Program to Support 20,000 Nigerian Students and Community Members with Media Technology and Teacher Training
SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 2008--Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, Chevron (NYSE:CVX), and The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation are working together to extend the power of educational media technology to more than 20,000 Nigerian students and community members with the launch of eight Learning Centers and a teacher training program in under-resourced schools in Lagos, Nigeria.
Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership (the Partnership), a nonprofit organization that works in schools and communities around the world, equips each school - called a Learning Center - with a television; DVD player; a library of specially produced, locally relevant educational video programming; and access to information from any source that meets the needs of the school and community. Each Learning Center also receives three years of teacher training and technical support in how to use television and video effectively in the classroom and as a community resource.
"This partnership underscores Chevron's goal of applying collective resources and expertise in order to achieve greater long-term benefit for the communities where we operate," said Fred Nelson, managing director, Chevron Nigeria Ltd. "Our experience of the Partnership in Angola, South Africa and Venezuela has shown that the program clearly supports the professional development of teachers and brings increased parent and community involvement in the schools. This is a clear example of the value that a public-private partnership with a locally managed project strategy can bring to communities."
In the words of William Asiko, President of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, "We are happy at this opportunity to partner with Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership and Chevron Corporation to bring technology into the classrooms of primary school children in Nigeria. This approach is innovative and helps to prepare these children for today's high tech world."
"Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership is pleased to build on our relationship with Chevron and The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation in Africa and Latin America to bring educational resources to schools and communities in Nigeria," said Dr. Gail Ifshin, executive director, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership. "We look forward to working with the Ministry of Education and teachers in Nigeria to help increase educational opportunities for their students and the surrounding communities."
Eight schools in Lagos are participating in the project, which targets children and communities that lack access to technology and information. Approximately 130 teachers in Lagos will participate in training workshops in this first phase. The project is expected to reach 20,000 students and community members combined. It is hoped that new partners will join in the future to help extend the reach to more students and communities in Nigeria.
Chevron and The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation are pleased to be extending their relationship with Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership into Nigeria, building upon ongoing initiatives the companies have with the Partnership in Latin America and other parts of Africa.
About Chevron
Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies with subsidiaries that conduct business across the globe. The company's success is driven by the ingenuity and commitment of approximately 59,000 employees who operate across the energy spectrum. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and other energy products and services; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; and develops and commercializes the energy resources of the future, including biofuels and other renewables. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.
About The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation
The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation was created in 2001 to manage the community investments of the Coca-Cola System in Africa. Over the last six years, it has invested substantially in the areas of education, health and the environment; and continues to partner with credible institutions, leveraging the System's unparalleled manufacturing and distribution network, to access some of Africa's most remote locations for community development and numerous disaster relief efforts across the continent.
About Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership
Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public charity that was spearheaded by Discovery Communications Inc. in 1997 as an effort to bring together partners from the private and public sectors in support of a unique, international, grassroots education and technology project serving populations left out of the information age. Together with locally appropriate video programming and long-term training, television is being used to enhance learning and understanding, share new ideas, honor traditions, and stimulate a sense of community at a local and global level. Today, over 540,000 children plus their communities in 11 countries around the world have access to valuable information tailored to their needs. For more information please visit www.discoveryglobaled.org.
CONTACT:
Discovery Communications
Tammy Shea, +1-240-662-6506
or
Chevron
Alex Yelland, +1-925-842-0456
or
The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation
Sherree Shereni, +27-116-440-351
SOURCE: Chevron Corporation