Do you remember the Sinenjongo students from Joe Slovo Park, Milnerton, Cape Town in South Africa who made a video in 2012 appealing to South African cell phone operators to provide zero rating or free access to Wikipedia?
The video they made is called ‘The 1 Generous Thing Mobile Providers Could Do To Help Kids’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nTVAmstteM
MTN takes the challenge
The result of this was that MTN took the challenge to provide free Wikipedia access to learners on the smartphone. .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEgRnwGj4tc
MTN said, “We know that many school children in this country don’t have access to research material, which can make excelling at school so much more difficult. That’s why MTN is proud to be the first South African cellular network to make Wikipedia free. Free Wikipedia means access to a wealth of knowledge on just about every topic, giving a boost not only to school children, but to the whole education system of South Africa. We hope that by changing one small thing, we can change everything. To the learners at Sinenjongo High School who sparked this initiative… Thank you! “
The response of the learners
Watch the full #NekNomination video here and see how the students react to the news from MTN
(Note: Wikipedia will only be free when accessed through Opera Mini. This will be effective from the end of the month.)
Now go to Part 2 to see how the Wikipedia Zero project is developing throughout Africa and how you can be involved.
