, the school’s ICT teacher, said:“This has greatly boosted the learning process in our school. Previously we had just 5 computers, not enough for all the learners who wanted to use them. Now far more students can benefit and the usage of computers has gone up significantly. This is partly thanks to the training from Camara – teachers who took part have since resolved to embrace technology in their teaching. The students also enjoy learning with the technology, which makes the computer lab a busy learning hub.”Internship ProgrammeCamara Kenya's Internship Programme is a 3-month course designed to equip participants with hands-on ICT skills in a real-world work environment. The initiative attracts students in various IT disciplines from universities and colleges across the country. The participants are based in our Mombasa Hub for day-to-day training and also undertake fieldwork activities in our local schools. The programme has supported almost 600 students to date, 40 of them in 2023.13

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Camara Education Tanzania, based in Dar es Salaam, was founded in 2012 and has evolved to become a local leader in providing sustainable ICT in education. This role was underlined in 2023, when we signed an MoU with the Ministry of Education to support 75 schools with Digital Learning Centres over the next five years. The project covers all 11 education zones across the country and will be implemented under a partnership with the President's Office of Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities (PO-RLAG) and the Ministry of Education Science & Technology (MOEST).TANZANIA14Other initiatives in the year included a collaboration with the Tanzania Education Authority to equip 4 schools with Digital Learning Centres in 2023, with a further 6 to follow in 2024, and the launch of new training programs that have benefited over 300 teachers in 20 schools so far. We also implemented a computer usage tracking system in fifteen schools, enhancing our understanding of how our centres are used, and completed our first Youth Digital Skills programme.

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TANZANIAThe Year in NumbersAs a result of our efforts in 2023:• 20,876 learners gained access to digital education• 110 schools were supported• 351 educators were trained• 336 computers were installed.15Youth Digital SkillsOur Youth Digital Skills Programme has been completed, with 12 youths equipped with the essential digital skills needed in today's digital era. This achievement offered new opportunities for individuals who had previously faced challenges in accessing education or employment. Among the participants, six have already secured direct employment opportunities with national companies, while others have embraced freelancing as a livelihood. We are thrilled with the outcome of this pilot project and hope to roll out an even better version in the future, based on what we have learnt.

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ZAMBIA16Our Year in Numbers:  160 Educational Institutions supported  294 Teachers trained face-to-face Camara Zambia and the Ministry of Education in Zambia have worked closely to improve access to ICT in the Zambian Education Sector since Camaracommenced operations in the country in 2008. Working from our base in Lusaka, our activities in 2023 included networking and installing new Digital Learning Centres and providing training to teachers and school leaders across the nation. Meanwhile, we continued to provide ongoing technical support and maintenance to schools we have previously worked with including updating the operating systems and installing the new Camara image.The Ministry has been central to the success of our work and has been involved in the selection of new project schools as well as the participation and engagement of schools in the activities we have been implementing. In addition to the impact we have had through fully funded projects during 2023, we dispatched a total of 568 computers under our not-for-profit social enterprise. The cost of devices for 4 schools who purchased computers was partially funded by PWC under an initiative to support schools in upgrading their labs and returning e-waste.

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ZAMBIATechnical & TrainingOur technical priority for 2023 was ensuring continuous support for all our schools. We also refined our CCNMS data synchronisation and usage monitoring system, ensuring that we get up-to-date information from all the schools which utilise this. A training highlight was a joint session for leaders and administrators; an exciting opportunity for school leaders to interact with senior staff from the Ministry of Education.Lenovo projectWe want to thank Lenovo for their ongoing support for our work in Zambia under the Tech for All project. For this year's phase of the project, 10 schools were identified in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Each received a Digital Learning Centre complete with Local Area Network, 25 desktops, 1 server and 2 laptops for teachers' use, along with training for teachers and school leaders and maintenance support.In addition we continued to provide support, guidance and training to the 6 schools who were enrolled under phase 1 of the project. The Tech for All Project has supported over 6,596 students over the past two years.171717Our Year in Numbers:  870 Computers installed  12,004 Learners impacted

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18Amalgamated AccountsIreland & UK:Statement of Financial activities€

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Amalgamated AccountsIreland & UK:Balance Sheet€19

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Transforming Liveswww.camara.orgukcomputers@camara.org irlcomputers@camara.orgusacomputers@camara.orgCamara Education UK Limited is registered with the Charities Commission (1135540) in England and Wales .Camara Education Ltd. Is a registered charity in Ireland (Registered number 20062088).Camara Education Inc is a registered 501(c)3 organization (EIN 38304011) in the USA .