Building a Brighter Future: New Computer Room for Bargny High School in Senegal

At the beginning of May, Ria attended the inauguration of a new computer room at a high school in Bargny, east of Senegal’s capital. 

It was a project many months in the making, and with a very clear goal in mind: to be able to support one of the countless communities that we hold close to our hearts and that are important to us.  

To find out how this project came to fruition, let’s go back in time first. 

Bargny’s Path Towards Education 

Bargny is a city situated on the coast of Senegal, a couple of miles away from the country’s capital, Dakar. 

Not to be outshined by the metropolis, Bargny is said to be a beautiful city of over 50,000 inhabitants with its own strong cultural identity. It is mostly populated by the Lebu, a local ethnic community traditionally composed of fishermen, due to their proximity to the ocean. 

Today in Senegal, primary education is compulsory and free for children aged 6 to 16 years old. But it wasn’t always the case. The law establishing mandatory education was passed in February 1991 and later reinforced in December 2004 with more detailed measures. 

So, access to education was not always a given for the inhabitants of Bargny. The Bargny High School was first opened over 55 years ago, in 1969. Before this, young people had to go to neighbouring cities if they wanted to go to school. 

But Bargny has come a long way since the first half of the 20^th century, with 1,600 students currently enrolled at the school.  

An Attempt to Give Back 

Ria’s story with Bargny starts back in 2024, when simply trying to donate some computers. 

Following an update to our Dakar office’s materials, Ria had some extra computers to give away. In these cases, it is common practice to donate them, as we always try to give back to the communities that we serve. 

Malick Seck, VP Ria Africa, immediately thought of Bargny’s school for the donation. As a Bargny native and alumnus of that center, he was aware of the challenges that they faced. So, he reached out to Ibrahima Cissé, a teacher at the school and told him that he had several computers to donate.  

As it turns out, they were in need of computers, since they had been unable to renew their old equipment which had eventually broken down. But there was an issue: the school could not accept the machines, as they had no safe place to house them. It was a disappointment for both sides. That’s when Ibrahima explained to Malick that they would first need to build a computer room.  

But that problem wasn’t going to stop Ria. “Consider it done,” Malick replied. 

The Importance of Digital Education in an Interconnected World 

We firmly believe that the decision to build a computer room at Bargny’s school will have a monumental impact on the city’s youth.  

We live in an increasingly digitalized world. That is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the rise of new technologies has given us the tools to improve people’ lives and well-being. Knowledge and access to digital services is therefore critical for equal opportunities and inclusion. 

The use of technology in schools has been proven to have many other advantages. Among other things, it can help stimulate motivation, promote student flexibility and autonomy, encourage critical thinking, and incorporate new learning methods. 

However, factors like income and education hinder some people from accessing technology and gaining digital literacy. This creates a gap between those with access to technology and those without. This disparity is known as the digital divide. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the countries without strong technology infrastructure and digitalized learning solutions faced serious disruptions in education. According to UNESCO, up to one third of students around the world may have been unable to continue their education during school closures, sometimes for over a year. 

The Bargny School Computer Room helps combat the growing digital divide by fostering essential computer skills, equipping the students with the tools to succeed in today’s digital world. It also provides the school with reliable technology and infrastructure, helping ensure that it is better prepared for any future challenges that may disrupt traditional learning. 

Putting Money Where the Community Needs It

As a long-time champion of education, Ria was not going to back down because of some hurdles. Instead, we rose to the challenge, making the decision to meet the needs of this community when they needed it most. So began the construction of the Bargny High School computer room, one that would allow students to have the chance of acquiring and further developing their computer abilities. 

Despite the initial redirection, the project grew and ended up even more significant than it had set out to be. Fast-forward several months and, difficulties and obstacles aside, the classroom is up and running and fully operational.  

It’s now a multi-purpose room that goes beyond the machines that now reside there. On top of learning relevant digital skills, Bargny students—and the rest of the community—can now also host conferences, study and read, among many other things. 

Ria is proud of this achievement and the chance to have such meaningful impact on one of the countless communities that we serve. By understanding the various challenges our customers and loved ones face, we are better equipped to help those who need assistance the most. 

Take a look at the full story here:

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