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My name is Gillian Javetski and I am an intern at OLPC's Cambridge office this summer. I am a senior at Tufts University, where I am double majoring in international relations and community health. I took this past semester off to work at the United Nations Development Programme's HIV/AIDS unit in Geneva. At OLPC, I will be conducting research on UN and international partnerships.
My name is Gillian Javetski and I am an intern at OLPC's Cambridge office this summer. I am a senior at Tufts University, where I am double majoring in international relations and community health. I took this past semester off to work at the United Nations Development Programme's HIV/AIDS unit in Geneva. At OLPC, I will be conducting research on UN and international partnerships.


=== What I Am Currently Working On At OLPC ===
===Work at OLPC===
* Blog posts (both writing and editing)
** Afghanistan blog posts, including [http://blog.laptop.org/2010/07/25/olpc-af-a-time-to-learn/ one], [http://blog.laptop.org/2010/07/09/olpc-afghanistan-reca/ two], [http://blog.laptop.org/2010/07/06/olpc-af-briefing-note/ three] --> Go through and select photos for Afghanistan blog posts
** Other blog posts, including XO 1.5HS, Indonesian laptop
* [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Afghanistan/Background UNICEF/Afghanistan wiki page] and research, including foreign aid data
** Correspond with Mike Dawson, met with Matt and Salim
** Afghanistan budget research for Matt; spoke with contacts at a variety of think tanks and USAID
** Research on incorporating an NGO in Afghanistan
** Work on Afghanistan grant process, do research, create google docs, beginning to add information, met with Barbara for information
** UNICEF/Afghanistan memo
* [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Nepal/Background WFP/Nepal wiki page]: corresponded with Nepal team
* [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Haiti/Background Haiti Partners/Haiti wiki page]: met with Adam to discuss Haiti
* Working with/checking in on volunteers on IRC Chat
** Worked on [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/ClassActs/Resources#OLPC_Deployment_Stories Class/Act Resources] with Shirish
* Events: Conference [http://groups.google.com/group/tinygames/msg/5c7b77e6b3c204bd?pli=1 call] on education with tinygames (6/17), meeting on Realness Conference (6/17), call with Reverend Franck Boah (6/18), RIT Hackfest (7/8), MIT Media Lab (7/12), meeting with Salim (7/16), OLPC Conference (7/17)
* Twittering daily
** Updating microblog wiki page
* XO 1.5 HS teardown and photos


===Timeline/To Do List===
*30 June, 2010: Selected and uploaded photos for new Afghanistan blog posts, continued to collect research for UNICEF Afghanistan memo.
*'''July 28-31st:''' wrote blog posts about Afghanistan and 1.5HS, put grant application and SF424 up, continue working on [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Nepal/Background Nepal wiki page].
*1 July, 2010: Created a google reader account, went through and read past blog posts on OLPC's work in Afghanistan, began uploading findings onto wiki account.
*'''August 2-August 6:''' Look at Matt's research request about incorporating an office in Afghanistan, email Nepal group for feedback and incorporate feedback, go through OLE newsletters, [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Haiti/Background Haiti wiki page]
* 6 July, 2010: Finalized wiki page, worked with volunteers on IRC, continually formatting and editing http://wiki.laptop.org/go/ClassActs/Resources#OLPC_Deployment_Stories, published one blog post, revising other three.
*'''August 9-13''': work with Paul on [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Fix_Clock RTC problems], [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Rwanda/Background Rwanda wiki page], [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Ethiopia/Background Ethiopia wiki page], go through all five country profiles, add graphs, add information, and make them more uniform
* 8 July 2010: Sat in on a hackfest with students from RIT (so cool!), continued editing and adding parts to the Afghanistan memo, worked with volunteer Shirish about how to improve certain wiki pages, worked with Adam on ClassActs/Resources page.
*'''August 16-24:''' home for vacation
* 9 July 2010: Spoke with SJ on phone regarding feedback, added an "OLPC in Afghanistan" section to wikipage, created a two page memo on OLPC in Afghanistan with recommendations
*'''August 24-September 4''': post tear down instructions, write additional 2 blog posts on 1.5HS, working on and finalizing white papers
* 10 July 2010: Spent a few hours finalizing Afghanistan memo, sent off to SJ and Adam
* 12 July 2010: Reviewed Afghanistan memo, edited Troubleshooting page, visit to MIT Media Lab with Adam (awesome!!)
* 13 July 2010: Worked from home due to class at 1pm. Spoke with SJ on phone, answered a few emails, continued uploading information from Troubleshooting Guide online
* 14 July 2010 (Bastille Day!): Finalizing Troubleshooting Guide, including editing for content and adding hyperlinks, added hidden links, spoke with SJ about UNICEF Afghanistan memo, set up an appointment to speak with Mike Dawson regarding OLPC in Afghanistan
* 15 July 2010: Began applying SJ's feedback to both Afghanistan memo and wiki page, OLPC Salad day!


===Summary of Last Few Days===
==About Education in Afghanistan==
During my last week at the OLPC office, I hope to finish up on the research components of my internship. I plan on completing the Rwanda and Ethiopia (work on Ethiopia Thursday and Friday) OLPC wiki pages so that they include a comprehensive set of information about the country’s education backgrounds, important education data, OLPC’s work on the ground, and a description of other development groups’ priorities. I will also return to edit Afghanistan, Nepal, and Haiti pages so that they reflect these changes as well. Finally, in non-research work, I have a few loose ends to tie up here at OLPC that I will work on Wednesday. These include posting tear down instructions, write additional 2 blog posts on 1.5HS, working with Paul on RTC problems, and making a wiki page on country’s education statistics (although this may have to wait until later in the week.)


Once I return from vacation on the 24th, I will dedicate the rest of my OLPC work to writing white papers for these five countries. I hope to write the papers based off of my research findings, and share them with SJ and people involved in each country. There are a variety of people I hope to connect with for feedback, including for Ethiopia (Lidet), Rwanda (Julia and Rwanda Country Director Sam Dusengiyumva), Nepal (Rabbi) Afghanistan (Mike Dawson, Salim, and Matt), and Haiti (Adam and whoever else Adam can recommend).
* Afghanistan's [http://english.moe.gov.af/ Ministry of Education]
It would also be great to receive feedback on my first white paper from a structural perspective by someone who has experience writing them. I will incorporate all feedback I receive and share them with the appropriate parties. At this point I am unsure about whether I will be in New Jersey or Massachusetts, but either way can work from the office or remotely. I will definitely stop by the office at some point before the school year starts.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Afghanistan Education in Afghanistan] from Wikipedia
* [http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_statistics.html#67 UNICEF Country Statistics], including Education
* From Matt Keller's OLPC [http://blog.laptop.org/2010/05/11/on-afghanistan-1/ blog post] about visiting Afghanistan:
**Afghanistan has seen vast improvements in its education system in the last few years. In 2001, 800,000 children attended school compared to 7 million today. Despite these successes, only half (52%) of primary school aged children are enrolled in school. 50% of Afghan girls and 40% of boys don't attend school.
**Schools must operate in “shifts,” the average being three shifts per day. Because of this, each child generally receives only 2.5 hours of school a day, or only about half of OECD recommended average school times.
**Teacher student ratios are often as high as 1:50-75. Close to 75% of teachers in Afghanistan are illiterate or have an education level of one year greater than their students.
**Building more schools, training teachers, providing materials would require 6 fold increase to education (over 1 billion a year) and would take 10-15 years.
===Afghanistan's National Education Strategic Plan===
[http://www.embassyofafghanistan.org/11.19.2007Ed.html National Education Strategic Plan] (March 2006-2011): "In December 2006, the Ministry of Education officially launched a 5 Year National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) to take place from March 2006 to March 2011. In consultation with the international community, the NESP identifies eight priority program areas," including:
* General Education
* Islamic Education
* Technical and Vocational Education and Training
* Literacy and Non-Formal Education
* Teacher Education and Working Conditions
* Education Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Development
* Curriculum Development and Learning Materials
* Education Administrative Reform and Development
Afghanistan is now entering its second National Education Strategic Plan (or [http://www.mohe.gov.af/?lang=en&p=plan NESP II]), which will span from 2010 to 2014.


Working at OLPC this summer has been an incredible opportunity, and after two months I feel like I’m finally getting the swing of how things work around here. I have a much better grasp of the organization’s priorities, both its own and what is looks for in international partners. I feel that my last few weeks here have been the most productive now and I am able to work at a more efficient pace. It has been wonderful getting to know the people here at OLPC, and I look forward to staying in contact with them once my time here is done. I am still excited to meet with Lidet to discuss her work in Ethiopia and explore possibilities for me to support OLPC there once I graduate. I would also love to follow up with Zehra and Shannon to talk about their work on the Middle East project and also about their experiences as new employees at OLPC. Finally, I would love to take SJ and Adam out to lunch to learn about their own stories and how they ended up at this organization. (Thanks for everything --[[User:Sj|Sj]]&nbsp;[[User talk:Sj|<font style="color:#f70; font-size:70%">talk</font>]]!)
==UNICEF in Afghanistan==


==Educational Initiatives==
===UNICEF's Programmatic Areas Of Focus===
* '''Child labor''': According to UNICEF estimates, 30% of all Afghan children are [http://www.policyinnovations.org/ideas/briefings/data/afghan_child_labor child laborers.] UNICEF has set up [http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_52282.html drop-in centers] where child laborers are able to learn in classroom settings.
* '''School attacks''': While [http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:QFxf4icdMlMJ:www.care.org/newsroom/articles/2009/11/Knowledge_on_Fire_Report.pdf+knowledge+on+fire&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh3AuYhNVY8tYhw-UiUJtzrB6B_lVLortYzBqjEtHNJtyI2a6fsqAFNS084PRN_QYIiyoZbRX04A0WqdG81d1BlFEAXSIg4WuN3LCbOU8N17_D2-b04kew7WTuhg9XH-M_c5Hb9&sig=AHIEtbRrTHaZRoXxwXNH1dDsq09d4CLn9Q school attacks] occur in both all girl and all boy schools, in the last two years, school attacks on all girls schools have more than doubled in Afghanistan. Following these attacks, many Afghan girls have been forced to leave school temporarily or permanently. Although UNICEF employs a comprehensive [http://www.unicef.org/supply/index_40377.html “School-in-a-Box”] concept for students following natural disasters, there is no mention of what the organization is doing to help children continue their education following these attacks.
*'''Female education access & literacy''': In addition to promoting [http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_53145.html community-based schools], UNICEF is helping teach community management committees about the importance of girls’ education and their role in making it happen.
*'''Child friendly curricula''': UNICEF is making strides in promoting “child friendly curricula” throughout schools in Afghanistan. This model, which has been implemented in more than 50 countries, utilizes a specific type of [http://www.unicef.org/lifeskills/index_7260.html curricula]. According to UNICEF, a child-friendly school must reflect an environment of good quality characterized by several essential aspects: it is inclusive of children, if is effective for learning, it is healthy and protective of children, it is gender-sensitive, and it is involved with children, families, and communities.
**UNICEF's [http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_49574.html Child-Friendly Schools Manual]


{|border="collapse" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="center" style="border-collapse:collapse;" width="95%"
===UNICEF Afghanistan's [http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:qpiT3ao18SAJ:www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments%3Fopenagent%26shortid%3DEGUA-7ZEP45%26file%3DFull_Report.pdf+Literacy+rates+among+females+aged+15-24+years+will+be+increased+by+50+per+cent,+through+expansion&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjduqam92vEbhx0S_7BvGgWYrwgQFgS5AEXAKBb--LxKK14l646rPYIvAYRYayQ8N2TAi-LG5Sdnqx5YpW9EXAviId2TZWZxI04V-llC-C3V6hi-Bjnzuheq4CU-594VafEzQo-&sig=AHIEtbSxbo6RazJdzh3oWVB2q2-LxxeDOg Priorities]===
|+'''Summary of Educational Development Initiatives'''
|-
!width="10%" | Name of Organization
!Investment in Country
!People/Major Projects
|-
|'''UNICEF'''
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|'''WFP'''
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|'''WHO'''
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|'''UNESCO'''
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|'''UNDP'''
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|'''IFRC'''
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|'''World Vision:'''
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|'''Save the Children'''
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|-
|'''USAID'''
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|-
|'''SOS Children's Villages'''
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|-
|'''World Bank'''
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|}


*1. Starting from 2010 the enrolment of girls in primary schools, will increase by 20% resulting in 2.64 million girls being enrolled in school by the end of 2013. 60% of girls enrolled in grade 1 during 2009 reach grade 5 of the education cycle (or 210,000 girls complete grade 5 in 2013) through improved quality of teaching and learning.
*2. 30% of all primary schools will be child-friendly or 3,300 schools practicing child friendly principles.
*3. Literacy rates among females aged 15-24 years will be increased by 50%, through expansion of literacy centers.


{|border="collapse" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="center" style="border-collapse:collapse;" width="95%"
===UNICEF Programs in Afghanistan===
|+'''[http://www.unicef.org/sowc09/docs/SOWC09-FullReport-EN.pdf UNICEF's] State of the World's Children Report 2009 Statistics'''
[http://www.unicef.org/rosa/media_5989.htm Major NGO partners] for UNICEF include Save the Children UK and Norway/Sweden, Terre des Hommes, CARE International, International Medical Corps, Merlin etc. In Afghanistan, the [http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:6DYRxNL3BxQJ:www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments%3Fopenagent%26shortid%3DSNAA-83Z8DN%26file%3DFull_Report.pdf+UNICEF+NGO+Partnerships+Afghanistan&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgmbs_NVPxhhiQP2JLaeq_RYi8oKOvPC1O0RF5Y7bVf1jtOV-AfugATkJVdZ2R5xX23t0jvHtEvEpGNZ2oM38cHpV2QSJPLT9vD8884JOKV1pUHHU3aXNYP1cZKm4Q20-2lzUmT&sig=AHIEtbTSJqZemk2fJqwIO0uaE1ZY3KKWwQ education cluster] lead is UNICEF and the co-lead is Save the Children US.Examples of Past Joint Projects with UNICEF Afghanistan include:
|-
!Categories
!width="10%"| Numbers
|-
|Total adult literacy rate (%), 2000-2007
|
|-
|Primary school net enrollment/ attendance (%), 2000-2007
|
|-
|Youth literacy, 2000–2007 (M / F)<ref> '''Youth literacy rate''' – Number of literate persons aged 15–24, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group.</ref>
| /
|-
|Percentage of phone/internet users 2006
| /
|-
|Primary school gross enrollment (%) 2000-2007 (M / F)<ref> '''Primary school gross enrollment ratio''' – Number of children enrolled in primary school, regardless of age,expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official primary school age. </ref>
| /
|-
|Primary school net enrollment (%) 2000-2007 (M / F)<ref> '''Primary school net enrollment ratio''' – Number of children enrolled in primary school who are of official primary school age, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official primary school age. </ref>
| /
|-
|Primary school net attendance (%) 2000-2007 (M / F) <ref> '''Primary school net attendance ratio''' – Number of children attending primary or secondary school who are of official primary school age, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official primary school age. </ref>
| /
|-
|Survival rate to last primary grade (%) 2000–2007 (administrative / survey data) <ref> '''Survival rate to the last grade of primary school''' – Percentage of children entering the first grade of primary school who eventually reach the last grade of primary school. </ref>
| /
|-
|Secondary school gross enrollment (%) 2000-2007 (M/F)<ref> '''Secondary school gross enrollment ratio''' – Number of children enrolled in secondary school, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official secondary school age. </ref>
| /
|-
|Secondary school net enrollment (%) 2000-2007 (M/F)<ref> '''Secondary school net enrollment ratio''' – Number of children enrolled in secondary school who are of official secondary school age, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official secondary school age.</ref>
| /
|-
|Secondary school net attendance (%) 2000-2007 (M/F)<ref> '''Secondary school net attendance ratio''' – Number of children attending secondary or tertiary school who are of official secondary school age, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official secondary school age. </ref>
| /
|}


*[http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/success-stories/success-story-education-afghanistan.html Education for Afghans Initiative] (Save the Children and UNICEF): Multi-agency initiative to develop basic competencies of learning in mathematics and language and teaching-learning materials. Save the Children is distributing education materials, conducting a school-awareness campaign, establishing Parent-Teacher Associations and reconstructing and building schools. Save the Children is also setting up temporary tents to house classes in areas where the buildings are not ready for children.
*[http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_53214.html Girls' Resource Forums] (UNICEF): Created in 2009, the Girls' Resource Forumn reaches over 2,000 girls and 100 female teachers in 20 schools across the west of Afghanistan. By giving participants the chance to learn, play and discuss issues important to their lives, the forumn aims to streghten the girls' self confidence and interpersonal skills.
*[http://www.savethechildren.net/alliance/what_we_do/rewritethefuture/blogs/afghanistan/jiffer_intro.html Rewrite the Future](Save the Children and UNICEF): Save the Children has set up many schools in Afghanistan, particularly for refugees who flee into Pakistan. In this case, Save the Children provides teachers, training, and materials while UNICEF provides tents.
*[http://www.unicef.org/emerg/afghanistan_50293.html Thousand School Project] (UNICEF and Japanese Government): The Government of Japan has granted $24 million in aid to education in Kabul, which is currently facing a critical shortage of teaching and learning spaces. By its completion in December, the project will have reached 48 schools and benefited over 80,000 children.


{|border="collapse" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="center" style="border-collapse:collapse;" width="95%"
===UNICEF's Budget in Afghanistan===
|+'''[http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/document.aspx?ReportId=121&IF_Language=eng&BR_Country=2300&BR_Region=40540 UNESCO] Education Statistics from 2007'''
While I was unable to find an exact figure for UNICEF's 2010 Afghanistan programme budget, I was able to come across the following numbers that may be of use:
|-
*'''Budget:'''
!Categories
** $30,168,900 was allocated to Afghanistan from UNICEF's regular resources from [http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_49924.html 2006-2009]. In 2009, Afghanistan became one of UNICEF's "New Country Programmes."
!width="10%"| Numbers
** $157,668,000 has been allocated to Afghanistan from UNICEF's regular resources for [http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_53754.html 2010-2013].
|-
** Since 2008, the United Nations has [http://www.montrealgazette.com/plans+major+expansion+Afghanistan/1087232/story.html doubled] their Afghanistan headquarters budget from $81 million to $150/160 million.
|Survival rate to grade 5
**[http://www.unicef.org/media/media_16321.html In 2003,] UNICEF's budget for programmes in Afghanistan stood at $110 million. As of November 2003, funding to the organization stood at 88% of budget.
|
*'''Funding Appeals:''' According to their [http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_31224.html Funding Appeals and Humanitarian Update], UNICEF's funding appeals from 2006 to 2008 decreased from $21.8 million (2006) to $15.9 million (2007) to $12.9 million (2008). Education has been the biggest priority in all three years of the funding appeals, with $13,813,383 (2006), $8,013,631 (2007) and $5,064,541 (2008) requested. All three years saw significant gaps in the amount of money requested versus donated.
|-
|Primary to secondary transition rate
|
|-
|Pupil/teacher ratio (primary)
|
|-
|Public expenditure on education as % of GDP
|
|-
|Public expenditure on education as % of total government expenditure
|
|-
|Literacy Rates for Male and Female Adults Combined
|
|-
|Enrollment in public and private primary school <ref> The following four categories' information comes from a custom table which can be found at http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/document.aspx?ReportId=136&IF_Language=eng&BR_Topic=0 </ref>
|
|-
|Enrollment in public primary school
|
|-
|Female enrollment in public and private primary school
|
|-
|Female enrollment in public primary school
|
|}
List available data where easy to find; list but leave blank elsewhere.
* Government expenses and budgets
* Census stats relating to children (cf. Wikipedia's country template & World Factbook data)


==Notes==
==OLPC's work in Afghanistan and the Surrounding Region==
<references />


[[category:OLPC interns]]
Since 2008, OLPC has been working with the Afghan Ministry of Education on several laptop deployment projects. To date, OLPC has committed over 5,000 laptops to fourth through sixth graders throughout the country.

'''[http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Afghanistan/Deployment_News OLPC Afghanistan Deployments]:'''
* The [http://blog.laptop.org/2009/04/01/afghanistans-first-deployment-is-go/ first project] took place in Nigarhar province's Jalalbad city at Istiqlal High School.

*The second deployment reached fourth through sixth graders in Kabul city. The laptops (which are fitted with [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Dari_Keyboard Dari keyboards]) are pre-installed with complete localization of all core activities in both Dari and Pashto, the MoE's standard national curriculum books, economic information for parents, health information, localized updated manuals, and information for parents about the laptop.

'''OLPC Afghanistan Partnerships'''
OLPC has created partnerships with a number of other groups in Afghanistan, including:

*OLPC provides laptops to schools in Afghanistan through partnerships with [[http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/afghanistan/xo_laptops_create_classrooms_o.html USAID], the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
*Creating [http://www.aims.org.af/about%5Cmonthly_update%5Cmonthly_update_nov_09.html collaborative agreements]with Afghan IT groups, including [http://www.aims.org.af/ Afghanistan Information Management Services], Afghan-International Company [http://www.paiwastoon.af/ Paiwastoon], and cellular service company [http://www.roshan.af/web/ Roshan].
* [http://www.afghan-satellite-teachers.net/ Master Teachers by Satelite for Afghanistan]: MTSA has adopted the XO Laptop as its technology platform to deliver education to children without schools and without teachers.

'''Other resources:'''
* [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Afghanistan OLPC Afghanistan] wiki page
* [http://www.olpc.af/ OLPC.af] website
* "[http://www.paiwastoon.af/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=23&lang=en Briefing Note: OLPC in Afghanistan]" by Lima Ahmad (AIMS), Kenneth Adams (AIMS), Mike Dawson (PAIWASTOON), and Carol Ruth Silver (MTSA)

===OLPC in the Surrounding Region===

* [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Pakistan OLPC Pakistan]
* [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Nepal OLPC Nepal]/[http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLE_Nepal OLE Nepal]
* [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Sri_Lanka OLPC Sri Lanka]
* [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_India OLPC India]

==Other Education Development Initiatives in Afghanistan==

===Education Development Projects===

*[http://www.akdn.org/afghanistan_social_development.asp Aga Khan Foundation]: "AKDN’s activities in education include the construction and rehabilitation of schools, the construction of facilities for two Government teacher training colleges, adult literacy classes, in-service teacher training, the distribution of learning aids, as well as tutorial assistance and extra-curricular programmes in English and information technology. The Network works to support the Afghan Ministry of Education’s National Education Strategic Plan, paying special attention to female pupils and teachers. More than 93,000 pupils and 3,800 teachers benefit from AKDN activities to provide better access to quality education."
*[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/world/asia/13jurm.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2 Councils in Jurm Valley]: this small corner of Afghanistan has seen vast improvements by using village councils and direct grants as part of an initiative called the National Solidarity Program, introduced by an Afghan ministry in 2003. Particularly interesting to look at the girls’ education component.
*[http://www.gtz.de/en/weltweit/europa-kaukasus-zentralasien/17076.htm GTZ]: Since 2002, GTZ has worked with the Afghan Ministry of Education on a variety of educational initiatives, including supporting the National Education Strategic Plan for Afghanistan. GTZ is helping improve the conditions for better basic education, teacher training and continuing education, as well as reforming the education sector in Afghanistan.
*[http://www.paiwastoon.af/ PAIWASTOON]: an Afghan-International company with a focus on developing sustainable solutions to "Make IT Work For Afghanistan." By specializing in open source technology, localization and online applications, PAIWASTOON seeks opportunities for technology to have a positive effect on as many Afghans as possible, as sustainably as possible. Currently [http://www.paiwastoon.af/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=7&lang=en working with OLPC]on technical implementation of projects.
*[http://www.swedishcommittee.org/archive/articles/articles/2010/etu_report/ Swedish Committee for Afghanistan]: currently supports 45 model schools and 1,1000 community based education classes, where the majority of students are girls.
*[http://www.usaid.gov/stories/afghanistan/fp_af_textbooks.html USAID] has printed over 48.5 million textbooks for grades 1-12 and is reprinting 11 million schoolbooks. Also launched the [http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:p1KLMM04saoJ:www.creativeworldwide.com/caiistaff/dashboard_giroadmincaiistaff/dashboard_caiiadmindatabase/Resources/Afghanistan.pdf+Afghanistan+Primary+Education+Projects&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgb1Px6WcHhwN4Og6DKvrhFEXs5rb-SwA49SYXJDPlkUqgIl1VOtfcOiL3--yPoubCT7miEeQt1bX9xBKQJ5WDwoAlKV1XyX2TBkxIcmh-queTKYrR4EbPVYXGBzjyvZuRboCgx&sig=AHIEtbT1Qd3CilunqgKsGuDsfZeFy_y9mA Afghanistan Primary Education Project] in 2003.
**Just for Fun: two recent reports from USAID on [http://dec.usaid.gov/index.cfm?p=search.getCitation&CFID=12778655&CFTOKEN=85387091&id=s_8017D208-D566-FC5C-DFD35D9C36D79385&rec_no=152197 active learning pedagogies] and building education support systems for [http://dec.usaid.gov/index.cfm?p=search.getCitation&CFID=12778655&CFTOKEN=85387091&id=s_7FFFB760-D566-FC5C-DE5A67572C8DB8D6&rec_no=161143 teachers' projects].

===Afghanistan Education Resources===
*[http://www.acbar.org/ Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief] (ACBAR): an organization that serves and facilitates the work of its NGO members in order to address efficiently and effectively the humanitarian and development needs of Afghans.
*[http://ineeserver.org/page.asp?pid=1345 Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies]: an open global network of representatives from NGOs, UN agencies, donor agencies, governments, academic institutions, schools and affected populations working together to ensure all persons the right to quality and safe education in emergencies and post-crisis recovery.

Latest revision as of 00:56, 25 August 2011

About Me

My name is Gillian Javetski and I am an intern at OLPC's Cambridge office this summer. I am a senior at Tufts University, where I am double majoring in international relations and community health. I took this past semester off to work at the United Nations Development Programme's HIV/AIDS unit in Geneva. At OLPC, I will be conducting research on UN and international partnerships.

Work at OLPC

  • Blog posts (both writing and editing)
    • Afghanistan blog posts, including one, two, three --> Go through and select photos for Afghanistan blog posts
    • Other blog posts, including XO 1.5HS, Indonesian laptop
  • UNICEF/Afghanistan wiki page and research, including foreign aid data
    • Correspond with Mike Dawson, met with Matt and Salim
    • Afghanistan budget research for Matt; spoke with contacts at a variety of think tanks and USAID
    • Research on incorporating an NGO in Afghanistan
    • Work on Afghanistan grant process, do research, create google docs, beginning to add information, met with Barbara for information
    • UNICEF/Afghanistan memo
  • WFP/Nepal wiki page: corresponded with Nepal team
  • Haiti Partners/Haiti wiki page: met with Adam to discuss Haiti
  • Working with/checking in on volunteers on IRC Chat
  • Events: Conference call on education with tinygames (6/17), meeting on Realness Conference (6/17), call with Reverend Franck Boah (6/18), RIT Hackfest (7/8), MIT Media Lab (7/12), meeting with Salim (7/16), OLPC Conference (7/17)
  • Twittering daily
    • Updating microblog wiki page
  • XO 1.5 HS teardown and photos

Timeline/To Do List

  • July 28-31st: wrote blog posts about Afghanistan and 1.5HS, put grant application and SF424 up, continue working on Nepal wiki page.
  • August 2-August 6: Look at Matt's research request about incorporating an office in Afghanistan, email Nepal group for feedback and incorporate feedback, go through OLE newsletters, Haiti wiki page
  • August 9-13: work with Paul on RTC problems, Rwanda wiki page, Ethiopia wiki page, go through all five country profiles, add graphs, add information, and make them more uniform
  • August 16-24: home for vacation
  • August 24-September 4: post tear down instructions, write additional 2 blog posts on 1.5HS, working on and finalizing white papers

Summary of Last Few Days

During my last week at the OLPC office, I hope to finish up on the research components of my internship. I plan on completing the Rwanda and Ethiopia (work on Ethiopia Thursday and Friday) OLPC wiki pages so that they include a comprehensive set of information about the country’s education backgrounds, important education data, OLPC’s work on the ground, and a description of other development groups’ priorities. I will also return to edit Afghanistan, Nepal, and Haiti pages so that they reflect these changes as well. Finally, in non-research work, I have a few loose ends to tie up here at OLPC that I will work on Wednesday. These include posting tear down instructions, write additional 2 blog posts on 1.5HS, working with Paul on RTC problems, and making a wiki page on country’s education statistics (although this may have to wait until later in the week.)

Once I return from vacation on the 24th, I will dedicate the rest of my OLPC work to writing white papers for these five countries. I hope to write the papers based off of my research findings, and share them with SJ and people involved in each country. There are a variety of people I hope to connect with for feedback, including for Ethiopia (Lidet), Rwanda (Julia and Rwanda Country Director Sam Dusengiyumva), Nepal (Rabbi) Afghanistan (Mike Dawson, Salim, and Matt), and Haiti (Adam and whoever else Adam can recommend). It would also be great to receive feedback on my first white paper from a structural perspective by someone who has experience writing them. I will incorporate all feedback I receive and share them with the appropriate parties. At this point I am unsure about whether I will be in New Jersey or Massachusetts, but either way can work from the office or remotely. I will definitely stop by the office at some point before the school year starts.

Working at OLPC this summer has been an incredible opportunity, and after two months I feel like I’m finally getting the swing of how things work around here. I have a much better grasp of the organization’s priorities, both its own and what is looks for in international partners. I feel that my last few weeks here have been the most productive now and I am able to work at a more efficient pace. It has been wonderful getting to know the people here at OLPC, and I look forward to staying in contact with them once my time here is done. I am still excited to meet with Lidet to discuss her work in Ethiopia and explore possibilities for me to support OLPC there once I graduate. I would also love to follow up with Zehra and Shannon to talk about their work on the Middle East project and also about their experiences as new employees at OLPC. Finally, I would love to take SJ and Adam out to lunch to learn about their own stories and how they ended up at this organization. (Thanks for everything --Sj talk!)

Educational Initiatives

Summary of Educational Development Initiatives
Name of Organization Investment in Country People/Major Projects
UNICEF
WFP
WHO
UNESCO
UNDP
IFRC
World Vision:
Save the Children
USAID
SOS Children's Villages
World Bank


UNICEF's State of the World's Children Report 2009 Statistics
Categories Numbers
Total adult literacy rate (%), 2000-2007
Primary school net enrollment/ attendance (%), 2000-2007
Youth literacy, 2000–2007 (M / F)<ref> Youth literacy rate – Number of literate persons aged 15–24, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group.</ref> /
Percentage of phone/internet users 2006 /
Primary school gross enrollment (%) 2000-2007 (M / F)<ref> Primary school gross enrollment ratio – Number of children enrolled in primary school, regardless of age,expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official primary school age. </ref> /
Primary school net enrollment (%) 2000-2007 (M / F)<ref> Primary school net enrollment ratio – Number of children enrolled in primary school who are of official primary school age, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official primary school age. </ref> /
Primary school net attendance (%) 2000-2007 (M / F) <ref> Primary school net attendance ratio – Number of children attending primary or secondary school who are of official primary school age, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official primary school age. </ref> /
Survival rate to last primary grade (%) 2000–2007 (administrative / survey data) <ref> Survival rate to the last grade of primary school – Percentage of children entering the first grade of primary school who eventually reach the last grade of primary school. </ref> /
Secondary school gross enrollment (%) 2000-2007 (M/F)<ref> Secondary school gross enrollment ratio – Number of children enrolled in secondary school, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official secondary school age. </ref> /
Secondary school net enrollment (%) 2000-2007 (M/F)<ref> Secondary school net enrollment ratio – Number of children enrolled in secondary school who are of official secondary school age, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official secondary school age.</ref> /
Secondary school net attendance (%) 2000-2007 (M/F)<ref> Secondary school net attendance ratio – Number of children attending secondary or tertiary school who are of official secondary school age, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children of official secondary school age. </ref> /


UNESCO Education Statistics from 2007
Categories Numbers
Survival rate to grade 5
Primary to secondary transition rate
Pupil/teacher ratio (primary)
Public expenditure on education as % of GDP
Public expenditure on education as % of total government expenditure
Literacy Rates for Male and Female Adults Combined
Enrollment in public and private primary school <ref> The following four categories' information comes from a custom table which can be found at http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/document.aspx?ReportId=136&IF_Language=eng&BR_Topic=0 </ref>
Enrollment in public primary school
Female enrollment in public and private primary school
Female enrollment in public primary school

List available data where easy to find; list but leave blank elsewhere.

  • Government expenses and budgets
  • Census stats relating to children (cf. Wikipedia's country template & World Factbook data)

Notes

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