OLPCorps Georgetown Kenya: Difference between revisions
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'''The Team''' |
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Sarah Ancas: Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service, Class of 2009 |
Sarah Ancas: Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service, Class of 2009 |
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Leslie Gordon: Georgetown University, College of Arts and Sciences, Class of 2009 and University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, MSc Candidate, 2010. |
Leslie Gordon: Georgetown University, College of Arts and Sciences, Class of 2009 and University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, MSc Candidate, 2010. |
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| ⚫ | As two African studies students at Georgetown University who studied abroad together in Tanzania in the summer of 2007, we already have experience in East Africa working with local people and initiatives. We both speak at least intermediate level Kiswahili and have closely studied the social and political culture of East Africa in classes at Georgetown and abroad. |
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| ⚫ | As two African studies students at Georgetown University who studied abroad together in Tanzania in the summer of 2007, |
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[[Image:Leslie&SarahinTanzaniasmall.jpg]] |
[[Image:Leslie&SarahinTanzaniasmall.jpg]] |
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'''Our Project''' |
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We |
We will deploy the laptops in partnership with the [http://www.childrenofkibera.org Children of Kibera Foundation (CofK)], directed by Kenneth Okoth, Assistant Professor of African Studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and native of Kibera. We plan to distribute 75 laptops to the Red Rose School in Kibera and 25 to the Salve Regina School, located 15 kilometers outside of Nairobi, in the Kiambu district. |
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The [http://redrosechildren.blogspot.com Red Rose School]is run and funded by CoKF. Red Rose is located in Nairobi's largest slum and its students are among the most vulnerable youth in Kenya. It serves 75 children between the ages of 6-12, who will be in school through July with additional programs through the middle of August. Red Rose already has a few PC laptops with wireless capabilities which have shown amazing results that we hope to amplify. |
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'''About Salve Regina:''' |
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We will work primarily with the [http://redrosechildren.blogspot.com Red Rose School] in Kibera, which is directly run by the Children of Kibera foundation. Red Rose serves over one hundred of the poorest and most vulnerable children in Kibera, Nairobi’s largest slum, with its Childrens' Center and school classes, as well as with the sponsorships it provides for a select group of high school students. |
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[http://salvereginaschool.blogspot.com Salve Regina] is a small, underfunded school serving extremely disadvantaged students and it has previously received books and supplies from CoKF. It currently has approximately 25 students between the ages of 6-12, none of whom have any computer access. We have been in contact with Greg Karungo, Salve Regina's Director, who assured us that the school has one teacher who is computer-literate that will serve as a point-person for the laptop project. |
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Ken and the students and teachers at Red Rose have already started to use technology to share their stories through blogs, photo albums, penpal programs, and [http://litworld.realelibrary.com/index.php/RealeBooks/browse/online_books/ online books]. We believe that with the help of the teachers at Red Rose, the new XO laptops would facilitate this process and allow the students to connect with each other, as well as with students in the States from an even earlier age in a more direct way. We can use Ken's connections to the Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, where he teaches, to expand the existing penpal program. Red Rose students could take their laptops home with them, allowing their family members to get involved in the discussion with their new American friends. |
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'''Benefits:''' |
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Red Rose's limited access to computers has produced marked and tangible benefits for its students. Both school retention and attendance have increased as a result of computer access, providing students with a creative and participatory outlet that also yields marketable life skills. The students and teachers at Red Rose use technology to share their stories through blogs, photo albums, penpal programs, and [http://litworld.realelibrary.com/index.php/RealeBooks/browse/online_books/ online books], in addition to accessing free educational materials online which would otherwise be prohibitively expensive. The XO laptops would scale-up access within the existing projects and allow the students to more easily connect with each other and forge relationships with students outside their own community. Using the successful blueprint from Red Rose, we can transplant a similar program to Salve Regina, where the lack of computers has prohibited this type of project. |
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'''Work Plan:''' |
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| ⚫ | The 75 laptops at the Red Rose School can remain in the school's secure computer lab when not at home for the students' project work. Many teachers at Red Rose are already trained on PC and Apple computers, and we are comfortable that we can train them on the XO hardware and software upon receiving the OLPC training. We would also hire and train a computer teacher who could continue the project after our departure, and we allocated a year's salary for this teacher in our budget, as well as the necessary money to pay for the extra electricity the computers would require. We see this aspect of the project as a critical part of continuity and creating local ownership of this effort. |
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| ⚫ | During our time in Nairobi, we will work systematically to integrate the XO laptops into the existing technology-related programs at Red Rose. Because of our experience with internet-based social networking and research, we can work with Red Rose's teachers and administrators to incorporate projects into the curriculum and after-school activities. Project themes of their own choosing will allow students to engage their community, both locally and outside their borders, to learn more about themselves and others and research areas of their own interest. |
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Our second program site is the Salve Regina School. We will work simultaneously with the teachers and students at Salve Regina, who will be in school through the end of July; the teachers will be available for additional training in August. We will help the teachers develop a curriculum that uses the laptops and allows the students to pursue their own interests while expanding their academic horizons. The students can then take the laptops home to use among their local community as part of their academic exploration. |
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| ⚫ | During our |
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Once we get the program in Kibera started, we plan to then incorporate the [http://salvereginaschool.blogspot.com Salve Regina School], a small, underfunded school located outside of Nairobi which has received books and supplies before from Children of Kibera. Our communications so far with Greg Karungo, from Salve Regina, have been promising, as Mr. Karungo has assured us that the school has one teacher who is computer-literate and is willing to serve as a point-person on our program to help Salve Regina utilize the XO laptops. These laptops could serve as a way to link rural and urban students, as well as to give the more isolated young students from Salve Regina a way to access the worldwide community that sits on their doorstep, just out of reach, in Nairobi. In our conversations with Mr. Karungo, he has assured us that the 20-odd 6-12 year old students would be eager to use the laptops, and that the teacher would be available for training when the school is on break in August. |
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| ⚫ | We believe fully in |
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'''Budget:''' |
'''Budget:''' |
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Revision as of 16:39, 26 March 2009
The Team
Sarah Ancas: Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service, Class of 2009
Leslie Gordon: Georgetown University, College of Arts and Sciences, Class of 2009 and University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, MSc Candidate, 2010.
As two African studies students at Georgetown University who studied abroad together in Tanzania in the summer of 2007, we already have experience in East Africa working with local people and initiatives. We both speak at least intermediate level Kiswahili and have closely studied the social and political culture of East Africa in classes at Georgetown and abroad.
Our Project
We will deploy the laptops in partnership with the Children of Kibera Foundation (CofK), directed by Kenneth Okoth, Assistant Professor of African Studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and native of Kibera. We plan to distribute 75 laptops to the Red Rose School in Kibera and 25 to the Salve Regina School, located 15 kilometers outside of Nairobi, in the Kiambu district.
About Red Rose:
The Red Rose Schoolis run and funded by CoKF. Red Rose is located in Nairobi's largest slum and its students are among the most vulnerable youth in Kenya. It serves 75 children between the ages of 6-12, who will be in school through July with additional programs through the middle of August. Red Rose already has a few PC laptops with wireless capabilities which have shown amazing results that we hope to amplify.
<googlemap version="0.9" lat="-1.311411" lon="36.784512" zoom="17"> -1.313305, 36.784644, www.childrenofkibera.org Children of Kibera Foundation Red Rose School </googlemap>
About Salve Regina:
Salve Regina is a small, underfunded school serving extremely disadvantaged students and it has previously received books and supplies from CoKF. It currently has approximately 25 students between the ages of 6-12, none of whom have any computer access. We have been in contact with Greg Karungo, Salve Regina's Director, who assured us that the school has one teacher who is computer-literate that will serve as a point-person for the laptop project.
Benefits:
Red Rose's limited access to computers has produced marked and tangible benefits for its students. Both school retention and attendance have increased as a result of computer access, providing students with a creative and participatory outlet that also yields marketable life skills. The students and teachers at Red Rose use technology to share their stories through blogs, photo albums, penpal programs, and online books, in addition to accessing free educational materials online which would otherwise be prohibitively expensive. The XO laptops would scale-up access within the existing projects and allow the students to more easily connect with each other and forge relationships with students outside their own community. Using the successful blueprint from Red Rose, we can transplant a similar program to Salve Regina, where the lack of computers has prohibited this type of project.
Work Plan:
The 75 laptops at the Red Rose School can remain in the school's secure computer lab when not at home for the students' project work. Many teachers at Red Rose are already trained on PC and Apple computers, and we are comfortable that we can train them on the XO hardware and software upon receiving the OLPC training. We would also hire and train a computer teacher who could continue the project after our departure, and we allocated a year's salary for this teacher in our budget, as well as the necessary money to pay for the extra electricity the computers would require. We see this aspect of the project as a critical part of continuity and creating local ownership of this effort.
During our time in Nairobi, we will work systematically to integrate the XO laptops into the existing technology-related programs at Red Rose. Because of our experience with internet-based social networking and research, we can work with Red Rose's teachers and administrators to incorporate projects into the curriculum and after-school activities. Project themes of their own choosing will allow students to engage their community, both locally and outside their borders, to learn more about themselves and others and research areas of their own interest.
Our second program site is the Salve Regina School. We will work simultaneously with the teachers and students at Salve Regina, who will be in school through the end of July; the teachers will be available for additional training in August. We will help the teachers develop a curriculum that uses the laptops and allows the students to pursue their own interests while expanding their academic horizons. The students can then take the laptops home to use among their local community as part of their academic exploration.
We believe fully in CoKF's mission to empower vulnerable young students through education, and we hope that these XO laptops, as well as our work plan to help the students use the internet for education and cultural exchange, will add to the positive affect that the Foundation is having in Kibera.
Budget:
| Item | Total |
|---|---|
| Airfare for Leslie, DC-Kigali-Nairobi-DC | $2,000 |
| Airfare for Sarah, DC-Kigali-Nairobi-DC | $2,000 |
| Sublet of a 2 bedroom flat in Nairobi | $600/month= $1,200 |
| Food and Transportation in Nairobi for both team members | $1,500 |
| Salary for the New Computer Teacher | $200/month= $2,400 for a year's salary |
| Electricity for the Computer Lab | $150/month= $1,800 for a year |