OLPCorps Clark Kenya

Introduction

We are a team of three graduate students, two from Clark University’s International Development and Social Change program and one … We will be working in alliance with the Greater Newburyport/ Bura Alliance (GNBA; http://www.masskenya.org/) to provide 100 XO laptops to Bura primary school in Taita District, Coast Province, Kenya. These computers will serve a dual purpose: first, to revolutionize the way that children learn, both in and out of school; and second, to serve as tools for cultural and linguistic preservation. By using the laptops to document oral histories among their elders and create an accompanying dictionary, children will serve as agents of change, constructing valuable knowledge for their community.

The Community

The approximately 250,000 people who live in the Taita Hills are an ethnic and linguistic minority. The primary language is Kidavida, but both Kiswahili and English are also spoken and taught in school. Kidavida is not a written language, and there are no dictionaries which are current and accessible to the community. The language is becoming intermixed with Kiswahili and, without active attempts at preservation, is in danger of dying out.

The culture is also changing rapidly. Fifteen years ago, Taita had no running water or telephones; now these items are commonplace. Family and social structures have also been changing due to the migration of men to Mbasa for employment. The people of Taita are proud of their culture and wish to maintain it…

The Project

Our Qualifications

Our Taita team has a diverse set of strengths. Collectively, we have several years of experience in elementary education, filmmaking, and IT. Two of us are studying International Development and Social Change and have been trained in project management and monitoring and evaluation, and each of us has worked in the developing world.

We will also be supported by GNBA, which has a fifteen-year relationship with Taita providing “friendship-based development.” One GNBA member has over ten years of experience developing and delivering training to IT staff and users in African and around the world and will be available via cell phone to help us troubleshoot technical problems.

GNBA has been networking with its contacts in Taita, including the brother of the Minister of Education, who are eager to provide their support.