OLPCorps Jamii OLPC Tanzania

Jamii OLPC

“Jamii” means community in Kiswahili, and is the foundational principle of Jamii OLPC's OLPCorps Africa proposal:

Real, sustainable development comes from the people who make cities, towns and villages communities.

Jamii OLPC is a small but experienced multi-national, multi-university team seeking to help further engage and empower young people in Tanzania and/or Kenya to be drivers of development in their communities, assisted by the opportunities for education and innovation OLPC provides.

Children are the future; if equipped with education, tools and opportunities, this generation can take up the battle to improve the lives of their families, community and country--and win.

This generation can make a difference.

Our school partnership, team members and proposal are all currently works-in-progress, but stay tuned to catch the latest updates as Jamii OLPC grows from an idea into a real opportunity to make a difference.

You can also email us at JamiiOLPC@gmail.com!

Partner School

We are currently in the process of confirming a partner school. We are in discussion with an interested school in Tanzania and an interested school in Kenya. In order to create the most sustainable project, we are engaging in in-depth discussion with the schools before a partnership is solidified.

OLPCorps Proposal

This is a work in progress!

Jamii OLPC team members will be using this space to collaboratively create our proposal. We will begin this process once our partner school is confirmed.

In the spirit of openness, transparency and above all, community, this process of maturation for our proposal will be visible not only to the entire OLPC community, but the internet as a whole! Looking forward to hearing your feedback and constructive criticism.

Asante sana! Thank you!

Language: The two spoken languages in both Tanzania and Kenya are Swahili and English. All of the international members of Jamii OLPC are English-speaking. Sam, our Project Coordinator, speaks conversational-level Swahili. Jackie, our Pedagogical Lead II, also speaks conversational-level Swahili and will provide training materials and instruction (where geographically possible) to the non-Swahili speaking members of Jamii OLPC.

Jamii OLPC Team

The Jamii OLPC team is made up of three units: the international unit, the local unit, and the advisory unit.

Cooperation and collaboration between the three units is of paramount importance to the success and sustainability of the project. Because of this, the members of all units will be featured here.

You can also access all of the full position descriptions and team member bios on the Jamii OLPC: Team page.

International Unit

These individuals are responsible for direct communication with OLPCorps, and will be participating in the fieldwork aspect of the deployment.

Click on the position title for a full description, and on a team member's name for a full bio.

Position	Name	Country	University	Major	Email
Project Coordinator & Political Lead	Samantha Burton	Canada	Carleton University	MA Mass Communications (current)	Samantha.V.Burton@gmail.com
Technical Lead	Daniel Drake	United Kingdom	University of Manchester	BA Computer Science (graduate)	dsd@laptop.org
Pedagogical Lead	VACANT position description
Logistical & Financial Lead	Laura Tribe	Canada	Carleton University	MA Mass Communications (current)	Tribe.Laura@gmail.com

Local Unit

These individuals are the backbone of this projects success and sustainability. They are providing invaluable ongoing insight throughout the planning process, and will be key leaders during and following the deployment.

This information will be provided upon confirmation of school partner.

Advisory Unit

These individuals and groups have a wide range of expertise and experience related to the OLPCorps project. They have generously offered their time to advise Jamii OLPC on a variety of aspects involved with our proposal.

Name	Country	Occupation	Relevant Experience
Dr. Josh Greenberg	Canada	Assistant Professor, Carleton University, Communication Studies; Director of the Centre for Voluntary Sector Research and Development.	research: media and communication activities in broader strategic planning on the part of NGOs, non-profits and social movement/activist organizations
Dr. Jason Nolan	Canada	Assistant Professor, Ryerson University, School of Early Childhood Education	adviser on constructionist pedagogy & curriculum development; research: social technologies for young children, identity construction online, technology and play
Dr. Daniel Paré	Canada	Associate Professor, Ottawa University, Department of Communication	research: ICTs for international development, internet governance and regulation, Political economy of ICTs, science & technology policy
Dr. Sandra Smeltzer	Canada	Assistant Professor, University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Information & Media Studies	Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia; Western Heads East Advisor, Mwanza, Tanzania; research: ICTs for international development, global political economy of ICTs
Jackie Strecker	Canada	MA Communications and Cultures; York University & Ryerson University	FilmAid International, Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya; Western Heads East Intern, Mwanza, Tanzania; research: ICTs for international development

Project Idea Highlights

Kids Teaching Kids

At the start of the 2009 school year, each of the 100 children who received a laptop during the summer will be partnered with another child in their age group. This after-school program will help facilitate peer-to-peer computer training in a setting that's fun for all of the kids involved!

In this way, the children who received XO laptops will foster leadership skills and nurture a sense of social responsibility. The children receiving the training will develop technical computer skills that they otherwise would not have been able to, giving them an advantage in the workforce and a solid foundation to build further study.

Fundraising

As fundraising efforts are initiated, they will be documented in detail here!