Powering Potential’s Tanzanian partner, the Potential Enhancement Foundation (PEF), was invited to attend the Scratch@MIT Conference in July. Scratch is a computer programming language and online community where students can create their own interactive stories, games, and animations. PEF was one of 40 groups selected to present from a pool of hundreds of applicants. “It was an honor for us to go and talk about the work we are doing,” said Simon Mtabazi, who represented PEF. He described meeting the CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation as one of the highlights of the conference. “He was really interested in the work we are doing and the challenges that we face. In fact, he invited us to work with their team and to keep them updated on how our initiatives are going.” Click here to learn more about his experience.

On July 31st we also had the pleasure of welcoming Simon to New York City where he presented to members of the Powering Potential community, including staff, board members, and donors. He spoke with us about the impact of Scratch and the Raspberry Pi workshops. (Photos of the event are courtesy of Beryl Goldberg.)

Installation is now complete on the WelWel school computer lab. We were able to bring 18 computers to the students at this school in the Arusha region of Tanzania. This computer lab serves 430 girls and boys between the ages of 14 and 18.

Powering Potential Inc. (PPI) is a partner of the Segal Family Foundation, which works across Sub-Saharan Africa to support development steered by grassroots leaders and to shift power into the hands of communities. Lydia is now preparing to travel to Tanzania and Kenya where she will attend the Segal Family Foundation’s Annual Meeting in October. This meeting is an exciting opportunity to network with funders and other grantees who are doing complementary work to PPI. We are eager to share and discuss how to leverage resources to maximize our impact in the communities we all serve.

In Tanzania, Lydia will visit schools served by Powering Potential and the Potential Enhancement Foundation. "I am immensely grateful to have this opportunity," Lydia said, "to connect with students and educators and witness firsthand the impact of the SPARC computer labs in their local context."