DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
Republic of South Africa
PRETORIA MANAGEMENT AREA
BRANCH: DEVELOPMENT
Mr Yunus Peer
Teachers without Borders
1 February 2007
Re: Contribution / Donation of computer equipment
We felt it necessary to provide you with some feedback regarding our computer centre here at Odi Correctional Centre. This computer centre came about after your generous donation of computers facilitated through Ms Engela Pienaar.
More than 60 of these youth offenders who enrolled for the first computer literacy class in 2006 have passed with distinction! It has opened a vast majority of other education avenues for them. It is with pleasure that I can confirm that more than 80% of them now enrolled in some form of further education.
We have found that the students participating in the computer literacy courses have become more responsive to social welfare rehabilitation courses and this is the positive results coming from your donation of computers. You opened doors to these students which never existed in the past! In addition to this they have enrolled or are interested in some form of entrepreneurial business ventures as a way of supporting them as well as their families.
Our problem off course is that we now have 600 other students all wanting to do computer literacy as they have seen the benefits to others and the inspiration that it has brought about.
Therefore we would in closing, kindly request if there ever is another opportunity that you might have some addition computers available; we would appreciate it if you consider donating any excess computers to us. We plan to expand to having two computer facilities and that we may present additional classes in the near further.
Take note that with the new FET curriculum, computer literacy is a compulsory subject and we intend facilitating it to the students in our centre. With this in mind and taking the above in consideration, we are in dire need of at least 10 additional computers.
We hope to hear from you soonest,
A Mogakane
Head of Skills Development