[OLPC-SF] Partnering with OLPC

[Edward Cherlin]

I am copying my reply to the It's An Education Project and OLPC-SUR
mailing lists of Sugar Labs. I recommend that your staff and members
take a look at the archives of these lists, and consider whether to
join them.

http://lists.sugarlabs.org/

On Wed, May 18, 2011 at 12:44, Evan Markiewicz
<emarkiewicz at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> To whom it may concern,
> I am writing to introduce you to our organization, ViviendasLeon. We are a
> non-profit community development and global education organization based in
> San Francisco and Leon, Nicaragua. We work in rural communities creating
> development programs in construction, environmental, economic, capacity
> building and education development. We have recently been informed of your
> organization by a teacher in San Rafael who knows of your organization OLPC
> and recommended we contact you.

We are delighted to hear from you.

> I would like to know how we might partner with OLPC to provide computer
> training and equipment for the pre-school through 11th grade students in the
> communities we work in, and for small business start ups we develop in
> Nicaragua.

OLPC provides XO laptops running Sugar education software through
governments and NGOs. It commonly happens that people in a particular
country get together over the Internet to work on such projects. In
your case, this is

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Nicaragua

Sugar Labs has just begun a project to produce learning materials for
free distribution. If you tell us your requirements, and introduce us
to your trainers, we can work together using our Replacing Textbooks
server.

http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks

> ViviendasLeon partners with other organizations and institutions to provide
> the spectrum of development programs we offer in Nicaragua.  One of these
> partners is the USF School of Business.  We have been working with the PSIP
> program there for 3 years to develop small businesses including a sewing
> cooperative and our current project, a bee keeping cooperative.   These
> small businesses in particular, and like everything we do in Nicaragua is a
> laboratory to explore best practices in development and implementation of
> projects uniquely suited to the location and community.

I am of the opinion that creating businesses through microfinance and
other methods is a critical factor for the success of the OLPC
education project's mission to end poverty. I would be delighted to
discuss this with your partners.

> We would be interested to find out how we might work with you.

There are several possibilities.

Obviously, OLPC is most interested in getting XO laptops with Sugar
software into schools. Can you tell us how many schools you have in
and near Leon, with how many teachers and students? We can then
discuss what it would cost for such a program, including XOs,
electricity, Internet connections, school servers, training, and so
on, and consider how to raise the funds needed.

If any of your schools have any computers, we can show you how to get
Sugar software running on them, and discuss how you could use it.

We are in need of help to translate software and other materials into
Spanish, and to translate Spanish-language teacher training materials
into English.

Do you have any contacts within the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education?

What is the political climate around education?

How is the economy doing?

How do you choose communities to work in?

How are your relations with local leaders?

I will have many more questions after you answer those. ^_^

> Regards,
>
> Evan
> --
> Evan Markiewicz
> Executive Director
>
> ViviendasLeón
> Sustaining Communities
> Connecting Cultures
>
> 1585 Folsom St.
> San Francisco, CA  94103
> (415) 255-2920
> (415) 255-2921 fax
> evan at viviendasleon.org
>
> www.viviendasleon.org
> _______________________________________________
> OLPC-SF mailing list
> OLPC-SF at lists.laptop.org
> http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-sf
>
>



-- 
Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin
Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.