OLPCorps Biola University South Africa
Three students will partner with InnerChange, an organization, committed to living in and creating change at grassroots level of communities, to deploy computers to children in Soshanguve Township, (Pretoria region) South Africa. We will train students, teachers and caretakers at Molotlegi Malebye Primary School and Jehovah Jireh Orphanage. Successful completion of the program will result in training roughly 150 students and deployment of 100 laptops.
The team leader is a former teacher and current intercultural studies graduate student who will use knowledge gained in community development, as well as ongoing faculty advisement to lead the team by overseeing program logistics, adult training, and ensure ongoing sustainability is maintained. A second team member is an undergraduate student pursuing a teaching career, has extensive training in early childhood education. Her recent completion of a year-long internship as Children’s Ministry Director of a 700-child Sunday School program in Kathlehong Township (Johannesburg) will ensure a successful implementation of education programs at all grade levels. The third member is an undergraduate student beginning a degree in education, and has extensive background working with elementary age children, will assist in teaching students.
Children will be in school; therefore the program will be implemented after the school day has concluded at the school site. We will work in primary classes during the day, providing technology, language arts and art lessons. Orphanage implementation will be conducted over the weekends, when children will are available. In both implementation settings, children are taught in English, Xhosa and Zulu. Adults and older students will be available for translation in both settings. InnerChange staff are currently working with Malebye Primary School and Jehovah Jireh Orphanage to prepare for the deployment of computers and discussing implantation strategies to ensure the sustainability of the project. Upon completion of our nine week program, sustainability will be maintained by InnerChange staff and interns that will continue to work with students, teachers, and orphanage caretakers. During our program, we will provide on-going training with adult staff regarding the need for technological experiences for children, enabling them to engage with students as they work on computers. We will also conduct home-visits, when needed, to work with parents and relatives and students to interact with the technology. Lastly, we will seek assistance from the closest technical college, approximately 25km away, to provide college students to assist in ongoing support.