Name
Aisha Walcott
Project title
LaareCommunityTechnologyCenter
Project abstract
This proposal outlines the needs of the LaareCommunityTechnologyCenter (Lacotec). Specifically, I focus on the Edubuntu educational software training, university outreach, and a new initiative in which the center helps to increase computer literacy among the women and children of Laare.
Supervisor
The supervisors for this project are Eric Mibuari, in Cambridge, MA, and Fr. Peter Nthiga, in Laare, Kenya. Fr. Peter is the priest in charge at Laare Catholic Church which currently houses the LaareCommunityTechnologyCenter. Prior to the trip, I will work closely with Eric Mibuari, the project’s founder, to make all the necessary preparations. In Laare, I will be working closely with Ft.Peter to achieve the goals outlined in this project.
Community needs
Laare is a small, rural farming town in Kenya found close to the equator. Most of the residents of the Laare have not had exposure to computers until recently. In January 2005 Eric Mibuari, an MIT alum, started a computer center in his hometown of Laare, called the LaareCommunityTechnologyCenter. This was done with the support of the MIT Public Service Center (PSC). The purpose of the center is to promote computer literacy and awareness by providing the residents of Laare with an affordable opportunity to learn computers.
Since Lacotec’s beginning, MIT has helped the center evolve by sending students, donating much needed computers, and other equipment. While a few MIT students have visited the center, this past IAP was the first time that MIT students, Shawntel Hines and I, worked at the center for an extended period. We received a PSC network fellowship to work in Laare, Kenya. Our main objectives were to strengthen the sustainability of the center, and help the community take ownership of the center. Meeting these objectives required several tasks to be completed. First, an assessment of the center’s progress to date was performed. Second, with the support of MIT CSAIL (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory), a primary school laptop outreach program was started. Third, meetings with a number of local officials were held. Lastly, a community-wide Information Technology Awareness Day was successfully carried out. Working in Laare granted me the opportunity to learn the challenges of starting and running a center such as Lacotec, in a community with limited technological resources. However, the experience provided me with the opportunity to understand and learn the critical needs of the center, many of which this project description outlines. Mainly, these needs are an Edubuntu training course, outreach to local business, establishing collaborations with universities, and developing programs for the women and children of Laare.
Dell and MIT Libraries donated laptops that were installed with Edubuntu, Linux-based educational software. This was a part of the primary school laptop outreach initiative started by MIT CSAIL. Teachers were encouraged to integrate Edubuntu laptops into their curriculum. Implementation of this program started with small group training sessions for the teachers. I took the lead on the training, and quickly realized that none of the teachers had computer experience, and as a result, we were not able to cover as much material as initially planned. Also, we were limited by the number of teachers that we could train, and how often we could train them. The schools involved in the laptop program agreed to enroll at least four of their teacher in the Lacotec computer course. By this summer, many of the teachers will have taken the course, and be familiar with computers and basic applications. This will be a great opportunity to implement a long-term laptop and Edubuntu training course.
A second community need is to work on developing projects that incorporate computers into the daily lives of Laare residents. Two approaches are the business outreach initiative, and working with students of the center on projects that interest them and would help their community. In general, there is a need to create projects in which it is more apparent how computers can affect change and improve the lives of the Laare community.
To continue to build support for Lacotec outside the center, it is important to establish and maintain relationships between Lacotec and Kenyan universities. In the past Lacotec has collaborated with StrathmoreUniversity’s student community service program. Volunteers from Strathmore visited Lacotec, taught courses, and donated training materials. This past IAP, Shawntel and I furthered university collaborations by meeting with faculty and staff at KenyaMethodistUniversity (KemU) and the University of Nairobi. Over the summer, these relationships with key institutions will need to be more formalized.
The women of Laare work hard daily, raising children, attending to their farms, preparing food, washing clothes, and so forth. Many of them do not have the opportunity to take classes at Lacotec. Others are timid when it comes to learning about computers. To encourage the women of Laare to become computer literate, I propose special introductory computer sessions that are exclusive to and free to women. The aim is to enable the women to feel comfortable with computers, and ultimately, want to learn more about computers. Additionally, a schedule for children to use the center during the holidays and weekends has not been formulized.
Work plan
To accomplish the tasks set out in the project description, and described in the previous section, I plan to begin preparations as early as possible. Below, I focus on the steps required to implement Edubuntu training, University outreach, and the women and children computer literacy program.
The Edubuntu training will occur in daily morning sessions in which approximately 16 teachers are taught for two hours at a time. There are four main tasks to carry out in preparation for this training. The first step is to follow-up with the center to ensure that teachers have been taking the introductory Lacotec computer training course, as requested this past IAP. The second step is to secure a room specifically for the training over the duration of the summer fellowship. The third step is to develop a 20-25day lesson plan for training the teachers. Finally, the fourth step is to outline some incentives or prizes for teachers and schools that get involved with the training. While in Laare, the two training sessions will be held from 8:30-10:30am and 11:00-1:00pm. I will work with my fellowship partner or partners to help the teachers adapt their lesson plans include the use of the Edubuntu educational applications. Also, we will test the teachers’ understanding and provide them with opportunities to evaluate our training sessions. Through our early preparation and plans for implementation, I am confident the Edubuntu training will be a success.
The university outreach sessions will occur a few times over the course of the fellowship. They will require setting up visits the universities beforehand, discussing our summer plans with them, prepare a presentation about Lacotec, and following up with the universities’ community service and outreach programs. While in Kenya, we will continue to work with the faculty and staff at StrathmoreUniversity, the University of Nairobi, and KeMU. We will create and post fliers around campus inviting students to attend information sessions and presentations about Lacotec. We will outline ways in which university students can get involved with helping the center.Finally, we will work with the faculty and staff to devise a formal plan for Lacotec and the university.
Weekends and holidays are great time for the center to support special sessions geared towards women and children. Before the trip, I will work with my supervisors and MIT partner or partners to determine days and times for women to drop-in, and questions about computers, and become comfortable with them. In addition, I will outline activities that may be of interest to the women, such as computer artwork, typing, and using digital cameras to create documents to share food recipes and other ideas. The hope is to reach the women who have not had the opportunity to receive much formal education, and help them feel confident about learning computers. Also, to support early learning at the center, similar sessions will be set-up for children to drop-in and use computers. As mentioned, the proposed dates of the summer fellowship coincide with the period in which schools are not in session.
Community impact
This project impacts Laare and neighboring communities. The Lacotec project provides affordable computer training, introduces computers to children, while maintaining connections with the broader Kenyan community. Computer training at the center will help students to gain employment opportunities, supplement their education, and encourage innovative solutions to local problems through technology. Furthermore, developing external support with institutions outside of Laare will help to strengthen the sustainability of the center, and I hope, inspire other rural towns in Kenya to start such initiatives.
Motivation
I want to do this work for several important reasons. First, I have had the opportunity to develop a relationship with the people of Laare and I look forward to continue to work with the residents to increase the variety of programs offered at the center. Second, I am passionate and committed to community service and am eager to explore new technological innovations and learning initiatives to assist developing communities. Third I love teaching and working with people, and plan to continue a long-term relationship with the LaareCommunityTechnologyCenter project.
Qualifications
As mentioned, I spent a month working at Lacotec during January 2007. During that time I was able to develop working relationships with many community members, schools, and local officials. I am eager for the opportunity to collaborate with other MIT students and help them to adapt to and quickly learn their way around Laare. I am confident that my previous experience working at the LaareCommunityTechnologyCenter, commitment to service and outreach, and my technical background are valuable skills to continue helping center.
Community service and outreach have always been truly rewarding part of my life. For the past four years, I have been volunteering with Horizon’s for Homeless Children as a Play-space Activity Leader (PAL). As a PAL, I serve as a mentor to homeless children and plan activities designed to enrich their social, motor, and reading skills. During the summer of 2004, I worked with two MIT programs in Ghana, West Africa. 0020The first program, the MIT Africa Internet Technology Initiative, involved teaching computer programming, web development, and entrepreneurship to high school and university students. The students were able to use this technical training to design and implement software for community-based projects. The second program, the MIT Medial Laboratory “Fab Labs,” is a global initiative to provide tools and training to communities in the developing world. In Ghana, I taught members of the community how to use fabrication tools, such as a laser cutter and a desktop mini mill. We worked together to design, develop, fabricate and test novel approaches to local community problems. I have continued this work with at the South End Technology Center-Fab Lab in Boston, Massachusetts.
Presently, I am an EECS PhD student working in the Probabilistic Robotics Group in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).As a student, I find that being able to teach others is equally as important and enjoyable as learning. I was a teaching assistant (TA) for MIT’s Robotics, Science and Systems (RSS) course. I also held three computer science TA positions during my undergraduate tenure at ClarkAtlantaUniversity.
Overall, I believe that my previous experience working in Laare,Kenya, my academic background in addition to my service and teaching experience provide a strong foundation for carrying-out projects at the LaareCommunityTechnologyCenter.
Personal Impact
I truly enjoy teaching and learning about new cultures. I am planning to focus my life’s work combining these passions. Working at the LaareCommunityTechnologyCenter is an excellent opportunity for me to continue to gain experience working in a developing community. Additionally, I enjoy the “on-the-fly” problem solving required to tackle unexpected issues,overcome challenges in order to accomplish goals.
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