Study Abroad: Cape Town, South Africa
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela
Project Description:
During my study abroad in Cape Town, I collaborated with Safe Cities Africa, a youth empowerment nonprofit, to develop their project management system. We transformed their basic Google Drive setup into a sophisticated platform with permission controls, document management, and team collaboration features.
During my study abroad in Cape Town, I collaborated with Safe Cities Africa, a youth empowerment nonprofit, to develop their project management system. We transformed their basic Google Drive setup into a sophisticated platform with permission controls, document management, and team collaboration features.
Global Learning & Skills
- Full-stack development with T3 Stack (TypeScript, Tailwind, tRPC)
- Cross-cultural communication and community engagement
- Project management in a global social impact context
- User permission system design and implementation
- Real-world problem-solving in resource-constrained environments
Achievements
- Developed and deployed a full-featured project management system
- Successfully onboarded 50+ users across Safe Cities Africa
- Received outstanding feedback from organization staff
- Transformed document management and team collaboration
Highlights & Reflections
Most Memorable Experience
Visiting Curro High School in Delft was an unforgettable experience. The opportunity to connect with, learn from, and play basketball with the students there was truly inspiring. Their perspectives and aspirations gave real meaning to our work with Safe Cities Africa and their youth empowerment initiatives.
Highlights
- Experiencing the culture and views from not only Cape Town but also Durban and St. Lucia.
- Meeting and working with the Safe Cities Africa team.
- Weekend excursions hiking, paragliding, sandboarding and more.
Reflections
Working with Safe Cities Africa showed me how technology can directly impact community development and youth empowerment. The experience reinforced that successful solutions must be built with a deep understanding of local needs and constraints. Seeing our project management system help streamline their important work was incredibly rewarding.
Lessons & Takeaways
Key Learnings
- Cultural sensitivity is crucial in global software development - understanding local needs and perspectives leads to better solutions.
- Regular communication with stakeholders ensures the project stays aligned with user needs and expectations.
- Documentation is key - both for technical progress and personal growth throughout the journey.
- Cultural immersion enhances project understanding and creates stronger community connections.
- Flexibility in development approach is essential when working with different infrastructure and user needs.
- Dr. Sanethia Thomas
- Ping Neo
- Naomi Harrell
- EDU Africa