In 2012, the United Nations recognised that access to information is a human right, up there with water, electricity, dignity and the right to freely express oneself.
Siyafunda CTC is a South African organisation working to make sure that access to information is a right afforded to all South Africans, in accordance with the United Nations’ declarations and the country’s own constitution.
Of course, South Africa’s socio-economic landscape poses several challenges, such as getting services into underserved areas (mostly rural) to uplift the lives and prospects of those living there.
Siyafunda CTC is one of the local organisations working to do exactly that. With the help of partners in both the public and private sectors, Siyafunda is setting up various centres in rural areas equipped with computers and connectivity, bringing Google, Wikipedia, e-learning resources, and contact with other communities to rural residents.
The aim is to empower youngsters to learn new skills and gain knowledge via the internet that will help them find employment or even some day create their own job-creating businesses, with which to uplift themselves and those around them.
The programme has won over 20 prestigious awards since its inception in 2009, including one for “Skills Summit Development Achiever Awards: Best Training Partnership Programme” in 2015.
In the previous financial year, Tarsus Technology Group donated around R800k to Siyafunda CTC to support and further develop their initiatives around the country.
“Tarsus Technology Group understands the importance of access to information in a rapidly developing country such as ours and that is why we support Siyafunda CTC because they ensure that the people that really needed information, get it and are in turn able to uplift others” says Anton Herbst, Head of Strategy at Tarsus Technology Group.
