Ekindling/2010 Summary Updates
OLPC Philippines grassroots group
Summary of Events
Dearest friends,
On behalf of Education Kindling (eKindling), Manigong Bagong Taon (Happy New Year)!
Woah! 2010 was a blur and it was filled with challenges, surprises, and epic wins for our first One Laptop Per Child deployment in the Philippines. Here are some of the inspirational highlights:
- Enhancing teaching and learning talents: 4 champion educators, 4 Tech Squad Kids, parents and administrators were trained in the National Computer Center on the use of XO laptops in the classrooms, maintenance and repair, and powerful and innovative ways of digital learning! Watch our Tech Squad Kids: co-teachers in the classroom.
- Inspirational Fundraising: In honor of the Mayor Juan Sanchez of Lubang, Mindoro, a community of National Computer Center employees, successfully raised nearly $24,000 to purchase 100 XO laptop. Through an email campaign and word of mouth, they collected donations ranging from $5-$2000 from over 100 individuals. Inspirational, grassroots fundraising, right? Are you inspired enough to start your own fundraising campaign?
- New Awesome Partners: Both Asian Pacific College and University of the Philippines signed up as our first university partners. They will develop new learning activities and tools for the XO laptop and provide technical support when needed. Milbank Tweed also signed up as our legal counsel and Bakitwhy.com became our first media partner, spreading the joys of our work to the world!
- 100 XO Laptops launched: On November 24, 2010, 100 XO laptops were deployed in two schools on the island of Lubang, Mindoro. Children are learning fractions and entrepreneurship skills using the Finance Activity on the XO Laptop. They are accessing wikipedia to learn about biofuels and preserving Lubang's woodlands. They are recording and taking photos of Lubang's heritage sites to learn about their history. They are learning with the XO laptop outside the classroom and in the school garden, beach front, and town center! Truly inspirational. Check out the photos: Launch Ceremony Album.
- Philippines Sec. of Education, Bro. Armin Luistro's great surprise: On Dec 6, 2010, we shared our work with the world with a formal launching that was attended by the Philippine's Secretary of Education, government officials, major media outlets, donors and supporters. In reference to the OLPC pilot, Sec. Luistro said "we were struck by this. We always thought that the best ideas were in Manila, in a first-class city with lots of money. But to our great surprise, what we thought was only possible was already a reality in Lubang." Photos: here; Press: here.
- TED talks! This past December, our Education Guru, Tessa Yuvienco spoke at TedxManila as a TED speaker. What an honor! We do our best to tell our story and our passion to rethink and innovate education for all children in the Philippines. Check out the picture at TED: team photo
What a year! This all became possible because of your support. However, we are humbled by the long journey ahead. After all, this is not about parachuting technologies into classrooms. It is about providing a meaningful education that will position our children for success as the next leaders, life-long learners, problem solvers and change makers of the 21st century. With this said, this year is about doing things better!
This year, we want to include you more. Please join the conversation about educating our children. Ask questions. If you feel inspired, email us at community@ekindling.org about starting a fundraiser or volunteering as a developer or entrepreneur. If you know movers and shakers, CSR programs, or philanthropic organizations, connect us to them. The journey is long, but it's exciting! And we invite you to join!
There's a lot in store for us in 2011 and with your support, extraordinary possibilities will turn into reality. Again, on behalf of Education Kindling, we hope you have a warm, fuzzy, and prosperous new year!
Cheers,
Ryan Letada
Executive Director
Education Kindling (eKindling)
