Over 6,000 children are to benefit from the project when they receive tablets plus other IT equipment that will help in promoting the teaching, learning and the good use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the education system.

ProFuturo project partnering Salesians of Don Bosco AGL Province with la Caixa and Telefonica foundations on Monday March 25, 2019 started the distribution process by visiting GS Kicukiro "Imenarugamba” and giving 144 tablets to the primary school.

Before dishing out the IT equipment, 20 teachers from 10 primary schools that are participating in the project were trained for three consecutive days in the proper use of ICT equipment that use advanced technology and on how to conduct digital classrooms with ProFuturo solutions.

Euzerius Rugasire signing an MOU after receiving the tablets

Over 1,000 tablets will be distributed to ten schools in this newly rolled out project that aims at supporting the Government to promote smart classrooms. It has attracted a lot of admirers in the education field. The ten schools selected for this project are in Kigali and include; Saint Pallotti Primary School, Gihogwe PS, E.P.M.A, G.S Saint Famille, EP Jurwe, Kigali Harvest School, GS Rugando, EP Kimihurura and Escuela Salesianos EPARK

The Salesians of Don Bosco, through their Planning and Development Office, after partnering with ProFuturo, have come up with a team that will coordinate the digital classes reaching over 6,000 children in the pilot project.

According to Brother Hubert Twagirayezu, the Provincial Economer in the region of Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, the ProFuturo project originates from the cumulative experience of Fundacion Telefonica, which has worked for more than ten years in social intervention programs with children in vulnerable environments, has contributed to the eradication of child labor and educational progress, and the training of teachers in skills development to meet the challenges of the digital society.

"The main aim is to reduce the digital and social gap of children in vulnerable settings through the improvement in education quality and to make changes in the world using digital education, because through technology we will be able to give access to education to all children in the country,” said Bro. Hubert. 

While receiving the equipment, Euzerius Rugasire, the Head teacher of GS Kicukiro, praised Salesians of Don Bosco and the other stakeholders for the thoughtful act of helping to boost ICT in schools. "This is really good for us as GS Kicukiro for it is going to add to the already existing equipment and I’m sure that we will use them properly and efficiently to provide quality education to our pupils,” said Rugasire. 

Salesians of Don Bosco have been present in the Great Lakes region for over 50 years serving young people in education, social and evangelization programs and in Rwanda since 1954. When Saint John Bosco founded the Salesians in 1859 his mission was clear and simple: to be a friend of young people who were poor, abandoned or at risk, and in so doing to be a friend of Christ.  Wherever the Salesians work their mission is the same. You will find Salesians in schools of all kinds, youth clubs, in homes for homeless or abandoned children, working with street children, missionaries, chaplains in schools, colleges and universities and in parish work.