tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post3737243659351011119..comments2023-10-15T10:29:12.991+01:00Comments on Karyn's erratic learning journey: Once upon a time in Africa...The upsychohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06345558899662051670noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-6107664794888140072011-06-23T23:30:02.535+01:002011-06-23T23:30:02.535+01:00@Laura When we look at statistics like global inte...@Laura When we look at statistics like global internet access and realise that what we demand as a basic right for our kids in school is still beyond science fiction for the majority of the world's population, it certainly gives pause.The upsychohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06345558899662051670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-70872434538439012642011-06-23T21:04:11.389+01:002011-06-23T21:04:11.389+01:00Reading this makes me feel so greedy for thinking ...Reading this makes me feel so greedy for thinking that we have it hard here in the United States because of increased class sizes and 'bare-bones' budgets. Whoa. What a wake up call! Thank you.Laura Hooksnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-15382391556544934232009-01-16T20:10:00.000+00:002009-01-16T20:10:00.000+00:00@Don How wonderful to have your comments! And what...@Don How wonderful to have your comments! And what an excellent thing you're doing. May it go from strength to strength.<BR/><BR/>You're mistaken about the 'long time', though - I post almost every day. Sometimes twice a day! Perhaps your feedreader is missing me out :o(The upsychohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06345558899662051670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-4736622944912813432009-01-16T19:38:00.000+00:002009-01-16T19:38:00.000+00:00Hi Karyn. It's a long time since the last entry an...Hi Karyn. It's a long time since the last entry and I hope that this blog is still open. My wife, Pat, and I are retired teachers who now spend three months of the year working with schools in rural Kenya and Uganda. We work through Rotary International on all phases of community development, but Schools are the Key to both acceptance in the community and sustainabilty of projects. We've started eight libraries in schools that have no books and have targeted 16 more for this year. This ties in with your comment about a grass roots movement to get books where they are needed. We have a shipping company that helps us collect books and ships them at the lowest possible price. There is a Rotary Club in Nairobi that takes care of clearing customs and transporting the container from the port city of Mombasa to Nairobi. Ths schools a responsible for collecting theĀ books (fiction and non-fiction childrens books - no textbooks or out of date encyclopedias). Each school receives one or two pallets of books, about 5 per student. The selected schools have agreed to have their teachers read to their children daily, allow students to check out books, and to have classes visit the library on a regular schedule. We take a team of volunteers to help the the parents and teachers to renovate a room, build furniture, decorate the library so the environment is inviting, and develop a system to support all of the above. Thus far, according to the headteachers, academic achievement has improved as well as test scores in all of the libraries we have created thus far. In addition to books, we provide sanitary towels to help keep girls in school, handwashing stations and soap to reduce illness, high yield garden plots so the children can learn agriculture and entrepreneurial skills and the school can feed their orphans, and the list go on. Our book drive starts in March. We are enlisting Rotary Clubs, churches, hospitals, schools and businesses to help. Groups are being asked to participate on one of three levels: collect books, sponsor a specific school library, or make a three year commitment to sponsor the school and it's community. We provide guidance on the types of books sought, ideas for conducting a book drive, guidance on how to box the books and identify the contents, and when and how the books will be taken to the warehouse where they will be packed in a 40 foot container. That's our grassroots plan. I don't think we qualify as a movement, but we're working on it. Any help you might give in terms of joining the book collection effort or funding a portion of the shipment, would be appreciated.donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12684956727020555916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-16691509400068502652008-09-21T09:45:00.000+01:002008-09-21T09:45:00.000+01:00@Kobus Thanks so much for your comment... and for ...@Kobus Thanks so much for your comment... and for the wodnerful work you do. There must be days when the task before you seems insurmountable! <BR/><BR/>I have been living in the UK for over 9 years, now, so my African tale predates Khanya's existence. However, we have been back to visit friends and family and the areas we get to see still seem to be being left so hopelessly far behind. Technology is understandably low on the list of priorities when there are issues of AIDS, child abuse and unemployment. Nevertheless, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, and it seems to me that you are taking that step (and a few more!). Hopefully there will be other organisations inspired to do the same.<BR/><BR/>Bless you.The upsychohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06345558899662051670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-79803910384719122342008-09-21T06:56:00.000+01:002008-09-21T06:56:00.000+01:00The situation you describe is very real. I apprec...The situation you describe is very real. I appreciate your comments about the situation in schools in Africa, and your good will.<BR/><BR/>Over the past eight years, the Khanya project of the Western Cape Province in South Africa has been working tirelessly to provide technology to schools - more than 1 000 schools were helped to obtain computer equipment, over 36 000 PCs were installed, more than 22 000 teachers trained and the outcome is that technology is now available to over 700 000 learners. (see website: http://www.khanya.co.za)<BR/><BR/>After providing basic computer technology training to teachers, a remaining challenge is to help them to come to grips with the use of technology as a teaching and learning tool.<BR/><BR/>It is for this purpose that I have started my blog two years ago - to initiate topics of relevance to our teachers and then to invite comments from around the world so that, even if people cannot contribute materially to alleviate the needs in Africa, they can still make a contribution: share their experience and skills. (http://www.khanya.co.za/blogs)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-53333145693136074692007-08-25T16:31:00.000+01:002007-08-25T16:31:00.000+01:00That would be fantastic, Harold! If we could set t...That would be fantastic, Harold! If we could set the wheels in motion for a project like this, it could change people's lives.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-20224116573923776262007-08-25T01:41:00.000+01:002007-08-25T01:41:00.000+01:00Yes, our church supports several projects each yea...Yes, our church supports several projects each year, but it just seems like so little, when we could be sending all of our used textbooks to those who need them. I think I'll start a conversation with the Department of Education.Harold Jarchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11462304722726586155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-92013515843344615742007-08-25T01:09:00.000+01:002007-08-25T01:09:00.000+01:00Harold: you might find that some of the churches i...Harold: you might find that some of the churches in your area have a scheme that does this sort of thing. Our church supports a school in Uganda, and a charity in the Pihippines and we send over shipments every so often. Alternatively, Red Cross, World Vision or Oxfam might have some guidance for you. <BR/><BR/>When I was apologising for the state of something I was donating some years ago, someone told me: the worst thing you have ever thrown out is better than the best thing they have ever owned.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-30394263304135561672007-08-25T00:58:00.000+01:002007-08-25T00:58:00.000+01:00Thanks for sharing this, Karyn. I remember stories...Thanks for sharing this, Karyn. I remember stories told by Red Cross doctors when I was with the military medical services. We were concerned about the number of x-ray units per field hospital, while these real field doctors were using car batteries and rubber bands for surgery.<BR/><BR/>Here at home we were discussing what to do with all of our excess books in the house. I'm wondering if there would an "open source" and non-profit way of shipping text books to other parts of the world in need. Of course, the publishers may not like it, but many schools update their editions while the older ones are still quite useful. Books are thrown out because no one can afford to ship them overseas. Wonder if there's a way of organising some grassroots movement to get them where they're needed.Harold Jarchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11462304722726586155noreply@blogger.com