Download - Case Study: SOS Children's Villages
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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
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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