OLPCorps IU South Africa: Difference between revisions
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=== Preparation === |
=== Preparation === |
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The twelve students who traveled to South Africa, as well as a few other participating members all played an integral role in preparing the South Africa deployment. |
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All students raised money through personal contacts and small donations. Each student was responsible for funding a certain amount of funding and personal responsibilities. We spent June and July programing the laptops, getting additional funding, and working on establishing personal contact with our South African contact, Thusanang Trust. We were in constant contact with Thusanang so that we would have an idea of what to expect once we got there. They informed us of student numbers and the student geographic as well as language proficiency logistical issues such as electricity and even a lack of places to teach (one of the schools was not yet built and still was not during our deployment). We also had a group gathering in July where we worked on lesson planning, brainstormed, and learned how to use the XO. We also had an African teacher from a local high school discuss African culture and African schools and students so we would have a better idea of how to interact in the school system. |
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In progress... |
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=== Fundraising === |
=== Fundraising === |
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=== The Schools === |
=== The Schools === |
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Revision as of 04:48, 3 March 2009
Mission Statement
One Here...One There
One Here...One There is a non-profit organization driven to foster growth in sub-Saharan Africa through primary education - the best long term solution for ending the world's worst cycle of poverty, hunger, and disease. It's all about one here helping one there.
Members
OHOT Members
- Paul Commons
Founder and President of OHOT. International Studies major, Class of 2009
- Savanah Franklin
Vice President of OHOT. Economics and International Studies majors, Class of 2009
- Joseph Peoni
Public Finance Major, Class of 2010
- Carolyn Commons
International Studies Major, Class of 2012
- Bryan Stuart
Economic Consulting and Public Policy Analysis
- Joseph Shikany
Business Marketing and Operations Management Major, Class of 2009
- Gordon Lang
Nursing Major, Class of 2012
- Joseph Delehanty
Economic, History, and German Majors, Class of 2009
OHOT Members traveling to South Africa through OLPCorps
Savanah Franklin
Joseph Peoni
Carolyn Commons
Joseph Shikany
Gordon Lang
Joseph Delehanty
August 2008 Deployment (Haenertsburg, South Africa)
Indiana University’s chapter of One Here…One There (OHOT), raised funds and purchased 150 XO laptops through OLPC's Give Many Campaign. 100 of these laptops were donated to three participating schools (Mmaweshi Primary School, Katane Primary School, Driehoek Primary School) in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The twelve OHOT students spent three weeks in Haenertsburg working with the schools and teaching the students how to use the laptops. The teachers also began training on how to use the laptops as well as how to integrate them into daily class curriculum. Locally, Thusanang Trust, and more specifically Shelley Milstein, who took on the project, helped with the distribution and much of the set-up that went along with the project. Multiple people from the Kliptown project in Soweto, Johannesburg came to help with the deployment. This included Neo Masilo, the group’s IT specialist, as well as others who were extremely valuable with their knowledge of the workings of the laptops and the local languages.
Today, the project is still going strong with the continued help from Thusanag Trust. Fears that the laptops would not last in this type of environment were dismissed with the fact that only one laptop has broken to this date and not a single one has gone missing or been stolen. The laptops are maintained with generators at the two schools which do not have electricity. There are still problems with access to the Internet, but these problems are continuously being worked on. Kliptown is still involved in the success of this deployment by continuously helping with IT problems and the maintenance or the laptops. OHOT is still funding and looking for new funds for the continuation of the project.
Involvement With OLPC
One Here...One There had no official affiliation with One Laptop Per Child during the 2008 deployment. OHOT raised all necessary funds for the project and bought the 150 laptops with these funds.
We were in contact with OLPC about our independent deployment throughout it, as well as afterward. Now we would like to pursue a more official relationship with One Laptop Per Child through OLPCorps to continue to advocate and promote OLPC and OHOT's goals.
Location
<googlemap version="0.9" lat="-25.035839" lon="29.718018" zoom="7" width="550" height="375" scale="yes"> -23.947665, 29.938774 </googlemap>
Preparation
The twelve students who traveled to South Africa, as well as a few other participating members all played an integral role in preparing the South Africa deployment.
All students raised money through personal contacts and small donations. Each student was responsible for funding a certain amount of funding and personal responsibilities. We spent June and July programing the laptops, getting additional funding, and working on establishing personal contact with our South African contact, Thusanang Trust. We were in constant contact with Thusanang so that we would have an idea of what to expect once we got there. They informed us of student numbers and the student geographic as well as language proficiency logistical issues such as electricity and even a lack of places to teach (one of the schools was not yet built and still was not during our deployment). We also had a group gathering in July where we worked on lesson planning, brainstormed, and learned how to use the XO. We also had an African teacher from a local high school discuss African culture and African schools and students so we would have a better idea of how to interact in the school system.
In progress...