The Case of SchoolNet Namibia/Operations/Innovation

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

In addition to making the unemployed volunteers employable, there are examples of innovation and entrepreneurship inspired and enabled through SchoolNet Namibia and its partners (or which would not have happened without the resources originally obtained through SchoolNet Namibia).

Internet Cafés

For example, Junior Achievement members at Shipena Secondary School in Windhoek set up an internet café in the lab. to serve the general public (in addition to the students).

The Shipena Internet Café has become a popular spot for computer users that stream in on a daily basis. Many drop in to send e-mail, chat with friends or do internet research, while others work to improve their typing skills.

OpenLab included DireqCafe, a full featured libre internet café system for use with the LTSP thin client solution. Some schools set up their labs (or computers in libraries) as internet cafés and encouraged usage outside of school hours. One prominent example was SchoolNet's own training centre at its location in the Katutura Community Arts Centre :

Here, it is located in a traditionally disadvantaged area of Windhoek, in a poor community, and housing several schools. The Centre is itself a meeting place for the community and the SchoolNet training laboratory operates as a free local internet café when not being used for training. Needless to say, it is always busy.

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