Madagascar - We're on our way!
The plan is in motion the computers are ready. Stay tuned for updates on the next adventure! The children are waiting!
Please contact me if you can support this newest venture in any way. You too will be in my heart.
Myanmar lab
Zar Kyi Min works at a school at where children have never seen or worked with a computer. With the help of Virtual World School, and donations from French students at St. Thomas Aquinas High school, we collected twenty computers, equipped them with educational software and sent them on their way.
Zar has just written her thesis on technology in education, and I’m thrilled to be working with her. This is what Zar has to say:
“Computers are still out of reach for the majority of kids in Myanmar. My dream is to create an opportunity for them to get familiar with computers and use them appropriately in their learning.” “Nelson Mandela said that ‘ Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world’. That is absolutely true, a child without education is like a bird without wings. Only with Education, we can change the fate of our country in the near future. I do believe that ‘Madagascar in My Heart’ can create the brighter future for our kids by helping them to get education.”
Inagural Lab
I envisioned a warm, inviting setup, a place where students can feel safe and loved and happy. I wanted it to be a place where they would be excited to come to everyday, where they could see that learning is not only fun, but empowering.
With the help and support of People Reaching People, I was able to implement a pilot project in August of 2012. I setup a two week learning laboratory for children from one of the poorest regions of Madagascar. I along with another educator exposed the children to basic computer skills such as Keynote, Excel, iMovie, Word and basic keyboarding skills. Students who attended the program had never seen or had the opportunity to use a computer and learned these basic computer skills in a two week intensive course. The dream is to have this lab continually open and available to Malagasy children with the support of a lab administrator. I returned to two new locations in August of 2013, and 2014 with unbelievable success.
This is an opportunity that we take for granted, but that is unimaginable for Malagasy. Most of the children in the remote Tulear region of Madagascar do not attend school and have never had access to a computer. The acquisition of computer skills and proficiency in the skills taught in the laboratory will open doors to future opportunities and inspire them to reach for more than they ever thought possible.
Lab dedication ceremony -school children in Mandela Village, South Africa
At the St. Camillus Primary school, students gave me a warm welcome and ceremony to dedicate the lab I created there. One of the best days of my life! They were enamored by the computers and so appreciative.
* I have now been asked to return to South Africa. I have developed new lessons to teach the students without wi-fi (which is a luxury there). These lessons I created will be the prototype for all the labs I create.
Morondava lab
This is a lab in the South region of Madagascar! The children continue to work on computers to this day! Comments from our Malagasy friends!
Fanja Rabearinoro notre rendez vous c' est tous les mercredi après midi
Many thanks for all of you for supporting this initiative for these children
Misaotra anareo mampianatra ny ankizy sy ny tanora informatique o! Mila olona ny Tompo, iza ni andeha ho iranY, ? Valio ny antsony zay iantsony ny tsirairay!