First fundraising target reached – £13 000 for physics education in Africa

IOP for Africa, the Institute’s fundraising campaign to support physics education in a range of sub-Saharan countries, has so far raised over £13 000 since the launch of the initiative last month.

Our volunteers – who work unpaid – help train local physics teachers in  countries such as Ghana, Tanzania and Rwanda to enhance their subject knowledge and give them the practical skills to show students the myriad of applications physics can have. We also train local craftsmen to build experimental equipment, ensuring that the projects can ultimately become self-sustaining and enhance employment, as well as providing  ICT equipment for new local ICT centres.

The ripple effect of our projects is far-reaching – neighbouring schools have access to the centres, and an IOP-trained teacher will pass on their knowledge to a new generation. The money fundraised so far could for example provide six ICT labs with six laptops each and an internet connection for a whole year.

Dipali Bhatt-Chauhan, Manager of the Physics for Development programme at IOP said “Our IOP for Africa campaign has been a great success so far. We’re really grateful for the many donations we’ve received;  it’s an overwhelming feeling to see how passionate people are about supporting physics education in Africa.

“Whether you are an individual or a company, through your donation you will be helping IOP make a huge difference. We’ve reached our first fundraising goal but we still require further funds to provide more schools with teaching materials and resources, as well as computers and a range of ICT equipment to support their physics studies.”

If you want to help,visit our donation page.