7/27/2019 Case Study: SOS Children's Villages

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Being orphaned or abandoned can damage a childs lifelong emotional and physical wellbeing.The traumas worse still for those living in deprived and isolated regions of the world.

Meryl Davies is passionate about protecting those at risk. Thats why her organisation, SOSChildrens Villages, creates communities to nurture youngsters in a secure, healthy and

happy family-style environment.Now, as part of BTs Connecting Africa project, broadband satellite technology ishelping young people full their potential in 20 SOS Childrens Villages acrossAfrica by bringing the internet to their ngertips.

CASE STUDY

We see the real difference that the internet

makes to our childrens lives, opening theireyes to a wonderful world of informationand education opportunities.

Meryl DaviesDirector of FundraisingSOS Childrens Villages

Connecting Africa to give vulnerable childrena better future

SOS Childrens Villages

7/27/2019 Case Study: SOS Children's Villages

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Online opportunities offer young people in remote African

communities the chance to make much more of their lives

Challenge

Every child deserves to grow up and be cared

for in a stable and loving home. But in many

parts of the world the death of a parent or the

break-up of a family can leave young people

at risk, with little chance of a better life.

SOS Childrens Villages wants to change all that.

Its a charity at work in 125 countries to give

vulnerable children a safe, secure family life.

Where it can, it works with parents and carersto keep families together. And where that isnt

possible, it offers long-term residential care

and education in an SOS Childrens Villages

centre. Built at the heart of the community,

these unique facilities also provide people

throughout the area with healthcare and

vocational training.

Access to the internet opens up a world of

information, helping the children to learn

and gain the education that we take for

granted in the western world.

The guys I trained were smashing students. It was great to seethe proud looks on their faces when they were able to install

the second link themselves.

Graham HancockSatellite Engineer

BT Technology, Service and Operations

Offices worldwide

The services described in this publication are subject

to availability and may be modified from time to time.Services and equipment are provided subject to therespective British Telecommunications plc s tandardconditions of contract. Nothing in this publicationforms any part of any contract.

British Telecommunications plc 2013

Registered office: 81 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AJRegistered in England No: 180000007/13

CASE STUDY

SOS Childrens Villages

Solution

The Connecting Africa project is part of BTs

Better Future programme, which uses the

power of digital connections to improve society

globally by creating access to information,

education and employment opportunities.

Meryl Davies, Director of Fundraising at SOS

Childrens Villages, says: The value of this

partnership is the way that BT is helping

us as an organisation. BT has the vision tounderstand that, with improved systems and

structures, we will be better able to bring

long term value to incredibly vulnerable

children and families.

BT plans to bring free broadband internet

access to twenty SOS Childrens Villages in

twelve African countries via a global satellite

network using some recycled equipment.

The company has introduced a production

line approach to test and pre-congure

equipment before deployment. It means BT

can set up VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal)

satellite connections in areas where theterrain and distances between locations make

terrestrial broadband physically impossible or

prohibitively expensive.

Once online, children will have a gateway to

the world and access to the charitys e-learning

and mentoring courses. SOS Childrens Villages

will gain operationally too, as Jackie Pyne, its

Regional HR/OD Advisor, explains: In this

region, connections between countries are

difcult to establish. Its too expensive and time

consuming to be constantly travelling to see the

children. Having good web connectivity means

we can conduct virtual meetings and I can runonline training events and communicate with

the people I work with. And they can do that

with each other too.

Results

With the help of BT, two SOS Childrens

Villages in The Gambia are already online.

Another 10 are due for connection by

October 2013, with the remaining eight to

follow. And network support, run by a BT

team in the UK, will continue for three years.

But BT people are also on the ground in

Africa to make the project sustainable.

For example, BT engineers are training localSOS Childrens Villages technical support

teams to operate and maintain the network.

Graham Hancock, a satellite engineer with BT

Technology, Service and Operations, is one

of them. He says: The guys I trained were

smashing students. It was great to see the

proud looks on their faces when they were

able to install the second link themselves.

BT and SOS Childrens Villages estimate that

Connecting Africa could directly benet

100,000 people with a further 600,000

people in surrounding communities

beneting indirectly from improvedconnections. It will help boost the charitys

fundraising too. People who sponsor the

children will be able to follow their progress

through online photos and videos. And in

times of emergency, such as the recent Mali

crisis, SOS Childrens Villages will be able to

make appeals fast to support relief work.

Anna Easton, BT Connected Society

Programme Director, concludes: Weve seen

the real impact that broadband internet can

have through our projects in Africa and around

the world. This latest initiative builds on our

experience and longstanding commitments tocommunities in Africa, India and all across the

world. In all those places, through technology,

we help children and whole communities

reach for a better future.photo: Claire Ladavicius