As most of you know I am spending more than my usual amount of time working with A Better World during this year away from Olds College. This summer my work with them took me to northeast India on the Burma border. I visited the Champai Institute of Technology--9 computers on the second floor of a building that doubles as a house and store. Computer skills are in high demand in that part of the world, but schools are not in a position to provide computer training and there are very few individuals with a computer. Businesses are finding that they need computers for the same reasons our businesses need them. Their government is trying to promote computer training; they have written curriculum and sponsored tuition for training centers. I viewed the government created curriculum and was impressed at the realistic examples it gave and practical skills it develops.
Grace Lalrinhlui, a refugee from Burma and now principal of the Champai Computer Institute of Technology (CCIT), is trying to get training to the low income people of her community. She currently trains a few orphans in her spare time, no questions asked, but she would like to do more. The CCIT offers a 6-month course in office software. The course runs one hour a day, 5 days a week. Grace acts as a mentor for the students as they work through the self directed learning.
The advantage to this format is that students can pick an hour a day that works with their schedule. Some come in the morning after they get their children off to school while others come in the middle of the afternoon between the lunch rush and the supper rush. It makes for a long day for Grace, but she is happy to do it because she recognizes the need. And as far as the facilities are concerned, I was very impressed. Everything was clean and organized, and there was even a suggestion box--the only suggestion box I saw in all of India. Without question, there is the capacity for much greater use of the facilities than is now happening.
I am working with Grace to find sponsors to pay tuition for students from the low income group. To these people, an office job would be out of the question simply because of a lack of education. On the job training is not common. I guess when you have a billion people to choose from, you can be fussy. But a small investment in someone can radically change their life and the lives of their family. Grace knows this because it was a helping hand from a local person that made it possible for her to run the CCIT. She is highly motivated to make the business work because she is uses the proceeds to put her four brothers and sisters through school.
Education provides opportunity. Often family members will pool their resources to send one member to school in the hope that they will all benefit from the training. When families simply do not have even the resources to do that, the whole family is destined to remain in poverty. In the case of a refugee population, the chances are even worst. So, you ask, what would it take to give someone six months of computer training, and a chance a better life? I had to have Grace tell me twice, then write it down because I was sure the number was lost in translation: $150.00 Canadian dollars!
The teacher in me started to claw his way out! Would she be willing to incorporate monthly reporting by each sponsored student into the assignments? Yes! Could they set up a Gmail account and IM with me as an assignment? Yes! Could we track them after leaving the training to assess the effectiveness? Yes! I have been in contact regularly with Grace since the trip. That is the great thing about working with a computer teacher--communication is easy!
I have put a proposal forward to ABW to sponsor 20 students from low income families this year. I am going back to India early this winter to check on a clinic being constructed in that area, and I would love to have the funds to meet 20 new students while I am there.
I had the good fortune to hear the Dalai Lama speak not once but twice this week. His message of changing the world through compassion and nonviolence rings true to me, as does his message about the importance of education. I believe this project could, in a small way, lead to a better world! I don't like to solicit funds through this blog, but, if you are interested in getting involved, please contact me, and I will give you more details (This would be a great project for an IT department to get involved with). Geeks, unite! Your time is at hand!
