In 2023, we partnered with a local non-profit, Project Luangwa, on a bridging course for recent graduates of secondary school to assist them with preparation for college. This one-year programme exposed students more comprehensively to computer literacy, organisational planning, time management, financial planning, and budgeting. Upon successful completion of this programme, the students were better equipped to apply for both university and government bursaries. Many rural secondary schools lack the capacity to provide information technology lessons to students (Mulauzi, Walubita & Pumulo 2019), which means students acquire little to no digital literacy before enrolling in college. Key implementing stakeholders like Project Luangwa help to fill this gap by providing students with the technical resources and practical tools they need to effectively integrate into digital learning and urban college environments. In November, all four students who benefited from this programme successfully graduated and two have already been admitted to university with 100% government bursary.

 “I feel privileged to have been part of the programme. I learnt how to communicate clearly, write emails, surf the internet for information and how to use Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. These skills helped me greatly when applying to university and now I am in university with 100% government bursary. The skills will also be beneficial during the duration of my studies as I will utilise them to conduct research, complete assignments and interact with my lecturers and colleagues.” Jackline, Time + Tide Sponsored Student Graduate