OLPCorps UIUC SaoTome

Images from Illinois community informatics work in São Tomé, 2008

Small Step: Project summary

Students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign propose to implement the OLPC project Summer 2009, called Small Step, on the island country of São Tomé e Príncipe. The team includes four computer-savvy undergraduate students who have participated in service learning activities in the United States; some have international experience as well.

The team proposes to actively engage youth on the island by providing essential computer literacy skills as well as experiential learning as citizen scientists/journalists to girls ages 9-12. They will use geographical information systems in conjunction with XO laptops to create multimedia histories of their communities that will be accessible online.

STeP UP, an NGO based in São Tomé e Príncipe devoted to the principles of self-help development, will be the team's local partner. In addition, University of Illinois staff will provide logistical support during their stay on the island as part of a larger scholarship of engagement project (see http://saotomeproject.wordpress.com for further details on the University projects occurring in collaboration with the São Toméan community). Further, several University students, as part of a service learning course project, will work with the Teachers College in São Tomé to set up a computer lab for the college and to help integrate technology, including XO laptops, and informatics into the curriculum (see http://courseweb.lis.uiuc.edu/~mwolske/lis451/).

Team members

Small Step team members are undergraduate students at the University of Illinois who are minoring in informatics, a discipline devoted to applied computer science and the effect of information technology on people. These students also have a strong interest in helping African people by helping build computing infrastructure and training people to effectively use computers as tools of community empowerment.

• Project lead Corey Jackson, International Studies major, Informatics minor, BS 2010

Corey has worked in youth recreational programs for the Chicago Park District. At Illinois, he has served as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and Volunteer Illini Projects, the University's community service organization. He manages databases and writes computer applications for the University's Office of Minority Student Affairs. He has spent time in China and France and speaks French.

• Infrastructure lead Michael Stein, Urban Planning major, Informatics minor, BS 2010

Michael will use his experience, owning and working in a computer repair shop in suburban Chicago, to help set up and manage the server, repair existing computer labs on the island, and train teachers and children on XO laptop use. He will also use his photography skills to integrate geotagged photos into a digital map for an Illinois-led community mapping project on the island. Michael has several leadership roles at the University including Public Relations Chairman and Section Leader of the Illini Drumline, Web Committee Chair of the Student Planning Organization, and Web Committee Chair of the Marching Illini.

• Education lead Jennifer Regan, Political Science major, Informatics minor, BS 2010

Jennifer has been a 4-H staff member in Illinois for five years, where she taught science-related activities and was a counselor for girls ages 8-11. She has studied the African diaspora and has taken African history courses as college electives. She has also volunteered for her church's AfriShare program, coordinating donations to their sister parish in Uganda. She has had some exposure to Portuguese.

• Technical lead Chika Umeadi, Political Science major, Informatics minor, BS 2010

Chika is a technology consultant for Applied Technologies for Learning in the Arts and Sciences, the university's administrative computer services support organization. He is also a site supervisor for the Illinois Mentor Program, a volunteer service-learning organization that mentors children in the Champaign community. Chika is fluent in Ibo and has intermediate knowledge of the French language.

Dates

June 8 - August 7, 2009

Location

The Small Step project will take place on the Luso-African island of São Tomé, the larger of the two islands that comprise Africa's smallest country, São Tomé e Príncipe. It is located in the Atlantic about 200 miles northeast of Gabon. About 140,000 people live on the 386 square mile island, and the official language is Portuguese. The project will involve the distribution of XO laptops to urban and rural locations throughout São Tomé, in each of its six counties.

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Partner organization

• STeP UP NGO based in São Tomé e Príncipe devoted to the principles of self-help development.

Consulting organizations

• Illinois Informatics Institute Academic unit at Illinois that offers the minor in informatics, which all team members are pursuing along with their majors.

• Graduate School of Library and Information Science Academic unit at Illinois that participates in community informatics programs in São Tomé. Their staff will provide logistical support for this project.

• University of Illinois Student team members are undergraduates at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Letters of support

• Letter of support from STeP UP

• Letter of support on behalf of I3 coming

Proposal

Our work with children

The local participants of the Small Step project will be girls ages 9-12 years. The distribution of the laptops will be blended among urban and rural populations. University student team members will collaborate in part with the University’s youth community informatics project in the United States (see http://yci.illinois.edu for project examples and potential curriculum), a project that seeks to actively engage youth in their communities to take on the issues that affect them the most. As such, training will focus both on essential computer literacy skills as well as experiential learning as citizen scientists/journalists. As citizen scientists, girls will further develop critical inquiry skills and learn scientific research tools and methods, including geographic information systems, through engaged exploration to help bring about positive change in their community. Further, some São Toméan girls will be given the opportunity to work with University researchers as collaborators to study and help their community meet community goals as action researchers. As journalists they will be taught essential interview and storytelling skills using projects that encourage them to interview their elders, create written and multimedia oral histories, and tell about the rich history and present situations of their country, communities and members.

The children are in school until mid-July. School is held in the morning. The first month of implementation will take place in the afternoons. Once school has been dismissed for the year (mid-July) the training will be offered in the morning as well.

Our local partner

Our local partner in São Tomé will be the NGO STeP Up (http://www.stepup.st/). This NGO works with grassroots organizations to develop and facilitate projects aimed at community development. The organization has a history of project implementation and has full support from the national government. The director of STeP Up is the former Peace Corps director in São Tomé and has lived there for over ten years.

Project impact on 6-12 year old children

São Tomé, like the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa, has few resources to devote to technology or computer literacy. These laptops will enhance their education and provide new avenues for learning. This will be particularly evident in the rural (plantation) areas where the quality of education is significantly less than the urban centers. As in the São Tomé cultural lexicon, “everyone is my cousin,” these laptops will be shared with other children. In São Tomé 48% of the population is under the age of 14. Many young girls in São Tomé do not advance beyond primary school because of responsibilities in the home. Since the targeted group is part of StepUp’s educational program the laptop computers will encourage parents to allow their daughters to advance in school.

Financial support after we leave

StepUp and the University of Illinois will provide future support for the Small Step project. StepUp will monitor the usage and provide additional training. They will continue to provide financial support for the educational advancement of this group of girls. The University of Illinois sends teams annually to São Tomé. The students and faculty participate in service learning projects based on technology and informatics. OLPC will be incorporated into future projects with university students providing maintenance support and teaching these girls additional applications of technology that can be used as tools to improve their lives. The intent is to follow these girls through young adulthood and build on their knowledge base and how the laptops are incorporated into their lives.

Communication

The primary language of São Tomé is Portuguese with French spoken by many of the citizens. Team members will take a two-week intensive primer of Portuguese. Some University staff who will be in São Tomé working on other projects during this time have been there before and and some have proficiency in Portuguese. Staff at StepUp who will be participating in the project speak English well and will be traveling as part of the team.

Budget narrative

Airfare: $11,800 São Tomé is a difficult location to access by air. The most reliable flights come in from Lisbon. Two of the team members will need to first fly to Kigali and then return to Europe and then travel through Lisbon. The other team members will fly directly to Lisbon where they will all meet to fly the last leg into São Tomé. The costs for the Kigali team members are estimated at $3,500 apiece. The other member airfare is estimated at $2,400 apiece. The total airfare for the team is estimated to be $11,800.

Sao Tome Lodging: $2,400 The most cost effective housing arrangements will be to rent a house rather than moderately-priced hotel rooms. Based on previously available house rentals the lease is expected to be $1,000 per month. The utilities will be approximately $200 a month. The house will be rented for two months.

Meals: $4,800 The most economical meal plan will be to purchase food in the market place and prepare it at home. The estimated cost is $20 per person per day for a total of 60 days (two months).

Transportation: $1,000 The distribution of the computers will be over the six districts on the island. This will require travel outside of the capital. A mini bus or taxi with driver can be rented by the day for a reasonable fee. When a four wheel drive vehicle is needed it can be rented through a local dealer. StepUp has a pickup truck which can be used to deliver the computers. Bus transportation will also be used.

Communications: $200 Local cell phones will be used by the team to communicate and coordinate their activities. Phones will be provided by STeP Up. Minutes will need to be purchased. Visa and Exit Fee: $360 The visa fee for two months is $70 and the exit fee is $20. Immunizations: $500 Yellow fever vaccinations are required for entry. Malaria suppressants are highly recommended. The costs for malaria suppressants can vary widely depending on personal health insurance.

TOTAL ESTIMATED BUDGET: $21,060