Midway point on Guatemala project

This is the midway point of project in Guatemala and it is going strong! 

The collaboration with our local partner, FUNDAP is enriching and  full of complementary skills.

• We have identified the 3 pilot schools we are working with
• We have defined the technology kit that strikes the right balance of affordability and effectiveness.
• We have installed the kit in each of the schools
• We have created and provided a setup, usability training and conducted a mockup class for the teachers of the schools
• We have defined the criteria of measurement (attendance to school, moving to the next grade, repeating a grade, leaving school, as well as attitude towards learning). 
• We are visiting the schools monthly, to support the adminsitration, listen to teachers on their challenges, train teachers on lesson plans including virtual tools tailored to their need and relevant to their curriculum. 
• We conduct monthly skype meetings with the schools for technical support, capacity building and follow ups.

In other words, the project is in full speed. More photos to come soon.  

www.tinfa.org

Yes, we got it!

After 10 months of waiting, we received TODAY, the confirmation from the IRS of the 501c3 status. "We are pleased to inform you that upon review of your application for tax exempt status, we have determined that you are exempt from Federal Income Tax... ".
This was a long wait, but now it's here ! Such exciting news!

We would welcome your support. And yes, it is tax deductible!

http://www.tinfa.org/Contribute.htm  

Resilience

 (Photo from http://www.fastcompany.com/)

Today, I went to the Global Washington conference on Global development, here in Seattle. I got a lot out of the conference and am thankful to be in a region so interested in this sector.

If there was one word, for me to reflect on, after this day it would be RESILIENCE.

I knew the opening speaker Deogratias Niyizonkiza, from Tracy Kidder's book "strength in what remains". Deogratias's story of surviving the most horrific genocide in Burundi, getting to Harvard, and starting his own organization, Village Health Works is unique and inspiring. What I did not know, is the struggles that he faced throughout the process, how he moved forward building his first clinic despite having the proper authorizations to start, nor the necessary funding.RESILIENCE.

Sam Daley-Harris, from Result, and whose work I know when I worked at Grameen, challenged us to  get out of our comfort zone. Activists and donors want more than a "one click and a check", which from Daley-Harris 's point of view is what you would expect from kindergarteners. He suggests that we reflect on our own stories of "why" ("I was born twice. The day I was born and the day I found out why"). This gives us the inspiration to move from hopelessness to hope, be more aspirational. Activist and donors want to be treated as capable adults. With the right mindset, a mindset of appreciation , and RESILIENCE (which he specifically spelled out as focus, structure and support)  "that's when the magic happens".

Finally, I had a chance to catch up with friends and acquaintances and particularly Rick from Water for Humans, whom I hadn't seen for 3 or 4 years . It was really neat to hear how his organization has really taken off this year. When asked what made a difference, he believed that it was thanks to couple of key partnership and RESILIENCE.

www.tinfa.org

First virtual exchange of the school year!

John Standford International School (JSIS) , an elementary school in Seattle WA, and Juan de la Barrera (JdlB), an elementary school in PV Mexico had their first virtual exchange today!
7 students from 4th grade at JSIS and the entire class of 3rd grade from JdlB connected through Skype, to share the conclusion of their discussions in class, as it relates to values with family, friends and at school.

Each student presented his/her own findings, and listened to the other school's finding.
Now each class is analyzing the information they received, to  find the differences and similarities.

www.tinfa.org

The equipment is on site!

This week, our local partner organization in Guatemala, FUNDAP, is delivering the equipment to the three pilot schools:

• One Cellular Internet card,
• Two  Sony SVE11135 laptops
•  one projector Epson  S12,
• one screen EPSON Stula
• one LG TV
• Stabilizers, speakers, memories, software. 

Today I had the opportunity to talk with representatives of the San Marco ‘s school, as they were using their equipment for the first time. The director, the 30 teachers, the parent association representatives and some of the children were talking with me through Skype, about the excitement of having the equipment, the connectivity and the training that FUNDAP will provide throughout the year.

The situation felt disproportionate, but very humbling. This equipment is in such good hands! The first lessons will be around Geography, the use of Google map, to understand continents and where we live.

www.tinfa.org

Schools selected in Guatemala

The project with FUNDAP in Guatemala has launched with the selection of the three partner schools:


View FUNDAP Schools location in a larger map

The criteria that were used to select these three schools are :

Potential for success :

• Basic infrastructure (secure area for equipment)
• Basic needs met
• Internet accessibility
• School administration leadership. (Vision and values that are common and/or compatible with FUNDAP and TINFA)
• Flexibility and interest of the teachers particularly as it relates to experimentation, willingness to learn, willingness to use technology.
• Parent association: is a structure in place in order to reach the entire family.
• District approval

Potential for learning from the pilot:

• one small, one medium, one large school

I visited the large school, San Marcos, in February and was very impressed by its leadership. Here a picture of a reuse and recycle project : the school is re-use plastic soda bottles brought from home, filing them up with sand, to make a wall.