LIRA: The Sifunda Electricity Project
The main aim of the Sifunda Electricity Project is to promote household electricity savings using user-driven and co-designed electricity-saving tips in our home town of Makhanda.
The project aims to show the importance of locally-designed solutions to local challenges such as energy insecurity, through a partnership between academic and local communities – with the goal to enhancing the agency of Makhanda residents to contribute to small-scale solutions to wasteful electricity use practices (e.g. saving electricity via implementing simple and cheap solutions).
Involving households in the creation of the project allowed for solutions that align with local needs, interests and priorities. We have been working with households since August 2019, with local community champions.
DST/NRF/SAASTA
NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK
National Science Week is a countrywide celebration of science initiated in 2000 by the Department of Science and Technology and involves various stakeholders conducting science activities at multiple sites in all nine provinces simultaneously during one week of the year.
Scifest Africa implements a variety of interactive activities in the Grahamstown Educational District, as well as districts in other provinces on behalf of other National Science Week grant-holders.
DST/NRF/SAASTA
OPEN DAYS
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has four focus areas, namely African Origins, Antarctica, Astronomy and Biosciences selected because of South Africa’s geographical and local advantage within the area. This is to promote awareness and develop knowledge generation capacity, and human capital in these areas. Scifest Africa supports SAASTA by presenting interactive activities at Open Days funded and coordinated by SAASTA to promote awareness in these areas.
SCIFEST AFRICA REGIONAL FESTIVALS
The Scifest Africa Regional Festivals were launched in 2008 to take a selection of the best programme items of the National Science Festival to learners and educators in the Eastern Cape who could not afford to travel to Grahamstown for the festival. The pilot project, sponsored by the Embassy of Finland, saw two three-day Regional Festivals, organised in collaboration with the Eastern Cape Department of Education, held in the Mthatha Educational District and the Cradock Educational District respectively.
The model has since been developed as part of other Scifest Africa outreach programmes, which has allowed Scifest Africa to develop best practice in the development, planning, coordination, implementation and evaluation of outreach programmes in disadvantaged schools and communities.
Regional Festivals are held over three to five days, in educational districts selected by the provincial Department of Education, and reach 112 learners and eight educators from eight schools per day. Content is developed or sourced based on the needs of educators and learners in the host district and include science club and career guidance resource material.
ESKOM EXPO FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS
The Eskom Expo for Young Scientists is South Africa’s is the prestigious and only existing international science fair that affords learners the opportunity to enter a project to exhibit their own scientific investigation. The project aims to inspire and develop young scientists who are able to identify a problem, analyse information, find solutions and communicate findings effectively.
Learners must first enter a project into one of 32 regional finals held between July and September every year, then a select few are chosen to participate at the International Science Fair in Pretoria, Gauteng in late September.
The Grahamstown Region of the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists is planned and implemented by Scifest Africa and sponsored by various companies including Rhodes University, whose generous sponsorship includes first-year bursaries to study science at Rhodes University for the learners entering the top five projects.
Click here for the Regional Final Programme
A big thank you to our 2019 sponsors –
Expo for Young Scientists Title Sponsor:
- Eskom
Grahamstown Regional Final Sponsors:
- Rhodes University
- Carara Agro Processing
- CES
- NRF|SAIAB
- Pick ‘n Pay
- WESSA
- ABM Office National
- Dupli-Print & Signs Un-ltd
- Spur Steak Ranches
- Scifest Africa
- Grahamstown Foundation
CURRENTLY NOT RUNNING
BASF ON THE ROAD TOURS
BASF HOLDINGS SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD is the world’s leading chemical company. The company delivers functional services to the various local companies by standardising and optimising systems and processes using state-of-the art technologies. This allows business units to focus on operational and strategic activities. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, and crop protection products to oil and gas. BASF combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility.
The current SCIFEST-BASF Outreach Programme that Scifest Africa is currently implementing has had remarkable success.The team use this motivational platform to ensure that we are constantly developing more scientific workshops and activities that are aligned with the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) education system, enhancing the understanding of science in the classroom through a hands-on approach.
Scifest Africa has thus far interacted and worked with over 7600 learners in the Eastern Cape Region, in addition Scifest Africa has also hosted workshops for more than 70 educators and interacted with over 850 members of the general public during the public outreach awareness days.
DST/NRF/SAASTA
ASTRO QUIZ
Astro Quiz, a national quiz competition for Grade 7 learners, aims to improve the teaching and learning of basic astronomy in primary schools. The quiz is funded and coordinated by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) and implemented by centres around the country. Scifest Africa established centres which includes the Cradock Educational District, East London Educational District, and Grahamstown Educational District.