Nohana Computer School http://dernovseklesotho.blogspot.com/
After eight months of service in the rural mountains of Lesotho I have designed a project that I believe will have the greatest impact on bringing real, sustainable, and widespread development in the area of Ketane, Lesotho. Education, it has been said, is the foundation for all development work and necessary for all future political, social, and economic advancement.
27 July 2008
Computer School Update
About a month ago, the bishop gave me a larger solar panel to put on my roof. This has allowed me to give my laptop a full charge once a day. As a result, I decided to go ahead and begin computer classes. My first class has eight students. We have been learning for 2 weeks. Some of my students are students at the secondary school while others are men and women from the area. The classes have been going well, but slow. They are learning, but it is such a new thing to them that I have to teach even the most basic aspects. It is really funny watching someone who has never used a mouse before try to navigate around the screen. All in all though they are doing well.
So far I have taught them the basics of Microsoft Word 2007 and how to use the mouse and keyboard. After 2 weeks they have all written a letter which contains underlining, bold, a bulleted list, a numbered list, and proper spelling. It is very rewarding to see them beginning to understand the different aspects and to know that I am teaching an invaluable life skill.
The teachers for the primary and secondary should return soon, and they will be my second group of students. 9 registered, and I am just waiting for them to return. The original idea was to focus the training on them while I was raising money for the computer school, so that by the time I left they would be able to continue training the students and other members of the community. But no one has donated!
I think that some of you may be scared off by my lofty fundraising goals. I have been working to remedy this and reduce the cost in any way I can. I called a meeting at my village, and asked if they would be willing to build a rondoval for the school. They said they would be happy to do this, and this will cut a large portion of the costs. I also thought that instead of a 2 solar panel and 6 computer school, I will begin by asking for 2 computers and 1 solar panel. I large solar panel costs roughly $1,000 and I believe I could also find 2 desktops for $1,000, I could get very cheap chairs desks, batteries and wires for about $700. So I will be reducing the requested amount to $2,700. This will build a smaller, rondoval computer school which will have the same value of sustainability as the larger computer school. If you have comments, suggestions, etc. please feel free to post a comment or a note.
The Project
The people of Ketane are especially far behind in the area of education. Most people are not educated beyond primary (elementary) school level. Those that do continue their education face very poor facilities and mediocre learning materials. The situation is exacerbated at Ketane, Lesotho because of its great distance (6 hours and 60Rand) from the nearest large city. Many of those who wish to have a quality education are forced to immigrate to these larger cities. If a family has no money to send their children away then they are educated here at the sparse facilities in Ketane.
This project, the Nohana Computer School, is an attempt to combat this problem and alleviate poverty, illiteracy, and HIV from the ground up. The reason we are asking for help is because we want to build a computer school and technical education center, which will be able to advance the learning of the many students and adults here at Ketane. The schools are doing their best to produce educated men and women who will be ready for the various challenges that await them in life. However, the students are falling short in their technical training. The Mission primary and secondary schools simply lack the resources to give these students a better education. We want to give our children a better future by equipping them with the skills that will help them to succeed.
This computer school is our dream. The school will be a simple one room building. It will be built of bricks, and have a corrugated iron roof. Although crime is extremely low here at Ketane, the building will also have bars on the doors and windows for security reasons. Inside there will be 6 computers, desks, and chairs. To power these computers, two large solar panels will be mounted on the roof. These will charge several large batteries, which will then power the computers.
The project is in fact already underway. I, the Peace Corps Volunteer, have started a class for the teachers and some students in the area in my rondaval hut. Upon completion of this course local teachers will take over the class under my supervision. The computer school will be a part of the Mission primary and secondary education system, and will be incorporated into those schools. Also, it will be used to teach interested adults in the afternoons.
Project Purpose
The purpose of the project is to provide top quality education for the people in the extremely remote area of Ketane. The people are ready, willing, and motivated to move to the next step in education. They are in desperate need of this computer center because of the lack of resources in their remote area. When the people look for jobs in towns, they find that they are under skilled because of their situation. This project proposes a solution to this education problem.
Local Contribution
The people of Ketane are very resourceful. They are able to make very few resources go a long way. Recently, the community has built toilets for the nearby secondary school. Supplies are almost gathered to build toilet facilities for the nearby primary school. The people are also finishing setup of a small library. The library is currently taking the donated space of the primary school offices. The people will contribute to this project in any way possible, especially in providing all the unskilled labor necessary.
The school will not only educate Basotho in computers, but it will also provide them with a myriad of information and resources that would otherwise be unavailable.
Donations
I am grateful to the Foundation for International Professional Exchange (FIPE) for accepting tax-deductible donations for the Lesotho Development Initiative, of which the Lesotho Water Project is one endeavor. Donating online through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.
If you prefer to mail a check, then make it out to:
FIPE-LDI and on the "for" line put Lesotho Water Project
and mail it to:
Sherrie Howey
Foundation for International Professional Exchange, Inc.
6667 3R Road
Beulah, CO 81023
Additional Information
The Parish of Mofumahali oa Maluti Mission (Our Lady of the Mountains) lies deep within the mountains of Lesotho. It is in the Eastern part of the Diocese, where it is in a valley surrounded by many mountains. It is only 140 km from the town of Mohale’s Hoek to where the Cathedral is situated. However, it takes almost 6 hours to travel to the Mission from town. The people of Ketane are isolated from most services afforded to the average person in Lesotho. As a result of this, youth in the Ketane area have few activities to keep them busy, and lack resources to some forms of education.
The HIV/AIDS rate in Lesotho is estimated at 31%. Many of the new infections are occurring among youth. Ketane is an area especially hard hit by the pandemic; the most infected village has 120 out of 150 people infected with HIV/AIDS. The Mission staff works in conjunction with the Lesotho Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the United States Peace Corps in an attempt to help alleviate this massive problem by teaching HIV prevention and other imperative messages. However, the youth still have too much free time in their hands that is not used for anything practical.
When it comes to the economy, people in the mountains are financially very poor. Only a few are able to manage their finances namely those with small businesses like shops and small grinding mills. Most of the people are small scale stock and crop farmers. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has taken a heavy toll on Ketane. It has taken the skilled as well as the unskilled workers. Most of those who remain are orphans and widows who are likely to be dependent on the Church. The people of Ketane are truly the poorest of an already very poor nation.
The life of the Basotho in the mountains is miserable. Most of the people can’t pursue formal education due to lack of finances. The education they do receive is often limited to the free primary education that Lesotho provides. When these people try to find work in town, they find that their skills are far behind that of those who grew up near towns.