E3 Rural Samoa Trust prepares rural Samoan communities for the digital future

Staff Reporters

APIA, SAMOA – 18 AUGUST 2022: The E3 Rural Samoa Trust has established a partnership with Code Avengers and Digital Discipline to prepare rural Samoan communities for the digital future.

The partnership aims to enhance engagement and empower Samoans in rural and remote communities with connectivity and resources in order to increase digital literacy and fluency among teachers and students to improve social and economic development.

The latest development, the parties in this collaboration have provide devices, connectivity, and learning resources to the Palauli Primary Schools in Samoa to prepare students for digital careers and education.

“A basic right rather than a privilege, digital literacy is now recognised as an essential life skill,” said Tony Sua Leota, E3 Rural Samoa Trust.

“In a world where societies are evolving and technology is advancing, the development of digital literacy is equally important as developing literacy, writing, and mathematics skills in the classroom. It was however challenging to effectively integrate digital literacy into curricula in many education institutions here in Samoa due to a lack of infrastructure, technological equipment, teacher training, or learning benchmarks” he said.

Code Avengers and E3 trust began working on the project just before the Measles epidemic in 2019 and the gap and need for connectivity for students learning was exposed more by the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020.

Tony Laulu, founder of Digital Discipline (seated 3rd from Right next to his wife) with teachers and Palauli School Committee members after he presented computer equipment for the school.

The partnership aimed at determining the most effective way to impact the lives of young people in rural Samoa so that they are better prepared for the digital future and the workforce.

“The goal of digital inclusion extends beyond closing gaps,” said Ray Allen, Chief Operating Officer at Code Avengers.

“It is an opportunity to build a fair and equitable society as well as a vibrant economy. By building the right skills, our students will be able to compete in the digital economy, which is growing rapidly. As we move into a digital age, it is essential to be skilled in ICT. We are grateful to have partnered with E3, the Samoa Trust, and Digital Discipline. It’s an extremely valuable and powerful partnership.” said Ray Allen.

The pilot project started working with the Siufaga Adventist Primary School with their first ever teacher training. As part of the initiative, 150 students benefited from the program where Code Avengers provided free digital technologies and programming educational resources and platform training to participating schools. E3 facilitators utilised the Code Avengers eLearning platform to train the teachers to teach Computer Science in the classrooms.

The group strives to provide equal opportunities to all the kids who participate in the programme, open doors to innovation and promote digital literacy regardless of their career choice.

Sasina Primary School is part of the rural connectivity project on Savaii Island.

Tony Laulu, who is from Palauli, Savaii and founder of Digital Discipline, later got involved in the project.

“I’m really thankful to the E3 Samoa Trust, Code Avengers for this opportunity to help and contribute to my people in Samoa. It has been a real privilege to be able to partner with these great organizations to provide some resources for these schools,” said Tony Laulu of Digital Discipline.

“Even though I didn’t grow up in Samoa and even though most of my life has been spent in New Zealand, my heart always wants to see how I can contribute and help back home because if anyone ever asks me where my home is and where my roots are, it’s not New Zealand, it’s Samoa,” he said.

The project started its focus on Savaii Island as it aims to make a greater impact on the remote and vulnerable communities by utilizing the relationships that they have with the Village Councils, Women’s committee, Schools and the PTA, who all play an integral role in all major development projects on the island.

“Our mission is to encourage other Samoan organizations and individuals to support our program and give back to their communities in Samoa,” said Tony Sua Leota, E3 Rural Samoa Trust.

“The work of Tony Laulu and Digital Discipline with Palauli Primary is a great example of giving back and helping rural and remote communities directly without being here,” said Leota.