OLPCorps CUNYBaruch Ghana: Difference between revisions
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This team's proposal can also be accessed on the [[OLPCorps_CUNY_Baruch_Ghana|CUNY Baruch - Ghana]] page |
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== OLPC Proposal – Ghana, CUNY Baruch == |
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In June 2009, our team will travel to Ghana to distribute 100 laptops as part of the One Laptop per Child program. We hope to create a springboard for 6-12 year children to attain their aspirations through the invaluable resource that is education. Our project consists of a team of three college students dedicated to the cause of spreading education and inspiring empowerment in children of rural Ghana. In collaboration with our supporting NGO, Children Rights International- Ghana ([http://www.crighana.org www.crighana.org]), we will deploy to Ghana’s rural Eastern Region, north of Accra. Our NGO is prepared to connect us with a local network of students in the area. Our deployment will revolve around being immersed in the environments of which the 6-12 year old children will grow up to shape. Our sole purpose will be teaching children to use these tools, as to empower them to actively pursue their education independently and among their peers in areas with limited access to the learning methods and tools that our team will provide.<br /><br /> |
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During our deployment the students will be on their summer holiday. Our team will take advantage of the children’s free time by announcing daytime sessions within the communities that our project operates in. We will take full advantage of the XO’s capability by creatively exploring programs such as Turtle Art, Wiki Browse, and EToys to empower students’ control their learning experience through “learning by doing.” Two of our teammates are network specialists, which will be valuable in allowing the children to discover the sense of community that connecting their laptops will offer. We believe that by encouraging peer-to-peer learning within the community, the impact this technology has after our deployment is limited only by the students’ desire for knowledge. After the students become acclimated with using the XO’s, our hope is to have a session involving the parents of the children. This will not only give us a chance to show parents how to become actively involved in their child’s learning experience, but also an opportunity for the children to demonstrate their newfound proficiency with the technology.<br /><br /> |
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Our team consists of three students from New York City. The first of which is Oliver Takacs, a 28 year old BBA student from New York City’s Baruch College ([http://www.baruch.cuny.edu www.baruch.cuny.edu]). Oliver studies Computer Information Systems and minors in International Economics. Oliver has earned an Associate Degree in Computer Science with honors and earned the Academic Excellence in Computer Science Award. He has extensive server and networking skills, which will be crucial in fully utilizing the laptops in a community learning environment. His pedagogical skills include working as a camp counselor with 8-14 year old children and tutoring students in his college. Next is Derek Richardson, a 23 year old undergraduate student majoring in Journalism and French at the City University of New York. He is actively involved in his school’s newspaper, and will use his experience to document our immersion into Ghanaian culture. Derek hopes to use his degree to work as a field journalist in sub-Saharan Africa and inspire an invested interest in the issues that face this diverse continent. Our third teammate is Cyril Dzomeku, an Information Technology major attending New York’s Monroe College. Cyril is a native Ghanaian from a region north of Accra, where our team will be deployed. He is a Certified Computer Technician who interned with Orphan International refurbishing donated laptops to be given to orphans in Pakistan, Indonesia, and Tanzania. Cyril speaks local languages Ewe, Twi, and Ga, and has extensive knowledge of the topography and culture of the country. Part of his family still lives in the area of our deployment. Cyril will add an invaluable connection between our team, our project, and the nation which we hope to aid. |
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We chose Ghana due to its vibrant culture and commitment to education. Ghana is an English speaking nation with a commitment to learning, where 28-40% of its annual budget is spent on education. CRI-Ghana has had successful OLPC programs in Ghana, and has committed to perpetuating the program after our departure. By realizing that children are not just pupils but vehicles for change, the effects of our program will only be amplified by the community to which we deploy. We know that Ghana is an ideal destination for our team to inspire education and reinforce the principles of One Laptop per Child.<br /><br /> |
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Our budget can be accessed here: [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPCorps_CUNYBaruch_GhanaBudget OLPC CUNYBaruch Ghana]<br /><br /><br /> |
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Mention technical support |
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NGO support |
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Focus on children and learning |
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Max 750 words |
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Who, what, when, where |
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How you deal with children and with their schedule |
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Rural areas! |
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How will this impact the 6-12 years old children (they are agents of change) |
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Financial needs / budget (separate file) |
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How will you provide support after you leave (financial, etc) – volunteer networks |
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<googlemap version="0.9" lat="5.894725" lon="-0.420227" zoom="9"> |
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Our team is made up of two members. The small size of the team makes us more effective and economical. It allows us to be more mobile and efficient in carrying out the project in Ghana. |
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5.54423, -0.20668, Accra |
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Who we are |
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Accra |
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The first team member is Oliver Takacs, a 28 year old BBA student from New York City’s Baruch College (www.baruch.cuny.edu). Oliver studies Computer Information Systems and minors in International Economics and Mathematics. He has a Sport Management Diploma from Hungary where he also attended Budapest University of Technology and Economics (www.bme.hu). He pursued Electrical Engineering studies before he transferred to New York City. Oliver got his Associate Degree from Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) in Computer Science before he went on to continue his studies at Baruch College. He graduated with honors and earned Academic Excellence in Computer Science Award upon graduating from BMCC. |
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Accra, Greater Accra |
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Oliver has lived in different countries and cultures. He is experienced, mature, and open minded fellow with a good understanding of the world and its concurrent issues. He has good technical skills, knows computer hardware and software very well. Oliver has experience in networks, programming, databases, has worked in different OS environments. Also has pedagogical skill that he gained as a camp counselor working with 8-14 year old children and tutoring fellow students in his college. |
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6.1305, -0.8378, Kade |
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Deployment |
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Derek Richardson is… |
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</googlemap> |
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What, where, when: |
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Our team is made up of two students from New York City. We are dedicated individuals who agree with the vision statement of One Laptop per Child and willing to spend the summer in an underdeveloped African country to help to create educational opportunities for poor children. We understand that providing these children with laptops promotes self empowered learning and possibly put these young citizens on a track which does not only change their and their families life, but also makes them able to contribute more to their country’s development in the future. Kids will be given the opportunity to learn, create, and connect. The whole world can open up for them as with the laptop, they also get opportunity to prosper and unlock their potentials. |
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The country of our choice is Ghana. Ghana is the first Sub-Saharan country that achieved independence in 1957. It is a stable democracy which makes the country a perfect destination for OLPC; it is a country where the positive effects of the distributed laptops will be efficiently multiplied. Ghana already has a pilot program running, our deployment could extend and further develop OLPC’s presence in the country. There is also a strong governmental support for the program and for education in general in the country. The country spends 28 to 40 percent on education of its annual budget. There are also NGOs and foundations already overlooking the project (e.g. The BWL Foundation), all these factors make Ghana an ideal deployment destination for our team. |
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A very important aspect of the deployment is that during the summer children are off from school. This might make it harder to get them together, but also that provides us and them with a lot more free time. We will work closely with local NGOs and organizations. Our primary partner will be Children’s Rights International Ghana (www.crighana.org). This organization is a very active and effective NGO working with children. The mission of CRI Ghana is to protect children’s inherent rights and provide them with assistance to develop children’s abilities and talents. CRI Ghana’s mission very much resembles OLPC’s vision, it makes them perfect partners working for a common goal. |
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CGI will be able to provide us with an initial safe storage for the laptops. They will also assist in finding accommodation for our team. We are also in search of other NGOs that are able to provide assistance in our project. We have contacted and will contact other volunteer organizations, religious missions, foundations, and different organizations. Our goal is to find the best rural location where we can bring about change. We are planning to use existing local networks that can provide the most support for a successful deployment and able to provide additional support after we leave. |
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Latest revision as of 18:53, 27 March 2009
This team's proposal can also be accessed on the CUNY Baruch - Ghana page
OLPC Proposal – Ghana, CUNY Baruch
Oliver Takacs, Derek Richardson, Cyril Dzomeku
In June 2009, our team will travel to Ghana to distribute 100 laptops as part of the One Laptop per Child program. We hope to create a springboard for 6-12 year children to attain their aspirations through the invaluable resource that is education. Our project consists of a team of three college students dedicated to the cause of spreading education and inspiring empowerment in children of rural Ghana. In collaboration with our supporting NGO, Children Rights International- Ghana (www.crighana.org), we will deploy to Ghana’s rural Eastern Region, north of Accra. Our NGO is prepared to connect us with a local network of students in the area. Our deployment will revolve around being immersed in the environments of which the 6-12 year old children will grow up to shape. Our sole purpose will be teaching children to use these tools, as to empower them to actively pursue their education independently and among their peers in areas with limited access to the learning methods and tools that our team will provide.
During our deployment the students will be on their summer holiday. Our team will take advantage of the children’s free time by announcing daytime sessions within the communities that our project operates in. We will take full advantage of the XO’s capability by creatively exploring programs such as Turtle Art, Wiki Browse, and EToys to empower students’ control their learning experience through “learning by doing.” Two of our teammates are network specialists, which will be valuable in allowing the children to discover the sense of community that connecting their laptops will offer. We believe that by encouraging peer-to-peer learning within the community, the impact this technology has after our deployment is limited only by the students’ desire for knowledge. After the students become acclimated with using the XO’s, our hope is to have a session involving the parents of the children. This will not only give us a chance to show parents how to become actively involved in their child’s learning experience, but also an opportunity for the children to demonstrate their newfound proficiency with the technology.
Our team consists of three students from New York City. The first of which is Oliver Takacs, a 28 year old BBA student from New York City’s Baruch College (www.baruch.cuny.edu). Oliver studies Computer Information Systems and minors in International Economics. Oliver has earned an Associate Degree in Computer Science with honors and earned the Academic Excellence in Computer Science Award. He has extensive server and networking skills, which will be crucial in fully utilizing the laptops in a community learning environment. His pedagogical skills include working as a camp counselor with 8-14 year old children and tutoring students in his college. Next is Derek Richardson, a 23 year old undergraduate student majoring in Journalism and French at the City University of New York. He is actively involved in his school’s newspaper, and will use his experience to document our immersion into Ghanaian culture. Derek hopes to use his degree to work as a field journalist in sub-Saharan Africa and inspire an invested interest in the issues that face this diverse continent. Our third teammate is Cyril Dzomeku, an Information Technology major attending New York’s Monroe College. Cyril is a native Ghanaian from a region north of Accra, where our team will be deployed. He is a Certified Computer Technician who interned with Orphan International refurbishing donated laptops to be given to orphans in Pakistan, Indonesia, and Tanzania. Cyril speaks local languages Ewe, Twi, and Ga, and has extensive knowledge of the topography and culture of the country. Part of his family still lives in the area of our deployment. Cyril will add an invaluable connection between our team, our project, and the nation which we hope to aid.
There is more information on our team website: www.walkingdowntheroad.com
We chose Ghana due to its vibrant culture and commitment to education. Ghana is an English speaking nation with a commitment to learning, where 28-40% of its annual budget is spent on education. CRI-Ghana has had successful OLPC programs in Ghana, and has committed to perpetuating the program after our departure. By realizing that children are not just pupils but vehicles for change, the effects of our program will only be amplified by the community to which we deploy. We know that Ghana is an ideal destination for our team to inspire education and reinforce the principles of One Laptop per Child.
Our budget can be accessed here: OLPC CUNYBaruch Ghana
<googlemap version="0.9" lat="5.894725" lon="-0.420227" zoom="9">
5.54423, -0.20668, Accra
Accra
Accra, Greater Accra
6.1305, -0.8378, Kade
Deployment
</googlemap>