Donated Software Helps New Zealand NGO Better Serve Mangere's Families
Since 1993, Mangere East Family Service Centre (MEFSC) has worked with children, young people, and their families to address the social and economic disadvantages that living in Mangere, one of New Zealand's poorest areas, can mean for many people. MEFSC offers a number of services to the Mangere community, including a preschool, the Social Workers in Schools program (SWIS), and the Home Intervention Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY). HIPPY focuses on home learning through a tutor-led program for parents and their preschool children as they prepare to enter school.
Maximizing contact time with the community and working collaboratively is critical for the team at MEFSC. Receiving donated versions of Microsoft Windows XP, OneNote, and Office Professional Plus 2007 through TechSoup New Zealand made a significant difference. Instead of being a problem, technology became a tool to create better results for the children and the families MEFSC serves. Now less time is spent learning how to use technology and more time is spent with the Mangere community.
