Dell Technologies and SHAWCO Transform Kensington Solar Community Hub

In partnership with SHAWCO, Dell Technologies has unveiled the Kensington Solar Community Hub in Cape Town, enhancing the existing facility with a medical clinic to offer healthcare services to the Kensington community.

This expansion complements educational programs, providing critical digital skills and International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) certifications.

“Partnering with Dell Technologies for its inaugural Solar Community Hub in South Africa is a truly humbling and significant moment for us, said Jackie Stewart, Executive Director of SHAWCO.” This initiative has the potential to serve as a template for positive change, demonstrating what can be achieved in other regions of South Africa and on the broader Dell Giving map. We have a shared focus on the growth and impact of digital literacy and our commitment to closing our country’s social fault lines, especially regarding access to technology and resources.”

Dell’s Solar Community Hubs deliver essentials and digital skills for the digital economy. With 12 hubs in South Africa, SHAWCO operates mobile health clinics, offering free medical consultations and health education.

Natasha Reuben, Head of Transformation at Dell Technologies in South Africa, said: “SHAWCO is the ideal partner for this initiative and helps ensure the Kensington community can receive dignified healthcare. We are proud and excited to bring healthcare, education, and social support to this community through the evolution of this programme.“

Doug Woolley, Managing Director for Dell Technologies in South Africa, agreed. “The Kensington Solar Community Hub demonstrates our combined commitment and investment to support end-to-end growth for communities. We’re excited to expand our digital access mission with this hugely beneficial healthcare facility,” he said.

Key characteristics of the Kensington Solar Community Hub include:

• The community manages the health clinic and features multi-purpose rooms for health screening and other services, enabled by Dell solutions.
• SHAWCO runs its Beyond Education Health Clinics and Violence Protection Programme at the clinic.
• Three units merged into two 40-foot containers, forming a structure accommodating 23 computer users.
• The hub provides ICDL certification for community members to attain international computer skills recognition and become certified trainers.
• The hub also offers training in Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as coding.
• Community members can attend Summer School lectures broadcast from the University of Cape Town.
• Future plans for the hub include the addition of rainwater collection.

“The training programme was highly effective. The children enjoyed the classes, and the instructors were excellent. The parents were impressed by the skills the children learned and our teachers received much-needed digital literacy. Ongoing support from SHAWCO makes our partnership very beneficial. Thank you to Dell and SHAWCO for doing great work in our communities.” – Mymoena Anthony, Playtime Daycare Centre