OLPCorps GWU Madagascar

The Team

Mary Yanik is a sophomore majoring in Chemistry and Government & Politics at the University of Maryland.
Sean Robinson is a junior at George Washington University majoring in International Affairs.
Kate Doyle is a senior at George Washington University majoring in International Affairs and Anthropology.

GW / University of Maryland Madagascar Proposal (DRAFT)

Project Summary

Madagascar is one of the world's poorest countries, with more than half its population living on less than one dollar per day. We plan to deploy the XO to two primary schools serving children 6-10 years old run by the Madagascar School Project in the rural village of Ambatoharanana. We will be able to give XOs to every student at both schools – effectively achieving saturation of all primary school children in the village.

Project Site

Ambatoharanana is a small village located approximately three hours north of Antananarivo. 96% of the population is economically dependent on agriculture. The village is home to two schools run by the Madagascar School Project. Together, the schools have just over ninety students. English is the teaching language of both schools. The children will be in school for the first two weeks of the deployment. However, they all live nearby in the community and can be brought back in small groups for focused training throughout the summer.

The schools are located approximately 500 yards away from St. Paul's Theological College run by the Anglican Church. The computers and equipment would be stored in a secure guarded room at the theological college pending deployment. The schools themselves do not have electricity (although they will be hooked up to the grid over the next six months) but the College does. In the interim, the College is willing to allow us to install the classroom server in a secure location inside the college. We plan to make the signal available to students at the schools (400-500 yards away) via a directional antenna. The students will be given the opportunity to charge their XO at the college during the school day. Once the schools are on the grid, the server can be moved inside, thus eliminating the need for the antenna and students charging at the College.

Local Partner

The Madagascar School Project (MSP) is a Canada based NGO that operates two primary schools in Ambatoharanana. MSP is uniquely enthusiastic about an XO deployment and because they run all aspects of the two schools, we are completely assured that they are on board with using the computers in a way that is structurally and pedagogically consistent with OLPC's mission.

MSP also has strong ties to the local community. The mayor of Ambatoharanana has offered to hold a parents summit and create a contract in which the expectations of both parents and students in regards to the computers are specified (e.g. understanding that the laptops are the property of the children).

Sustainability

We plan to spend a considerable portion of the deployment working with teachers and MSP staff (some of whom already have a familiarity with computers) to enable them to maximize the children's experience with the XO, educate the children on the responsible use of the internet and deal with minor technical problems on a day to day basis.

For more serious problems or infrastructure upgrades, we are in talks with various engineering and computer science students/faculty at the University of Antananarivo approximately three hours away. During the deployment we plan to co-opt students and faculty at the University in such a way so as they will have a meaningful stake in the project after our departure and will be able to assist with any major technical or infrastructure challenges.

Finances

In addition to the project funding from OLPC, we have received firm commitments (pending acceptance in to the program) from our universities and various donors in the amount of $5,000. We've also received indications of interest from other potential sponsors.

We hope to cover all expenses involved in the initial deployment from the OLPC funding and then use raised funds to create a trust to fund ongoing XO related expenses (internet and electricity) as well as unanticipated costs (e.g. equipment failures).

The entire deployment will be documented, specifically the affect of the XOs on children and the school. This media will be given to the MSP in the hopes that they can use it to demonstrate the value of their project to potential donors.

Pedagogy

Coming soon.