1. Could you give me a rundown of a typical day--I'm looking for a job description really but with more of a personal angle.
The project took place in three diverse phases. The first being the pre-deployment phase, then the first half of the deployment phase and thirdly the second half of deployment phase.
It’s hard to describe a typical day particularly one in the pre-deployment phase because we had to be flexible and determine a plan of action according to unpredictable turns that would occur. However, I shall be flexible and attempt to generalize the “ungeneralizable” J
Phase 1 – Pre-deployment
Meet at our partner NGO – Practical Action at 9am. Check our mail to see if Paul Commons, our OLPC advisor had responded to our updates. Hand in receipts for equipment we had purchased the previous day to the NGO’s financial department and, dreadingly engage in an hour long discussion with the head of the department in order to request more money to buy the next set of equipment who would by the end of it all tell us to come back later after they had gone to the bank.
At about 11am, head out to the Central Business District to the Ministers of Education and Youth’s offices to check if they had read and approved our proposals. This would always take so long because the Ministers were hardly ever in their offices or if they were, the secretaries would deem them to be busy so we would have to wait. However, we always seized these opportunities of waiting, and used them to explain our project to everyone who came in to do business in the respective Ministries.
At about 2pm we would head for a much needed lunch at a food outlet.
An hour later we would walk around the Central Business District checking out equipment prices. After that one of the three of us would return to Practical Action to collect money whilst the other two got to head home. Text messages would be sent that evening to confirm plans for the next day which would probably be to again meet at Practical Action but instead this time head out with the NGOs driver to go purchase equipment.
Phase 2 – First half of the deployment
Be awake, showered and ready to leave by 7am.
Arrive at the school an hour later, after a rough drive from the high school at which we were staying, through the village, to Nyamasanga Primary School.
Attend the children’s assembly and then set up the solar panel, battery and inverter to charge in time for the afternoon training sessions with the 9 teachers. Label equipment and install hardware.
At noon, two of us would prepare our lunch on a fire in one of the teacher’s kitchens, whilst the other team member continued with handling the equipment.
At 1.15pm each of us would start getting our stations ready for the 3 hour long training sessions.
At 1.30pm the teachers be eager and ready to hand in their homework to the team member who taught them the previous day and, to go for a different session with a new team member.
At 4.30pm the sessions would end and the teachers and my team members and I would pack up and the headmaster would make sure that all equipment was locked up.
At 5pm the headmaster from the high school, who had dropped us off in the morning would arrive to pick us up.
After arriving back at the high school we would relax and once again cook over the fire because there would usually be a powercut. Over dinner we would evaluate the day and determine any improvements needing to be made in the next day’s sessions.
When the electricity got back at about 9pm we would watch a movie and then call it a day.
Phase 3 – Second half of the deployment
Be awake, showered and ready to leave by 11am. This time, ready to leave included having made our first meal for the day and packed it. Sometimes there would be electricity and we would have the joy of cooking on our slow, one plate stove, but other times there would be a power cut so we would have to resort to our good, old, reliable method of cooking over a fire.
Arrive at Nyamasanga at noon to long set up and so, sufficiently charged, solar panel, battery and inverter.
From 1pm till 3.30pm, in collaboration with the teachers, conduct XO lessons with the grade 5, 6 and 7 classes but as time progressed we weaned the teachers and simply monitored them as they taught the children. Furthermore, the lessons quickly evolved from being XO laptop skills lessons to XO related project lessons, which involved incorporating the XO into the curriculum in order to transform education.
From 3.30pm – 4.30pm, pack up and with the teachers, evaluate that day’s lessons and strategically plan for the next day.
At 5pm the headmaster from the high school, who had dropped us off in the morning would arrive to pick us up.
Thereafter we would be free.
2. What was the most challenging thing, the most memorable?
The most memorable thing was the excitement, vibrancy and elation of the entire community during the first official ceremony in which we were presenting the laptops to Nyamasanga’s grade 5, 6 and 7 students. The speeches encouraged and overjoyed us because they revealed that our efforts were neither insignificant or in vain and as the saying goes, though to the world you might be one person, to one person you might be the world.
The most challenging thing was power. Nyamasanga Primary school did not have electricity so we depended on power from the one solar we could afford to purchase and that limited us to charging charge 30 laptops every 3hours. The sustainability of this method worried us and it was not until the last week of our deployment that the Rural Electrification Board came to our rescue and said they would install 2,500 watts worth of power at the school. Now half the classrooms shall be electrified and so the laptops can be efficiently charged, allowing them to be fully incorporated into the everyday learning at Nyamasanga Primary School.
3. What did you take away from this experience? Has it changed anything you plan on doing in your future or made you more passionate about the plans you already had?
Though monetary payment is necessary, it does not surpass the satisfaction you get when you know you have upheld the rights of others, which, in this case, as termed by the deputy headmaster at Nyamasanga Primary School and, supported by Zimbabwe’s Minister of Education are “the rural community’s rights to Education and Freedom without discrimination.” I cannot agree more with the deputy headmaster that, ‘Whenever people stand up for truth, goodness, respect and the freedom of others, God’s commandment of Love is fulfilled.” I encourage fellow college students and those already in their careers that, let love, not money be the motivator in the respective careers we shall and, or are already pursuing. Through my exposure to stark poverty in this rural community Nelson Mandela’s words that, "Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity; it is an act of justice” really solidified within me and elevated to a more advanced meaning. Each of us are in our different positions of privilege because of other peoples acts of justice thus, it is our duty to ensure the justice and elevation of others. Donating money is great but donating it after donating your time to walk in the footsteps of the people to whom you are donating, who are caged by poverty and neglected by the world, brings a whole new dimension to your money, your character and your efforts thereafter.
This experience and others I have had volunteering in underdeveloped nations have inspired and motivated me to collaboratively initiate the Macalester Development Group whose mission statement is: To strengthen Macalester’s development studies curriculum, enhance co-curricular opportunities (speakers, seminars, research, etc), and gain first-hand exposure to international development efforts. Mac students, particularly freshman, I say to you, changing the world and making it a better place won’t start when you are rich and are in your desired career, it all starts now in the small efforts you make. For, it is in the small things that, we learn and establish principles which shall guide us when we do have the money and prestige and these principles shall enable us to remain humble and true to our vision of making the world a better place even when riches and prestige are overflowing. One small effort could be you joining and contributing to the efficiency and success of the Macalester Development Group organization. Bring your ideas and let us collaborate to not only make the world a better place but to equip, motivate and learn from each other.
Our partnering organisation Practical Action can see the scaling up of the XO project in Zimbabwe.
Practical Action has an aim unit entitled Responding to new technologies in which this maiden OLPCoprps initiative in Zimbabwe will fit extremely well. Through this organisation, which I had been doing an internship in the information technology department we were able to drive a podcasting project in a remote district in the Zimbabwean Zambezi valley using mp3 players. The advent of this XO deployment came at a right time when we were basking in the success on bringing a new technology to a remote district which it was overwhelming accepted.
