OLPCorps Africa

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Welcome to OLPCorps Africa, a new student-based, grassroots OLPC initiative.
Please join our OLPCorps Mailing List to receive important updates about OLPCorps Africa
Can't find what you're looking for below? Try our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Notice there's room for discussing things in the Talk Page
We've posted a notice asking for comments. Please help translate it and pass it on. If you want to get involved in a support role, please see our Support Committee page.

How to Write a Project Proposal

Thinking about starting your proposal? Not sure where to start? This section should answer some of your questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions & collaborate - we're better as a team. Keep in mind, up to 100 teams are receiving 100 XOs each.

In the end, all teams will be working together for 10 days in Kigali before deploying. Our goal is to form a network of African deployments which support learning for years to come. Before your team applies, consider the following suggestions we've outlined below.

Proposal deadline is by March 27th. Send yours to <OLPCorps@laptop.org> with the following title: "OLPCorps_YourUniversity_CountryinAfrica_LastName". Proposals will not be considered if they exceed the 750 word limit (hyperlinks are ok), are submitted in a language other than English, do not mention technical and NGO support, or do not focus on children & learning.

Accepted Proposals will be announced April 10th.

Below are a few helpful guidelines from the OLPCorps Team which must be covered in designing your proposal.

Proposal formatting:

  • Proposals must be in English.
  • Length of Proposal must not exceed 750 words.
  • Hyper-linked text is allowed throughout the proposal.

Proposal contents:

  • Answer the basics: who, what, when, where. Most importantly, KEEP IT CONCISE AND DIRECTLY TO THE POINT.
  • How will you work with children? Are the children in school from June-August? Are they on break? Address how you will deal with children and learning with their schedule.
  • Who is the local partner? How will you follow-up? Partner with groups capable of maintaining the deployment after you leave. Is there an academic institution, NGO, community organization, etc. willing to oversee the project after August? Do you have family ties in the community? What's going to happen when you leave?
    • Include a letter of support from the local partner (this doesn't count towards your 750 word limit). Make sure you show that together you're capable of handling the receipt of a 230 kg package of laptops and equipment. Where will you store the equipment during the deployment?
  • How will this impact 6-12 yr old children? All proposals must be about kids 6-12 years old and their learning. A proposal gets stronger as soon as the group can show that children are the agents of change, not just the objects of teaching.
    • Stick to OLPC's Core Principles: child ownership, low ages, saturation, connection, and free and open source.
  • Describe your project's financial needs. As an attachment (that doesn't count towards the 750 word limit), provide a brief budget for the project. Include travel costs (to Kigali and your deployment community), housing for 9 weeks (can your local partner help here?), and other project-related expenses. Remember that OLPC will only grant up to $10,000 and that you do not need to include XOs, accessories, or Kigali accomodations in your budget. If you have a creative project-based idea that needs funding, let us know.
    • Be realistic with your budget. It will determine how much money you'll receive.
    • But also be economical where possible. If we think a team's budget is wasteful or unrealistic, we will consider that in evaluating the proposal.
  • How will you provide financial support after you leave? OLPC is dedicating significant time and resources to create learning environments throughout Africa! How can you show that your team can provide financial support after you leave?
    • Research your university's grant programs, student associations, alumni networks, and other avenues of funding to sustain your deployment.
  • Communication - do you share the language of the school or community where you will be working? If not, how will this be overcome?


Note: Upon acceptance, you will be asked to provide proof as a student. This will be verified by the dean of your department, for instance.


Publishing Project Proposals

As you develop your team's project proposal, you should post it to the wiki. This is the only way the OLPCorps team and the OLPC community can provide feedback for your proposal before the submission deadline. Please note: you still must e-mail your proposal as described above by March 27th. Below are the steps to publish your Project Proposal wiki page:

  • Step 1: Create your own project proposal wiki page
  • Step 2: Enter your information in the newly created wiki page. Click on the "Edit" tab of different wiki pages (especially OLPCorps examples and this page) to see how to write and format the wiki.
  • Step 3: Connect your Project Proposal to the main OLPCorps wiki page (this page). In your short summary below, type the following to link your Project Proposal to this site: OLPCorps_UniversityName_Deployment Country, which should be the same format as your Project Proposal URL.



California State University (CSUSB)

XO KV (Kiddies vision) 6-12 is the proposed project program name for the OLPCorps Africa grassroots initiative in Nigeria that will give kids limitless access to knowledge as well as a new age of development in their educational system and community. The main goal of the program is providing training for children between the ages of six to twelve years old, especially kids from extremely low-income areas. XO KV6-12 program will focus on providing young kids access to digital technologies and information by introducing them to powerful ways to use them. This opportunity will help them to be in a better position to make a future difference in their communities and the world. It is expected that by providing such information to young minds, it will be have direct and positive effect on their academic and community development. CSUSB OLPCorps Team team is uniquely qualified for the OLPCorps project because of our team’s ties to the proposed deployment country. The OLPCorps CSUSB Nigeria Team is comprised of two Nigeria citizens that are graduate students in the Computer Science and Engineering Department of California State University San Bernardino. Our extensive memberships in IEEE (Founding members of IEEE CSUSB Chapter)-http://groups.google.com/group/csusb-ieee-student-chapter, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery)-http://www.acm.org/, GFA (Greetings from America)-http://www.greetingsfromamerica.org/, EAC Abuja US embassy-http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/prog_08092007a.html, Cyber Defense CSUSB Team-http://insecuresystem.org/pages/csusb-network.php, CSE Club-http://cse.csusb.edu/cse.CLUB, and NYSC Charity group-http://www.nysc.gov.ng/ will be of great technical as well as professional value in the OLPCorps Africa.

For more information about our team feel free contact us at smugs2che@gmail.com or blog at myspace.com/keleonye XO Symbol OLPCorps.jpg XO KV6-12 Symbol for OLPCorps Africa

NGOs

If you are an NGO based in Africa interested in working with a student group to carry out such a project, or if you are working on your own initiatives with educational programs that are, please list yourself and your project here : your name, your project name, where you are based / where you are working, and how to get in touch with you.

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Trees for Clean Energy Network and Magoso School

Trees for Clean Energy Network has been working with schools and communities to promote environmental Education. This project of OLPCorps will open up Africa since it will give opportunity to African child to tell their story, learn more about health, environment and development. This will also enable the children exchange ideas and learn from children outside Kenya. Currently almost all children under 12 years have no idea of what is a computer and even their Teachers. I look forward to working with one of Corps in Magoso school and assisting him or her to develop this great idea to children of Magoso school.

Radio Station in Malawi

Hi, I am Gloria Masanza and i work as a sub-editor at a privately -owned radio station in Malawi, Central Africa. I have a friend working with the American Peace Corps in the country and she told me about the one laptop per child program. I have become so fascinated with the program since she told me, and we are working to link up with an organisation which is already working on children's rights. So I would like to know how we can get the intern teams visit us and see what we can do for our children. There are a lot of children here in Malawi who cannot even explain what a computer is, and over 90 percent of Malawi's children have never seen a computer, so this may just be a stepping stone, to the future. My e-mail is gmasanza@yahoo.com.

Children Rights International - Ghana right!Fight child labour!

This is Bright Appiah, briahus @ yahoo.com, the director for Child Rights International.
We have interest in a team visiting or serving as station in Africa.

Our commitment is to provide an ongoing voice for children and also reaffirm the faith of young people’s hope for a better future.

Please visit our website Children Rights International. thanks


Kijabe Primary School (Kenya)

My name's Becca Nelson and I'm currently living in Kijabe Kenya working with Kenyakidscan.org. There is a rural kenyan school nearby that would benefit deeply from 100 laptops--and has an infrastructure in place to handle the years following your team's departure. In addition, there is a school of about 120 children in Nairobi (slum area) that also would benefit and has accountable, technical people in the vicinity.

Let me know if you're looking for a kenyan adventure. :). thanks! nelson.rebecca@gmail.com.


The Ungana Foundation

As a result of the 1994 genocide, Rwanda gained one million new orphans, still surviving today as the potential new leaders of Rwanda's future. Orphaned children around the world face many obstacles including depression, lack of home support, minimal education, and hindered self-development. Starting June 2009, the UNGANA Foundation seeks to alleviate these odds by introducing 'Goals for Goals' to the ambitious youth of Gisenyi, Rwanda. Utilizing developmentally responsive activities, the 'Goals for Goals' program creates a space where Rwandan children can express creativity and voice and empowers the children with the life skills necessary to improve their own circumstances.

The Ungana Foundation is working on setting up an OLPCorps program in Rwanda for Summer 2009, but we need help - notably with IT setup and long-term funding. Please contact Ashley Linford, Programs Associate for more information at: ashley@unganafoundation.org

www.unganafoundation.org

Madagascar School Project

The Madagascar School Project is a small NGO based in Alexandria, Canada. In October 2008, we opened our elementary school in the rural village of Ambatoharanana, Madagascar. In a culture where a child's potential is often minimalized, the school has validated them as contributing members of their society. It is amazing how in such a short period of time, the children (and hence their community) have grown in terms of knowledge and new attitudes. Imagine what more could be accomplished if each student was provided with an XO to engage the global community and to equipe them with skills to ensure their competency in a world increasingly entwined with technology. For more information on the MSP, please visit www.madagascarschoolproject.com. If you are a team or individual seeking affiliation with an NGO and our work and philosophy are of interest to you, please contact me, Joseline Beaulieu, at holycatfish@sympatico.ca . I'd love to hear from you. The MSP may be a small organization but we can provide a team with excellent support. Thank-you for your interest. Hope to hear from someone soon.

Joseline


Blessing the Children International

BCI (Blessing the Children International) is a nonprofit organization working with several hundred children in Ethiopia, Africa. We regualary send teams and individuals to Ethiopia to work with orphaned, abandoned and impoverished children. We are completing construction on an elemenary school, and also sponsor/support over 100 children's care & Education.

Visit our website: Blessing the Children (www.BlessingTheChildren.org) Or email us at info@BlessingTheChildren.org

The Township Baseball Academy-Philippi Township, Cape Town, South Africa

We are a registered South African Non-Profit Organization employing a unique intervention model for at-risk township youth, combining the physical and social benefits of team sport with principles of achievement, positive communication, and discipline, borne through experiential education on the playfield, and transferred into the classroom. We work with a group of approximately 200 children, most aged 6-13, have access to an indoor activity center, and conduct year-round programming 3-4 days/week in baseball and academic enrichment. We would be delighted to hear from groups interested in working with our committed group of children in Cape Town. We currently utilize 8-10 American exchange student-volunteers through the University of Cape Town so we have familiarity with facilitating volunteer programming. Please view our website: [1] and contact Executive Director, Ian Edelstein, e-mail: ian@townshipbaseball.org, for more information.

Girls' Mentoring Centers in Mauritania

Peace Corps Mauritania supports 22 Girls' Mentoring Centers across the country specifically designed to help underprivilged girls who have a strong interest in academic pursuits. The centers are supported by the local communities and run by Peace Corps Volunteers and locally trained mentors ensuring a better opportunity for longer standing sustainability. For more information, contact Ginger Tissier at gtissier@gmail.com.

Other Ways to Participate

We're looking to reach university students across the world to participate in the OLPCorps Grant Program - this is a global learning movement. If you can translate a short one page letter from English into any other relevant language, e-mail OLPCorps@laptop.org to help out. You can also edit these wiki pages, too.

Please request to join our Sunday 4PM or 6PM EDT conference calls.

Newer Minutes from Sunday's Public Call -- March 8th 6PM - 7:30PM.

Please join our OLPC Grassroots Mailing List for public discussions about OLPCorps Africa.


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