Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has donated computer equipment to a school in Malawi.

The five-hundred-plus students at Chambala Community Day Secondary School in the central area of the African country are now using the 100 personal computers, 320 monitors and 70 keyboard-mouse sets to learn digital skills.

GTR has been working with IT and educational charity The Turing Trust for the last three years, and has already donated 400 PCs and 22 tablet computers, including donating tablets to a Malawi primary school last year.

The Trust is named after World War 2 code-breaker and computer pioneer Alan Turing, and was founded by his great-nephew James Turing in 2009.

The rail operator gives its used equipment to the Trust, which reconditions it at its specialist workshops. Using a process which keeps data secure, the Trust loads new software, and then distributes the equipment to schools and charities both in the UK and overseas which would otherwise be unable to afford IT equipment.

The Trust has also trained two teachers at Chambala to teach digital skills to support students. Having also received a donation of networking equipment, the school now hosts an ‘e-library’ – an offline e-learning system – installed by the Trust.

William Bellinger-Smith, of The Turing Trust, said: “We’ve been improving this system with new materials aligned to the Malawian curriculum. GTR’s support has had a fantastic impact.”

Aidan Shanahan, GTR’s Head of IT, said: “We’re replacing this kit because it no longer supports the latest software we need to use, but it’s all potentially invaluable for charities and schools who can’t afford the IT equipment they need.

“We’re delighted to be working with The Turing Trust to make such a life-changing difference for so many people, by giving the equipment a second life. The demand for refurbished computers is so high that even the hundreds of units we’re donating is a drop in the ocean, so we hope other organisations are encouraged to work with the Trust so their redundant equipment can be re-used securely with such lasting and valuable impact.”