OLPCorps PepperdineUniversity SouthAfrica
Our Mission
We are a group of MBA students from Pepperdine University and will be implementing 100 XO laptops in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. We will be working with the Van Der Kemp Primary School there and with the help of our local support, Adventures in Missions, we will be able to successfully implement, sustain, and maintain an invaluable program to the future development of the students.
Team Members
| Name | Concentration | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Allen | Business Management,
Leadership and Change Management |
VP Administrator | benjamin.m.allen@pepperdine.edu |
| Jennifer Edwards | Business Management, Finance | VP Finance | jennifer.m.edwards@pepperdine.edu |
Pepperdine University--Graziadio School of Business and Management
Pepperdine University--Seaver College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Project Proposal
We are a group of MBA students from Pepperdine University and will be implementing 100 XO laptops in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. We will be working with the Van Der Kemp Primary School there and with the help of our local support, Adventures in Missions, we will be able to successfully implement, sustain, and maintain an invaluable program to the future development of the students.
Beginning the week of June 22, our team will begin an introductory program at the school that will be intended to create excitement around the laptop program. Our team will provide all necessary technical support. The following week, the beginning of the students month long holiday, would be an intensive instructional course for the teachers and administrators. This training would be intended to integrate the laptop into the other learning curriculums of the school. We have communicated with Mrs. Debbie Jeptha, the principal of the school, and she has assured us that the teachers and students will want to participate during their holiday. Beginning July 6, we will facilitate 2 weeks of learning opportunities, an XO camp, for the children to become acclimated and familiar with the technology and laptops. When school resumes July 20, our team will continue to work with teachers and students in the class rooms to integrate the XO laptops.
Our local partners are Ken and Judy Kendall-Ball, the coordinators of Adventures in Missions (AIM) in South Africa. They will be instrumental throughout this process; they have connections in many of the schools in Port Elizabeth, as well as connections with important government officials. With their cooperation and guidance, this program will be a success. As coordinators for AIM, they constantly work with young college students who come for missionary work and teaching. After our Pepperdine Team is gone, AIM teams will continue their work in Port Elizabeth and will be able to sustain the development of the program. Currently, there is an AIM student teaching at the Van Der Kemp Primary School; her help will also be imperative in connecting with the students and other staff. Also, she has experience preparing curriculum and executing learning projects. Over the next few months, our team will be in constant communication with Ken and Judy to address all potential issues our implementation might face and we will continue to refine our plans and curriculum for the teachers and students.
This project and implementation will be invaluable to the further development of these children. The students will be able to leverage their learning experiences and will make them more competitive in a flattening world. Students will be part of a greater community of OLPC users. Aligning with the principles of One Laptop per Child, each student will be able to take ownership of their education and the technology. At school, the computer will be theirs; in speaking with our partners, we feel that students should not take the computers from the school. Our greatest concern would be making the students targets for theft or violence, and because of the economic and family situations of many students, giving them a laptop to take would potentially do that. By exposing students to this technology at a young age, it prepares them to use it later on and begins the saturation process. Also, it increases their ability to be connected and grow together as they personalize and adapt the technology to meet their growing needs. This connectivity will allow students to openly dialogue and communicate, and provide them a place to record their thoughts and ideas, and to share those ideas with others.
Our financial needs are outlined in the following budget. Thanks to our partners in Port Elizabeth, we will have host families to house us during our time in South Africa.
Due to the connection with AIM and the student missionaries who will continue to travel there, the continued support of this program through personal interaction will be more beneficial then monetary support. Also, our team’s ability to leverage our experience and spread the message about One Laptop per Child will also go a long way in continuing the mission and vision of the organization. We have the approval of our University to organize and conduct a business case competition next spring; this competition will help address potential challenges the program faces in the future and will encourage the Pepperdine community to take part in our goals and mission.
Budget
The following budgets outline our expenses for the 9 weeks we will be in Port Elizabeth. The "OLPC" budget are the expenses associated with our perceived needs. The "Stipend" budget reflects financial support available through Pepperdine University that will be used to fund additional operating needs.
OLPC
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Plane Tickets | $8,000 |
| Visa | $0 (none needed) |
| Vaccinations and Travel Insurance | $210'* |
| Food and Utilities | $700 |
| Solar Panels or Generator | $1,000 |
| Transportation | $90 (for gas) |
| Lodging | $0 (host families) |
| Total | $10,000 |
'*Medical insurance requires yellow fever, typhoid, malaria and hepatitis A
Stipend
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Truck or Car | $4,586 |
| Modem | $300 |
| Internet Air Time | $114 (6 months at $19/mo) |
| Total | $5,000 |
Pepperdine University offers a maximum $2,500 stipend per person for socially responsible internships for the summer of 2009. This money is not guaranteed, and would come in 3 separate installments over the course of the summer, and would not be available for our up-front costs. We hoping to use this stipend to cover additional costs outside of the OLPC budget.
Partner Sponsorship Letter
We have learned that a team of MBA students from Pepperdine University is interested in implementing 100 XO laptops with impoverished schools here in South Africa. Your objective is to enhance the education and development of students aged 6¬–12 and to promote ownership of technology which will enhance their educational achievements.
We are involved with local schools, and we have many connections with government officials and educational role players throughout the province. We are supported in our work with various schools by a team of apprentice missionaries enlisted through the Adventures in Missions (AIM) program connected to the Sunset International Bible Institute in Lubbock, Texas. This support is ongoing and will provide a base for sustaining the project you plan to initiate.
Therefore, we invite the team of Benjamin Allen and Jennifer Edwards to join us in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape Province for the duration of your visit to South Africa.
We have identified Van Der Kemp Primary School as the institution with which the team can work. We can offer accommodation with a host family, and easy access to the institution named. We already have at least one AIM student working in this school. Incoming teams of AIM students will be added to the support to foster continuity.
We understand that the team will train both educators and learners (these are the terms used here in education rather than the more familiar “teacher” and “student”—what terms you use is up to you) in using the computers to integrate their curriculum and educational goals with the programs installed on the XO laptops.
We agree to facilitate receiving the shipment of XO laptops and to provide safe storage prior to distribution of the laptops to the students at Van Der Kemp Primary School
Ken & Judy Kendall-Ball
AIM Coordinators
Detailed Implementation Plan
Upon our arrival in Port Elizabeth, we will go with our sponsors and pick up the shipment of XOs from customs. If, however, the laptops can be shipped directly, our sponsors have agreed to store them at their home until are team gets to South Africa. As outlined in our proposal, we will spend a week setting up the laptops and generating excitement in the school. This promotion period will help foster further buy-in and support on behalf of the students, teachers and staff. It will also allow our team adequate time to work out any bugs or potential problems setting up the technology. Following this period, we intend to hold 1 week of intensive training/learning for the teachers and administrators of the Van Der Kemp Primary School. Once the staff is familiar with the curriculum and laptops, we will facilitate a 2 week XO camp open to all primary students at the school. This camp will be used to familiarize the students with the technology in a fun and captivating way. These 2 weeks will consist of basic computer care and use and will add to the continued success of the program.
Once school has resumed, the focus will turn to a more academic use of the laptops. During the week, we will work with teachers in the classrooms of the targeted students and will help facilitate further learning using the XO laptops. To provide access for other students, we will hold and facilitate day camps on Saturdays. This will help continue the learning experiences that began during our 2 week XO camp during the school holiday.
Targeted Students
After communicating with the school and our supporters, we have decided to target first and third grade students at Van Der Kemp Primary School. There are currently 40 first grade students and 60 third grade students. These students would be the target of our class room learning.
Laptop Ownership
As stated in the project proposal, we do not think it is best to allow the students to take the laptops off school grounds. In speaking with our supporters at the school and with AIM, they expressed great concern about the security of the children. From their experience at that location, they both said that allowing the students to take the laptops off school grounds could possibly make them targets for violence and theft; the safety of the student is our first and top priority. Once the laptops have been installed and the children and teachers have learned to use them, our supporters will then reevaluate whether or not it would be safe for the students to take the computers away from the school. To increase the feeling of ownership and responsibility, the first and third grade students would essentially "own" the laptops during school hours. They will be able to take them anywhere on school grounds and will be held responsible for maintaining the upkeep of their computers.
Furthermore, the school has recently finished the construction of a new, more secure facility that will house the laptops and associated equipment under lock and key. This will prevent theft while further ensuring the success and sustainability of this project.
Vision of Sustainability
Pepperdine University is very supportive of this initiative and will be instrumental in helping our team sustain this development into the future. Upon our teams return to school in September, we will begin planning a business case competition at the graduate school. This competition will spread the word about OLPC and make people aware of its mission and goals. Also, administration has expressed an interest to do interviews for local newspapers as well as speaking at student events. We will use these opportunities to raise awareness and gain support for new teams of Pepperdine students for next summer. By leveraging our experience, we hope to create a desire in students to continue the work that we will be starting. Through these events, we realistic think that 2 teams will want to go to Africa next year from Pepperdine. Long term, we see this being a very strong form of sustainability. Students will want to take part in this program, and we can give them the necessary information and contacts to get started.
By establishing our connection with Ken and Judy Kendall-Ball, our supporters and the coordinators of AIM, now, future teams will be able to continue working in South Africa. Their support of our program, as well as the work they do with AIM, will be instrumental in the sustainability of our mission. The AIM student-teachers at the Van Der Kemp school will keep their fingers on the pulse of this program and will be able to communicate with our team about any perceived problems. This communication and connection will only further the success of future teams from Pepperdine University.
Internet Access
Currently, the school is not equipped with internet access. However, they are in an area with internet coverage and our hope is to establish a secure connection before we depart. Costs for airtime and modems have been estimated and are included in the "Stipend" budget. The cost of purchasing a modem will be approximately $300 and the cost of maintaining a 3G internet connection will be about $20 a month. Currently, we are committed to providing 6 months of internet access after which we will evaluate the success and discuss future funding.
Partnering Organizations
Adventures In Missions (AIM)
The Adventures in Missions program is a chance to make a difference in the world. As part of the Sunset International Bible Institute in Lubbock, TX, AIM is an apprentice missions program for college-age young people. The Adventures in Missions program is a focused effort by and for Christian young men and women to work together to strengthen the church and bring the lost to Christ.
For more information, go to website: Adventures in Missions
Van Der Kemp Primary School
The Van Der Kemp Primary School is located in one of the poorest regions of Port Elizabeth. Many of the students their do not have parents and are instead taken care of by older siblings. Mrs. Debbie Jeptha, the principal of Van Der Kemp, has communicated strong interest and excitement to our sponsors and has assured us of the schools full cooperation. Because of the distraught economic conditions of the students, and the willingness and desire to make changes and improve, we feel that the Van Der Kemp Primary School is an excellent candidate and will be greatly blessed by this program. They will also be willing to receive future teams of Pepperdine students who will continue the work we will be starting.