Imagine a class under the shade of an acacia in a sun-scorched village of Africa or Asia? Not a Biology or Natural Science field class for junior high school students in Toronto.
This is a ”normal” class of third graders who probably ran 5 kilometers to school on an empty stomach in the morning and who have no desks to write on. Many kids in poor rural communities in Africa have found themselves in this situation.
Even many more urban slum dwellers are forced to study entirely under trees for lack of adequate schooling resources.
More than 80 million children in Africa are hindered in their quest for education by inadequate infrastructure provided by the government so an escape from poverty through the classroom learning environment can be a harrowing experience that deters many who would otherwise want to empower empower themselves.
A South African innovation, the Lapdesk is an alternative to the traditional classroom desk; it addresses the desperate crisis experienced by millions of African school children – the lack of classroom desks in their classrooms when attending school.
The Lapdesk’s ergonomic design means that any child can hold The Lapdesk against their body or sit with it on their lap – giving them an effective writing surface whether sitting under a tree in a rural school, in a classroom without desks or at home.
These are provided free of charge to underprivileged school children, improving their educational experience both at school and at home under sponsorships of local and multinational corporations, NGOs and international aid agencies.
But the Lapdesk represents a completely new and socially relevant media platform for sponsoring organisations to communicate their chosen social or brand message, like HIV/Aids awareness or personal hygiene, to bottom of the pyramid, emerging market consumers – in a legitimate, government endorsed programme in the national interest.
By supporting the development of the country’s education needs they are also making a vital and important contribution to nation building.