User:Malateann

OPLCorps_ Harvard and Bryn Mawr

Group Members Yusufu John (Harvard University): Ifedapo Omiwole(Harvard Univerity): Atajiri Malate-Ann( Bryn Mawr College)

Proposal

Target community: Gidan Mangoro, Nigeria.

Why Gidan Mangoro? Gidan Mangoro, a small village on the outskirts of Abuja, is made up of about 200 families from across the country with the majority of the people being members of the Gwari tribe. The people of the village are predominantly uneducated farmers. The village has one Primary school, some parts made of clay, and the senior classes made of concrete all within a very small area. Although Gidan Mangoro is located in the Capital it is plagued by poverty and illiteracy

Why our partner, Loyola Jesuit College? Loyola Jesuit College, one of the best secondary schools in Nigeria. Established in 1996 with grants from the U.S government and Jesuits of New York, Loyola Jesuit College had the sole purpose of introducing the rigorous Jesuit education into Nigerian children. As a result, the school set up the “Christian Service Program” which runs all year round, even over the summer. The motto of the school is “Service of God and others.” http://loyolajesuit.org/. As products of this institution that has taught us to always give back to our community we decided to chose Loyola Jesuit College for several reasons : the easy implementation of the project; its location; availability of willing manpower to continue to the project; our familiarity with the area and the need for such a project to positively impact the area.

How we plan to implement the project? We will be working at Loyola Jesuit College, and the Christian service program. This program was established by the school to tutor children between 4 and 13 years. The are taught basic English, Mathematics, Handwriting, and general knowledge. http://loyolajesuit.org/special_Programmes.htm#Service. Our project (OLPC) will be integrated into the curriculum for the Christian service Program. This program organizes a summer school designed for the kids by the volunteering faculty at the school. We will also be physically available on campus to facilitate the project. During the program, we will be able to easily move around the village to meet with the school employees we already know, other members of the community as well as the village chief. Letting them know about the benefits of the program. Although the children do not speak much English, communication will not be much of a problem. Since they all speak Hausa and so do we(group members), this will help the children to feel at ease with us.

How we plan to sustain the project? During the academic year, the students involved in the service program will be able to continue teaching the kids (all the students at Loyola Jesuit College take computer classes, so operation will not be difficult), with help from the volunteer faculty who will be with us over the summer. We are also planning to have a small orientation session for the service program students before we return to school. We would be able to return over the summers to monitor the progress of the project through transport grants which we can apply for from our schools.

How will the children benefit from the project and be agents of change ( Goals/ Objectives)? Although most of the children do not know who to read or write we hope that by playing and using these laptop it will be able to enhance their writing and reading skills. The children will use these laptops to draw, solve math problems, learn how to write as well as play games. The only slight adjustment we want to make to this program is that the children will not be permitted to go home with the laptops. Each child will own one, but will not be allowed to go back home with it. With the financial situation of the low-income class in Nigeria, we want to prevent the occurrence of their parents from selling the laptops in order to make ends meet. The school will safeguard the laptops for the children.

BUDGET

Item	Description	Sub total
JFK new York=Kigali 2 persons	http://www.bt-store.com/	$2192
Kigali to Nigeria 2 persons		$1760
New York to Nigeria(One way trip)2 persons		$2972
Nigeria to New York(round trip)		$1723
Accommodation- Two of the group members live close to the site of the project. However one member has to rent an apartment for 9 weeks	$100 per week for 9 weeks	$900
Transportation to the rural parts of Gidan Mangoro	Fueling car	$130
Food and drinks	Snack during breaks	$100
Stationery and necessary school supplies		$50
Visa application fees	$110 each	$330
Total		$10,157

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