Chisimba

Chisimba is a Web 2.0 enabled rapid application development framework for creating web applications that are platform independent, browser independent, and can use a number of common databases.

Chisimba is the Chichewa (Malawi) word for the framework used to build a traditional African house.

Chisimba is used to deploy educational content via an e-learning platform.  The program is written in PHP5 and has over 200 modules of functionality that are available for out-of-the-box use to create a variety of systems such as a content management system; a feature-rich e-learning platform;  a group-based collaboration platform;  and a blogging system that allows posting from mobile phones.

Sustainability for Chisimba

Whilst Chisimba facilitates the creation of an open-source platform for educational use on the one hand, on the other it also provides training to students at FET colleges around South Africa on open source software and the Chisimba platform in particular.   The objective of the training is to build both awareness and capacity around open source software and Chisimba in order to support Government’s open source mandate.

Recent activities

Phase One kicked off in early 2010 by training 10 FET colleges from five
provinces.  In this phase the project focussed on creating awareness of the project; and getting buy-in from various stakeholders which included government departments and non profit organisations.  The purpose of phase two will be to focus on the further development of Chisimba and other related FOSS applications, which will include mobile technologies.   Currently Chisimba has an e-learning application called Kewl and this will be developed into a mobi version for students.

Training will be undertaken in the remaining provinces in the second
phase.  Chisimba is currently working with the Department of Communication to accredit the FOSS training course which also focuses on related FOSS technologies such as mysequel and php.

A sub-project of Chisimba has been initiated in partnership with the Kwa-Zulu Natal municipality, and local non profit DigiConnect.  The sub-project will establish a programme to involve unemployed ICT graduates in the development of the municipality website.  It is hoped that one of the outputs of the project will be to develop a successful SME business model for replication in other provinces.

For more information visit the Chisimba website.