From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Tue Jun 01 2010 - 07:21:45 EDT
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100530/NATIONAL/705299883/1010/NATIONAL
Teacher
planning 50,000km drive to spread laptops across Africa
Ramola Talwar Badam
- Last Updated: May 29. 2010 11:11PM UAE / May 29. 2010 7:11PM GMT
DUBAI // Thousands of children in rural Africa will log on to the internet
on solar-powered laptops next year if a teacher at the Emirates
International School can drum up the funds to realise her dream.
Tamin-Lee Connolly, a South African who hopes to raise enough money to buy
5,000 laptops, plans to drive some 50,000km to Burundi, Mozambique, South
Africa, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo starting in July
2011 to distribute them.
Ms Connolly began her campaign two months ago and has already secured 950
laptops, costing Dh740 (US$200) each, paid for by people from Dubai, South
Africa, Malaysia and Britain. She is confident she will reach her target
over the next year.
“Many of these children have never seen technology,” said the 29-year-old
geography teacher, who also coaches the school’s swim squad. “I’m hoping to
give them a chance, to open up their world. The laptops will broaden their
horizons [and] may help them stay in school.”
Ms Connolly is working with One Laptop Per Child, a non-profit organisation
that designs low-cost computers for the world’s poorest children. The group
will help her identify locales in need of computers and will also pay for
shipping. The target is to provide 1,000 computers for five countries.
The first 1,000 computers will be distributed to children in Burundi, Ms
Connolly said. She plans to drive a 4X4 from Dubai through Oman and Yemen,
take the ferry to Eritrea and then drive along Africa’s coastline to reach
the children. However, if Yemen seems especially risky, she plans to bypass
it and drive through Saudi Arabia with a male friend.
The longest distance the off-road enthusiast has covered before was
25,000km in Australia eight years ago.
Ms Connolly will take a sabbatical next year when she heads out to
distribute the laptops across Africa.
“I plan to meet the shipments that come into each country, drive with the
trucks to the areas we have chosen, train volunteers and teach the
children,” she said. “This is a dream I’ve had for so long. I’m trying to
promote education and give the children a boost.”
She will have a helping hand from a source close to home. A group of parents
from her school plan a fund-raising drive in the new academic year to help
Ms Connolly reach her target.
“Children get used to the affluence here, there is nothing out of your
reach,” said Linda Pollock-Mirdad, an Irish mother of four. “This will teach
children that there are intelligent children in other parts of the world who
don’t get the opportunity to progress because they don’t have access to
computers and books.”
Lola Lopez, the founder of the Dubai aid group Volunteer, has offered to
assist Ms Connolly with volunteers once she reaches her first goal of 1,000
laptops for Burundi.
“Once she has got enough laptops for one country, we will help spread the
word to get volunteers to help her with the distribution,” Ms Lopez said.
“It’s good for people to get involved and experience something tangible. It
will open their eyes to the real world.”
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