OLPCorps UCBerkeley Zambia
Umoja OLPC
Project Name:"Umoja Ya Wa Toto Kwa Dunia Ya Computer", or "Unity of Children in the World of Computers" in Swahili
Participating Schools: University of California, Berkeley & Cavendish University of Zambia
Deployment Location: Lusaka, Zambia
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http://
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(A) -1.950106, 30.058769, Kigali - OLPC HQs Kigali, Rwanda (B) -15.496032, 28.168945, Cal OLPC Deployment Site Lusaka, Zambia -12.248402, 25.869873 (C) -12.554564, 25.72998, UNHCR Meheba Refugee Camp Meheba, Zambia http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/GNA?page=zmb&newsid=47b2f4422 5#B2FF7108 </googlemap>
About Us
The Cal OLPCorps team has partnered with FORGE to deploy XO laptops in Zambia. Originally, we intended to run the project in the Meheba Refugee Settlement in rural Zambia. However, we soon discovered that the project and investment of power infrastructure would be unsustainable in the long-run with the prospect of repatriation for the current refugees. As a result, we have shifted the focus of our project towards working directly with refugee university students as part of our team to deploy laptops to a primary school in Lusaka, Zambia. Many of the refugee students are pursuing degrees in non-profit management, so this is also a great opportunity for them to gain experience for similar roles in the future and for OLPC to invest in the next generation of local leaders.
Mission
Connecting, Sharing, Empowering
Contact: Please e-mail any suggestions or comments to CALolpc at googlegroups.com
OLPCorps Proposal
In Progress.
Cal OLPC Team
In order to engage the local community in a sustainable manner and provide knowledge-sharing at every part of this process, half of our team will consist of local university students in Lusaka. As the International Team works to find resources and partners for the deployment, our counterparts in Zambia will begin working with local primary schools. Over the summer, the two sides will come together for mentorship and a knowledge-transfer of technology, resources, and local community practices.
See: Additional Team Member Information
International Coordinators
| Role | Name | University | Major | Driving Force |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Architect | Jessica Yueh | UC Berkeley | Business Administration & Development Studies | |
| The Geek | Jack Chi | Rice University UC Berkeley |
Computer Science, Managerial Studies, & Psychology | I believe every child is a miraculous marvel of the world, and the impact on future generations is our shared legacy.
|
| The Pedagogue | Laura Keys | Washington University in St. Louis UC Berkeley |
Computer Science, Linguistics, Mathematics | Access to information should be universal; education and forces from within communities can make a change for the better. |
| The Adviser | FORGE | Staff advisers: Abby Speight, Kjerstin Erickson | www.FORGEnow.org | FORGE builds upon the capacity of African refugees to cultivate empowered communities and to create the conditions for peace and prosperity in their countries. |
Local Coordinators
FORGE Education Fund (FEF) sponsored refugee university students
| Role | Name | University | Major | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Architects | Boas Fernando Kwase Mohammed Abdallah |
Cavendish University Zambia Cavendish University Zambia |
BA NGO Management BA Economics |
|
| The Geeks | Antoine Ngeleka Paul |
Cavendish University Zambia Cavendish University Zambia |
BS in Computing N/A |
|
| The Pedagogues | Kikassa Peter |
Cavendish University Zambia Cavendish University Zambia |
BA NGO Management N/A |
More information soon
Partnerships
FORGE is a US-based nonprofit organization that works with displaced communities in Africa. We build upon the capacity of African refugees to cultivate empowered communities and lay the foundation for peace and prosperity.
Since its founding in 2003, FORGE has implemented over 60 community development projects that have served more than 70,000 refugees in the four refugee camps in Zambia & Botwana. An official Operating Partner of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), FORGE works in Zambia, hand-in-hand with refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Rwanda, Burundi and Sudan.
Among FORGE's many projects are three solar-powered computer training centers, a network of libraries serving 50,000 individuals, a rights advocacy program, health education services, women's empowerment projects, multiple preschools, arts, music & writing programs, and repatriation resource centers. FORGE also operates a Microfinance Institute serving refugees in Zambia, and an Education Fund that provides school sponsorships for refugee youth who would otherwise be unable to afford school.
Project Ideas
Details to come!