OLPCorps ClaytonStateUniversity&AgnesScottCollege Ghana
Team Members:
Obed Sai - Clayton State University: Information Technology '10
Rochelle Nakhid - Agnes Scott College: International Relations '09
Proposal
Proposal for OLPCorps in Ghana
In many rural areas in Ghana, school performance is very low as children are obligated to help their families with household chores or on the farms. The Kwaebibirem District is relatively poor with agriculture as the main source of livelihood for 72% of its population. Getting parents to see the value of education and getting their children excited about school is our solution to this problem.
Our team consists of two people, one is a native of Ghana, and the other is from Trinidad and Tobago. Thus, language is not a concern as the Ghanaian speaks the local languages, and both speak English which is also spoken in the villages and taught at school. Obed is an Information Technology major and Rochelle is an International Relations major with a focus on Africa.
We will work with 5 public schools in the following communities; Twapease, Tramkese, Akuming, Takorase, and Adankrono. We are focusing on these five communities so that there is greater access to these laptops within the district, and since these communities are very close to one another, accessibility will not be a problem. All 5 communities have access to electricity, so the laptops can easily be powered. We will however need to route wireless internet from the district office to the schools. We will also set up a server for all 5 communities preloaded with educational software, and necessary filters. Our focus will be on the 4th grade students of these schools. On average there are 20 4th graders in each school, thus the 100 laptops will be spread evenly amongst these schools.
First of all, we will instruct laptop recipients on the basic functions of the computer. We plan to drive home the point that the laptops are to motivate the children to be the agents of change in the community. For safety purposes we will have the children leave the laptops at school during the semester and over the period of the summer camp, so that we are assured that it will always be there for daily use.
As school ends at the beginning of July, we will host a summer camp for the recipients as well as other students. We plan on visiting a different community on different days of the week. The aim of these camps is to allow the recipients the opportunity to share what they have learnt with their fellow neighbors and friends. We will be on hand to help train the students on how to use the laptops. Helping us will be volunteer students from grades 11 and 12 that will be petitioned from the community. In addition to learning computer literacy and internet surfing, we will also offer English language and mathematics classes that will make use of online tools for learning. On weekends we plan to offer classes to parents and other community members so that they too learn and be supportive of their children. We also hope to train parents in technical issues so that they can assist with maintenance and repairs.
Helping us with our project would be Children’s Rights International (CRI), a local non-profit organization. They will assist with receiving the shipment, storage, and deployment. They will also ensure the sustenance of the program by coordinating programs where students can showcase their level of proficiency with the laptops to the community. Local personnel will be trained in maintenance of the laptops, and will house all spare parts. We will contact the Ministry of Education to ensure that internet access is available to the students. We will also work together with CRI to find alternative means to finance the sustenance of the program.
Proposed Timeline:
Week 1 - Familiarize ourselves with the surroundings, the school, and the partner organization. Take laptops to locations. Work out fine details of distribution, test connectivity etc. Meet and train teachers after school.
Week 2 - Distribute laptops. Explain responsibilities that recipients hold to be the agents of change in their communities. Meet with parents for signing of an agreement to support the children studies to bring change to the community. Begin teaching basic functions of the laptop.
Week 3 - Further instruction on functions and programs. Hold classes for recipients after school.
Week 4 - Engage volunteers to help over the summer. Training for them and continued training for recipients.
Week 5 - 9 - Summer Camps; Volunteer help is necessary here. (Stipend provided)
Budget
Budget for OLPCorps in Ghana
Team Members: Obed Sai; Rochelle Nakhid
Item/Activity Quantity Unit Cost Total Comments
Air Tickets from Atlanta to Accra (Round Trip) 2 $ 2,200 $ 4,400 Departing from Accra to Kigali should help save us about $2,000 in transportation cost.
Air Tickets from Kigali to Accra (Round Trip) 2 $ 1,250 $ 2,500
Ground Transportation (Laptops included) 2 $ 100 $ 200 We will need a truck to move laptops form Accra to the district.
Lodging 2 $ 300 $ 600 Local District might help out, but no promises have been made.
Food 2 $ 250 $ 500
Wireless Routers 2 $ 70 $ 140
Immunizations 2 $ 150 $ 300
IT Support Person 1 $ 100 $ 100 We might need a technical person on hand for situations we cannot handle.
Visas
- to Rwanda 2 $ 60 $ 120 - to Ghana 1 $ 80 $ 80 Obed is a citizen of Ghana.
Stipend for Summer Camp Volunteers 5 $ 100 $ 500
Stationery and Equipment for Summer Camp 1 $ 100 $ 100
Emergency Funds 2 $ 100 $ 200
Grand Total: $ 9,740
Deployment Country
Ghana, West Africa