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Fabrication labs

We link ‘STEAM’ theory to hands-on learning

Using practical materials and real-world applications.
Impact: timetable set up with technical schools in Kisantu to provide practical electrical circuit labs to as many students as possible throughout the school year
Building electrical 'indoor' circuits (November 2024)

CLIC Africa organises fabrication labs to offer schools in Kisantu a solution to the acute shortage of hands-on learning, due to a severe lack of practical teaching materials.

As a first step in this project, during the recent mission in November 2024, our volunteers Marc and Willy organised practical electricity workshops for around 50 pupils/trainees from several technical schools in Kisantu. Using three practical work stations, the students carried out exercises on the construction of indoor circuits. In a next step, we plan to expand this project to more complex applications and a start of simple programming and applications of microprocessors using Arduino sets. Our volunteers have designed and set up a modular system of about 60 robust switch boxes for this purpose, which will soon be used in the sessions under the supervision of Fabrice, our project leader of this lab, who will lead these workshops throughout the school year and will be supported by his mentors Willy and Marc via regular exchanges.

This first application is a definite step towards setting up other practical labs in the near future. We are considering repair of specific critical equipment such as water pumps, car mechanics, etc., but also skills such as construction techniques, woodworking, agricultural cultivation and crop transformation, and sewing workshops. For this, we will collaborate as much as possible with existing training centres and volunteer mentors from Europe.

Objectives:

  • Equipping our labs with modern scientific instruments and materials and running them with care for order, tidiness and regular maintenance
  • Creating a place for pupils to broaden their scientific and technical knowledge and aspire with confidence to further studies and training in STEAM
  • A place where science and technology “come alive” and where young people find inspiration and motivation to practise (more) hands-on skills
  • Raising awareness among schools in Belgium through personalised North-South cooperation between teachers and pupils
  • Deployment of enthusiastic volunteer subject specialists who are willing to set up analogue fabrication labs for our upcoming STEAM applications