OLPCorps School of the Art Institute of Chicago Kenya

the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)

Team Member

Our team members are studying in AIADO department (Architecture, Interior Architecture and Designed Object) at The School of Art Institute of Chicago. We both are highly interested in education for children in developing country with using methodology of design and art education.
Namkyu Ryoo have small back ground on electrical engineering and now he is studying in Designed Object department to investigate more possibilities of design as global impacts. He had been in Kazakhstan as Information Technology volunteer leader, which was sponsored by Korean Government. This volunteer program is about basically teaching computer skill to people who don’t know what computer is.
Heeyoung Choe have strong experiences on biology and education in Bachelor degree. Now she is studying in Interior Architecture and Designed Object to combine all of those past and current academic experiences by using design thinking methodology.

Our mission

OLPC project is all about nurturing our children with using media technology and help children to find their own potentiality to transform current culture into positive directions in their community. In this visionary goal, we are focusing on ‘Finding Self Potentiality to make Cultural momentum’ with using education platform of OLPC. We would consider ‘Finding Self Potentiality’ as critical factors for Kenyan children to become agents of cultural change in their community and additionally their country.

Community Context

Kamwaura is a rural area near from Nakuru town area. This community has 15,000 population and consist of different tribal communities in Kenya with main tribe such as Kalenjin and Kikuyu. Most family members are engaging in farming to get income as sources for living. Low income of those people in Kamwaura has been made worsen by periodic conflicts between tribals.
Children have rare access to education which is running with media technology, such as computer. The nearest education center is locating on 25 km away. Few children are allowed to use computers after secondary school education.
Recently, government deployed electric infrastructure on rural area of Kamwaura. They have an access to use power for future development project. But it is still not reliable level.

Local Partner

Our local partner is Primary School at Kamwaura under Great Commission Trust Academy. It is a non-profit organization registered in Kenya and United Kingdom to take care rural area of Kenya with three main issues such as ‘Health,' ‘Education’ and Disaster relief’. Great Commission Trust (GCT) has visionary aims to alleviate human suffering and to provide relevant education and training to young Kenya children (3-16 years). Primary School at Kamwaura is located in Molo District, Which is 26 km from Nakuru Town along Nakuru-Njoro-Molo Road. It is also located approximately 200 km from Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.

CONTACT
Mr. Simon Mburu Ngana
Managing Trustee: Education
Great Commission Trust, Kenya
P.O. Box 7204, Nakuru
Tel: +254 51 2215481
Cell:+254 723 444225
Email: leombae@yahoo.com

Operation Plan

We categorized this project with three sections which are ‘Deployment’, ‘Adaptation’ and ‘Maintenance’. In deployment step, GCT organization confirmed to provide transportation support at the Nairobi International Airport. They also have enough space and a safe storage for 100 XO laptops. Within first or second weeks, our team will research context of Primary School at Kamwaura with technical, educational and cultural perspective. We are going to revise our specific goals and tasks what we need to accomplish in each steps. In adaptation step, we have two procedures to implement XO laptops. One is aim to inform importance of OLPC project and future possibilities of education with OLPC to teachers and parents. They will find more possibilities and motivations to educate their children as active participants. In the second step, Children are our focal point to educate them as being cultural momentum in Kenya. With this goal, we are preparing several different education activities with using XO laptops. In maintenance step, we should inform basic maintenance of XO laptop to teachers or manager at school. Finally, we will organize feedback what we will feel and get from children.

Sustainable Partnership

We have planning to establish student group at the School of Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) for sustaining partnership between SAIC and Great Commission Trust Academy after we are back to school. This means even though we are leaving after finishing OLPC deployment project and we would like to make continuous partnership by providing education contents (especially design and art) and by encouraging designers, artists or art teachers into volunteer-ship in this organization.

Social Impacts

1.Knowing potentiality with education
2.Inspiring children’s motivation for being educated
3.Understanding what communication is(not as technical term)
4.Learning how to make cooperative Community
5.Sustainable relationship between NGO and Institution

Photo Image

• 

  Great Commission Academy

• 

  Great Commission Academy at kamwaura

• 

  class room 1

• 

  class room 2