Laptops to Lesotho
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February 12, 2012
I met Janissa towards the end of 2011 and think that the project she is running is wonderful.
Anyone running a project of any sort can take notes from the processes they have put in place to ensure commitment from the children, teachers and more importantly the community. This is NOT another project where a bunch of computers are handed over and everyone pats themselves on their backs, but rather a well thought out process culminating in an improved lifestyle for the children.
Definitely worth getting involved with/finding out about.
Regards,
Russell Fox
Ficksburg, South Africa
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How does this organization compare with others in the same sector?
Very Well
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you recommend this organization to others?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
April 17, 2011
Laptos to Lesotho provides an opportunity for the Basotho to gain a foothold into the technology age. As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Lesotho at a vocational school I know that any and every effort to bring technology into that country is vital. Laptops to Lesotho represents an excellent way to do that......its volunteers have been there and go there.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
my dealings with the director.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
find ways to raise more money because of the importance of what it does
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Likely
What specific problem, purpose, priority, or project prompted your gift?
Prior knowledge of the need for computer age training of the Basotho
Why did you make your donation at this time?
I am convinced it is needed.
What would you tell others about this organization?
Check out their website and mission statements.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
March 29, 2011
Nohana Primary School is situated in Ketane in Mohale's Hoek district of Lesotho. Ketane is one of the most mountainous regions in Lesotho and also in Africa.
Majority of people staying in this region earn their living by working in the fields and by raising animals.
Because of its geographical features, means of communication and transport are very difficult. For instance, more than four-fifths of its villages are not accessible. The whole region is not connected to the internet, except only one government clinic.
In general, this is a technologically underdeveloped place, e.g. there are some villages whereby residents know nothing about cellular phone. Some residents have never seen and watched a television in their life. In some villages, majority of villagers have never seen a car. The same applies to the computers. This is the place where Nohana Primary School is located.
It is really true that these laptops are a treasure to our local community. We give great thanks to everyone who contributed to make this precious project success.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Teachers were equipped with basic computer skills.
Teachers started to train 24 student group leaders.
Teachers mobilised the pupils, community, local stakeholders and educational authorities.
Two teachers went to a one day training at Kliptown Youth Centre and Lilydale Primary School in Soweto.
Project leaders briefed Maseru Rotary Club members about our project.
All Nohana Primary School teachers got a three week school based training. My colleagues highly appreciated it. It encompasses laptop repairing, shelves fixing for computers, wiring and running generator. We got chance for practical activities that served as preliminary implementation of the project.
We formulated the regulations and contracts for teachers and parents. All these people would abide by their terms. This will guide us on how this mega treasure should be handled.
The next quantum leap was to make a work plan and schedule that classes 4, 5, 6, and 7 will be our target. Each class will have practical lesson twice a week. They can feel the presence of this treasure of Laptops to Lesotho, and also promote the sense of ownership.
We registered all 50 of these computers. This helps us to know and trace their movements.
We fixed burglar proofs in three rooms; one for computer lessons, another one for computer storage and charging and the last one for the generator.
To raise funds for the project, we have decided that our school's solar panel be used to charge cell phones and people pay as little as 30 cents per phone. This is used to buy fuel for the generator. We have also planned to have a concert once a session.
SUCCESS
Our school's roll has increased from 314 to 374 pupils. Implementation of this computer projects has reduced the rate of absenteeism. It has also improved the learners behavior as they now compete to score points about good things they do at school so they can take laptop home. Pupils are excited and motivated. They are grasping very quickly. Some community members have also shown interest in learning. We are trying to fix a plan to accommodate them in the computer reaching learning programme.
THANKS
My school gives great thanks to the people and companies that have been so instrumental from the planning up to the launching of this project.
PART 2
Nohana Primary School is engaged in a campaign against HIV and AIDS. Lesotho has infection rate of 23%. In rural and poor societies like in Ketane the case is worse. We have decided to formulate a policy whose main objectives are:
- to reduce stigma
- promote self awareness amongst pupils and community
- encourage the regular use of ARV's.
Our motto is "Education is the best vaccination for HIV/AIDS."
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I attended training in Soweto and at Nohana Primary School. I work with Andrew Dernovsek, Janissa Balcomb, Graig Balcomb, Delia Helie, and Aaron Laufman-Walker. In March 2011, I traveled to United States for a professional and cultural exchange sponsored by Foundation for International Professional Exchange and Laptops to Lesotho in Pueblo West, Colorado.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
give them more money and recognition.
More feedback...
How would you describe the help you got from this organization?
Life-changing
How likely are you to recommend this organization to a friend?
Definitely
How do you feel you were treated by this organization?
Very Well
How did you find this group?
Andrew Dernovsek was a Peace Corps Volunteer who helped our school.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
September 13, 2010
Laptops to Lesotho is a nonprofit organization founded by my aunt, Janissa Balcomb. After donating two laptops to a school in Lesotho, they asked if there was any way to get more because the laptops were so well received. Janissa started by looking into the OLPC grant program, which at the time seemed to be the perfect opportunity to deliver 100 more laptops to the students at Nohana Primary School. Janissa invested a lot of time communicating with the community in Lesotho, organizing volunteers, researching the laptops and necessary technology, and laying groundwork for the project in hopes of being awarded an OLPC grant. After several months, we realized the requirements for the OLPC grant program had changed, and we would not be eligible to receive grant money from them. Instead of giving up, Janissa forged ahead, creating this nonprofit organization Laptops to Lesotho so that the project could continue. The entire Laptops to Lesotho team is hard working and incredibly dedicated to this project. Through our combined efforts, the students at Nohana Primary School will receive their own laptops which will give them access to a better education and a better future. The best part about this organization, in my opinion, is how community-driven it is. The idea for more laptops came from the community, community members are actively involved in the project, and the entire organization will eventually be run completely by members of the community.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
the many connections we have made within the community in Lesotho and with other similarly minded individuals, teams, and nonprofits. It's amazing the number of opportunities that have arisen from these connections.
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The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
enthusiastic, excited, and imaginative! They have accomplished a lot in a short period of time.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
September 11, 2010
Laptops to Lesotho is a well-run, well-organized nonprofit with a clear mission. Their communications are effective and efficient. Their leaders have both skill and imagination. I am very pleased to work with them.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
their willingness to collaborate with my nonprofit called "Family Literacy Lesotho"
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How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every month
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
June 15, 2010
The organization is very focused on obtainable objectives in equipping students of Lesotho with laptops. This connects the students to the outside world, inspires them to further their education, and opens them up to other educational opportunities. I like how the organization is dedicated to working directly with the educators in Lesotho. The organization is not taking on more than they can readily accomplish, so trouble-shooting is effective and timely. From my discussions with them, it sounds like they want to grow cautiously and gradually so as not to compromise the current mission.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
my relationship with some of the volunteers.
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What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
they are focused and determined to equip students in Lesotho with laptops no matter what!
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
dedicated and serious about their mission.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
provide laptops for students in remote areas around the world.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every month
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
June 5, 2010
Laptops to Lesotho is a small, but admirable organization. With a small group of dedicated people and few resources it is beginning to make an impact in the educational future of children in one of the world's poorest nations, Lesotho. Laptops to Lesotho is endeavoring to provide laptops and internet access to the children of Lesotho. In so doing they are helping the youth of Lesotho to gain access to technology and educational material that would otherwise not be available to them. By providing children of Lesotho with small durable and interconnected laptops they are opening the channels of communication and education among the youth of this impoverished country. This organization, Laptops to Lesotho, and its project is still in the early stages of development, but it is growing. Small investments in this organization could provide large positive results for the children of Lesotho.
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How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
May 28, 2010
I learned about this organization through my wife, and what I learned convinced me that contributing was a very good thing to do. Laptops to Lesotho is a small but very dedicated, active nonprofit that has made considerable progress, considering it's very young. They already have some laptops, and they also have volunteers in place in North America, Lesotho and South Africa, ready and able to help get these laptops to students, and to provide the technical expertise and support for the program. Once the laptops get to Lesotho (later this year) I hope to learn more about how the training went and how the program is received. I have absolutely no doubt given some additional support this program will make real, significant changes in the lives of students and teachers in Lesotho.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I've seen how hard the Non-profits people work to get the program up and going, getting laptops and the advice and support of local people. This is one non-profit where a few dedicated volunteers will make a huge positive difference in peoples lives.
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How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every six months
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
May 27, 2010
I was a PCV in Lesotho from 2007-09. When I first arrived at Ketane, a group of teachers approached me and asked me if I would please teach them computers because they and their students were lacking skills and far behind others from big cities. Living in remote Ketane, which is a 10 hour taxi from the capital, I thought they were joking. Eventually, the idea grew. 7 months later we were all crowded around my laptop in my small mud hut learning the basics of computers because an area bishop had given me a small solar panel for the project. This eventually grew into the first ever computer school in the area and the school now has a large 120w solar panel and 4 computers for approximately 300 children. Of course this is not enough! Janissa Balcomb, a RPCV from Lesotho formed a non-profit to build this computer school and others like it around Lesotho. Even the few laptops we have distributed now have made such an amazing impact in the students' lives and their educational level. I have seen it firsthand!
Photos
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The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I have seen the children first hand. Last summer, one class of students gave up their break, and their parents allowed them to miss their traditional household duties so that they could take extra computer classes.
More feedback...
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
Seeing the joy in a child's face as they explore something new.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
All of the Basotho teachers at Ketane were wonderful and great friends.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Ha, we're not ready for 10 million yet! Maybe in a few years. We could use about 40,000 a year to help expand the project and reach more schools.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
May 14, 2010
We are a small young organization but we have already made significant strides in improving the lives of the children in Ketane, Lesotho.
So what sets us apart, and why should you support our work? We have an amazingly talented group of volunteers who are tenacious, energetic, and passionate about our mission. Most have lived and worked in the Ketane community, so we have first-hand knowledge of the immense need for our help and the great potential for improvement, as well as the obstacles we face. We've seen what other aid organizations have tried, what has worked, and what hasn't, and we've learned from their mistakes.
We built a strong organizational foundation and integrated our work into the community at a pace the community is able to absorb and support. We have spent a great deal of time ensuring that the local community is completely engaged and directly invested in the success of this project. Local teachers and principals hold positions of leadership in our organization, and we mentor and train them so they can run the program effectively. We know from experience that this local support and participation is critical to making long-lasting changes.
We have worked with the teachers and the principal, helping them to write detailed rules and regulations for the project along with contracts and fine schedules that each teacher, student, and parent or guardian of a student must sign in order to participate in this program. These documents clarify exactly what each persons responsibilities are in addition to how they will benefit from the program.
We have spent time intensively training the teachers not only in computer skills but also how to use computers in the classroom to enhance the existing curriculum, and we are helping them develop lesson materials with the computers.
I hope you will give us a chance to continue the work we've started to help the children of Ketane.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
working directly with the teachers and principal at Nohana Primary School.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
recruit an administrative assistant.
More feedback...
Will you volunteer or donate to this organization beyond what is required of board members?
Definitely
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you tell others about this organization?
Definitely
What is this organization's top short-term priority?
to strengthen the existing program at Nohana Primary School. We are doing this with more extensive computer training for teachers, grant-writing training for the principal and teachers, development of classroom materials, and distribution of more XO laptops to the school.
What is its top priority in the long run?
breaking the vicious cycle of illiteracy, poverty, and disease that lead to early death by providing high-quality education and job skills to children in rural Lesotho.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
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