LiteHaus International July Newsletter: A special message from our Founder & CEO
I am delighted to share that I have been accepted into Saïd Business School’s MBA program at University of Oxford. It is an honour to be taking up this incredible opportunity to complete an impact-oriented MBA at one of the world’s greatest universities. This life-changing experience will enhance my professional capabilities and better position me to drive even greater impact with LiteHaus International, ultimately delivering on our strategic vision to empower one million people by 2027.
To fully engage with the MBA program, I will be taking study leave from September for ten months and temporarily stepping back from my full-time role. Our remarkable team, spearheaded by Andrew Farrington and supported by our Board of Directors, will continue to deliver our programs at scale, across our ten countries of operation. Thank you in advance for supporting me in this endeavour, and for your ongoing investment and interest in LiteHaus International’s journey towards creating a million dreams.
Jack Growden
Over the past two months, we have established 35 new digital classrooms in primary schools across Papua New Guinea (PNG). With 30 new labs in the Eastern Highlands and 5 more in Kerowagi, Chimbu Province, this brings our overall count to 275 computer labs distributed across 17 provinces in PNG.
The progress these schools have made in such a short time has been impressive. We recently revisited Aviamp Primary School, one of our beneficiary schools in Jiwaka (a province where we have installed a total of 38 computer labs), and spent time with the IT teacher and students. We learned how they organise computer lessons and observed the remarkable improvements in both students and teachers.
Watch our video to learn more about their experience and the impact of our digital classrooms.
Over the past twelve months, we have delivered digital skills training for four sub-national divisions of education through the PNG Partnerships for Improving Education (PIE) program, supported by the Australian Government. We have worked with 70 staff from Provincial Departments of Education (PDoE) for Sandaun, Central and Enga Province, and the Bougainville Department of Education (BDoE) to strengthen competencies in the Microsoft Office suite and to improve e-safety awareness. In addition to training, each PDoE/BDoE received a set of refurbished laptops to enhance digital capacity and enable the important work of education service delivery.
Recently, our team travelled to the Cooktown region to distribute 210 laptops to the First Nations communities of Wujal Wujal and Hope Vale. This initiative is part of our partnership with the Queensland Government under their Digital Professional Workforce Action Plan, aimed at providing 5,000 students across the state with their own laptops. We also conducted e-safety training to ensure students can use their new devices safely and effectively.
These computers will help bridge the digital divide in these communities, where students often have to leave their homes to study in boarding schools in major cities of Australia. This support is especially crucial for the Wujal Wujal community, which was severely affected by flooding after Cyclone Jasper and has only recently returned home after months of relocation.
Manari Primary School on the Kokoda Trail has recently received a Lab-in-a-Box, a portable computer lab complete with six quality laptops, a solar power kit, pop-up desks, and the offline e-library, Niunet, which houses more than 6.2 million educational articles. This innovative solution ensures that schools with no electricity and connectivity need not be left behind in the digital age.
We thank Pacific Islands International for their support in bringing this exciting initiative to life.
LiteHaus International is expanding into Timor-Leste. Later this year, we will provide 200 laptops to schools across the country. Last June, Jack Growden met the Minister for Education, Her Excellency Dulce de Jesus Soares, in Timor-Leste to outline details for upcoming projects.
The education sector in the country faces significant challenges, including a high dropout rate and limited access to quality education, especially in rural areas. We have committed to enhancing digital capability through the installation of computer labs and digital skills training for teachers and administration staff across the country.
In the coming months, we will be deploying over 1,000 laptops into schools across South-East Asia, including Timor-Leste, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines.
We are thrilled to announce that our Founder & CEO, Jack Growden, has been named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Impact List for Asia in 2024. These annual lists bring together some of the brightest young entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders.
Jack’s inclusion in this year’s cohort is a recognition of his dedication and a testament to all the work behind LiteHaus International. With a billion people suffering from digital inequality, LiteHaus has impacted over 240,000 young people since 2017. As LiteHaus continues its goal of digitising a million dreams, the possibilities for these digitally empowered young minds are endless.
In May, we gathered with our partners and supporters for our 2024 Charity Gala Ball in Brisbane, celebrating the impact of our programs over the past seven years. We would like to thank everyone who joined us and supported our mission of enriching the lives of a million people with digital learning tools and opportunities by 2027.
A special thank you to our corporate partners, Deloitte, Sir Brian Bell Foundation Ltd, PACK & SEND Australia, AECOM, Queensland Country Bank, ExxonMobil, Pacific Islands International, Brisbane Airport Corporation, CNW Electrical Wholesale, DBM Vircon, and Orange Digital, who filled the room on the night.
Owner at Aro & Associates
5moJack, best wishes to you and Chloe as you embark on this important, and exciting, adventure!