You have already seen ice cream corns under an umbrella. I now present to you telecentre services under an umbrella. Yes, we have wheels too for mobile.
I found this innovative model in the suburbs of Monrovia, Liberia. The owner, Robert explained to me how it works. He provides a wide range of secretarial services - typesetting, scanning, ID cards, lamination etc. I asked Robert what happens on rainy afternoon - which is often, by Monrovia weather. You see the little kiosk on the right on the photo? Well, he runs with the telecentre inside there. Good that it’s also fitted with wheels for maximum mobility. Check out the power generator in the background. It is turned on demand only.
When it rained the next day, I went back to see Robert - in the middle of the heavy pour. The second photo is what I found. The Umbrella is covering the power generator the rest is sheltered somewhere else.
Next time you think of a telecentre - you can think outside the box
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Teachers in training workshops in Liberia - I draw benefits too
On Monday, We-CARE Foundation opened two parallel teacher training workshops at St. Teresa Convent in Monrovia. The events marked Reading Liberia’s project expansion to 26 schools. The workshops will run for 5 days. On the first day, participants were introduced to choral reading and discussed techniques for teaching reading and writing using simple texts. The workshops will have a strong impact on the initial outcomes of the Reading Liberia project. Ten certified teacher trainers are facilitating the workshop with ease and confidence. They are also notably balanced by gender.
The exit cards at the end first day indicated that trainees were generally impressed. There were questions such as how to fit the ABC techniques into 45 minutes [which is the typical length of a lesson in most schools]. Trainees also asked for continued peer support.
I took away several things; established connections with the teachers and trainers and understood their respective working conditions better. There is no doubt that Reading Liberia has some amazing trainers – motivated, experienced and breeding confidence. I enjoyed talking to Florence, Mike, Johnson and Anna. It will be a huge help when we start up Reading Sierra Leone later in the year.
As a parent, I learned how to use read aloud technique and develop writers starting from simple pictures. I was reminded about the value of making voices, changing tones, making faces to bring the characters to life; the importance of reading through a story first to prepare when to build suspense or ask questions. With this, I should be able to help my two kids to become fluent readers and better writers.
so I spent time visiting schools and talking to students, teaching staff. I sought to understand the nature of challenge that Reading Liberia is faced with, where the children stand in terms of reading and writing abilities and efforts underway in the classrooms. I was pleasantly surprised that the classes I visited, mostly grades 4 & 5, had more girls than boys or equal numbers. And, the girls were very active in classroom activities. But the painful part is that the percentage of girls will drop to a mere 10% by junior high school according to Mike [who is well knowledgeable about Liberia’s education system]. And this statistic is up there among the grand injustices of our time. Don’t you agree?
If I had any doubts about the nature of the influence We-CARE has in the country, I got my answer this week. During one of our meetings, a phone rang and, on the end of the line was the Deputy Minister of Education. How did I know? I heard Mike say repeatedly “yes Minister”. When the call was done, I asked for details. The Minister had called inquiring if We-Care had any books he could buy. He had heard of the famous books and now a large donor was itching to spend some money on them! We then turned our discussion to finding the best way to respond to the Minister in light of our book production timelines. Things are looking up indeed. I am also wondering if 30,000 copies per title might be enough if USAID and the Ministry were to follow through on their interest to purchase books.
The exit cards at the end first day indicated that trainees were generally impressed. There were questions such as how to fit the ABC techniques into 45 minutes [which is the typical length of a lesson in most schools]. Trainees also asked for continued peer support.
I took away several things; established connections with the teachers and trainers and understood their respective working conditions better. There is no doubt that Reading Liberia has some amazing trainers – motivated, experienced and breeding confidence. I enjoyed talking to Florence, Mike, Johnson and Anna. It will be a huge help when we start up Reading Sierra Leone later in the year.
As a parent, I learned how to use read aloud technique and develop writers starting from simple pictures. I was reminded about the value of making voices, changing tones, making faces to bring the characters to life; the importance of reading through a story first to prepare when to build suspense or ask questions. With this, I should be able to help my two kids to become fluent readers and better writers.
so I spent time visiting schools and talking to students, teaching staff. I sought to understand the nature of challenge that Reading Liberia is faced with, where the children stand in terms of reading and writing abilities and efforts underway in the classrooms. I was pleasantly surprised that the classes I visited, mostly grades 4 & 5, had more girls than boys or equal numbers. And, the girls were very active in classroom activities. But the painful part is that the percentage of girls will drop to a mere 10% by junior high school according to Mike [who is well knowledgeable about Liberia’s education system]. And this statistic is up there among the grand injustices of our time. Don’t you agree?
If I had any doubts about the nature of the influence We-CARE has in the country, I got my answer this week. During one of our meetings, a phone rang and, on the end of the line was the Deputy Minister of Education. How did I know? I heard Mike say repeatedly “yes Minister”. When the call was done, I asked for details. The Minister had called inquiring if We-Care had any books he could buy. He had heard of the famous books and now a large donor was itching to spend some money on them! We then turned our discussion to finding the best way to respond to the Minister in light of our book production timelines. Things are looking up indeed. I am also wondering if 30,000 copies per title might be enough if USAID and the Ministry were to follow through on their interest to purchase books.
Teacher training workshops in Liberia - I grab something fo
We-CARE Foundation opened two parallel workshops at St. Teresa Convent in Monrovia, Monday 25 October 2010. Participants were introduced to choral reading and discussed techniques for teaching reading and writing using simple texts. The workshops have a strong influence of the first products of Reading Liberia project. Ten certified teacher trainers are facilitating the workshop with extreme comfort. They are also notably balanced by gender.
The exit cards at the end first day indicated that trainees were generally impressed. There were questions such as how to fit the ABC techniques into 45 minutes [which is the typical length of a lesson in most schools]. Trainees also asked for continued peer support.
I took away several things; established connections with the teachers and trainers and understood their respective working conditions better. There is no doubt that Reading Liberia has some amazing trainers – motivated, experienced and breeding confidence. I enjoyed talking to Florence, Mike, Johnson and Anna.
As a parent, I learned how to use read aloud technique and develop writers starting from simple pictures. I was reminded about the value of making voices, changing tones, making faces to bring the characters to life; the importance of reading through a story first to prepare when to build suspense or ask questions. With this, I should be able to help my two kids to become fluent readers and better writers.
so I spent time visiting schools and talking to students, teaching staff. I sought to understand the nature of challenge that Reading Liberia is faced with, where the children stand in terms of reading and writing abilities and efforts underway in the classrooms. I was pleasantly surprised that the classes I visited, mostly grades 4 & 5, had more girls than boys or equal numbers. And, the girls were very active in classroom activities. But the painful part is that the percentage of girls will drop to a mere 10% by junior high school according to Mike [who is well knowledgeable about Liberia’s education system]. And this statistic is up there among the grand injustices of our time. Don’t you agree?
If I had any doubts about the nature of the influence We-CARE has in the country, I got my answer this week. During one of our meetings, a phone rang and, on the end of the line was the Deputy Minister of Education. How did I know? I heard Mike say repeatedly “yes Minister”. When the call was done, I asked for details. The Minister had called inquiring if We-Care had any books he could buy. He had heard of the famous books and now a large donor was itching to spend some money on them! We then turned our discussion to finding the best way to respond to the Minister in light of our book production timelines. Things are looking up indeed. I am also wondering if 30,000 copies per title might be enough if USAID and the Ministry were to follow through on their interest to purchase books.
Teacher trining workshops in Liberia - I grab a t
We-CARE Foundation opened two parallel workshops at St. Teresa Convent in Monrovia, Monday 25 October 2010. Participants were introduced to choral reading and discussed techniques for teaching reading and writing using simple texts. The workshops have a strong influence of the first products of Reading Liberia project. Ten certified teacher trainers are facilitating the workshop with extreme comfort. They are also notably balanced by gender.
The exit cards at the end first day indicated that trainees were generally impressed. There were questions such as how to fit the ABC techniques into 45 minutes [which is the typical length of a lesson in most schools]. Trainees also asked for continued peer support.
I took away several things; established connections with the teachers and trainers and understood their respective working conditions better. There is no doubt that Reading Liberia has some amazing trainers – motivated, experienced and breeding confidence. I enjoyed talking to Florence, Mike, Johnson and Anna.
As a parent, I learned how to use read aloud technique and develop writers starting from simple pictures. I was reminded about the value of making voices, changing tones, making faces to bring the characters to life; the importance of reading through a story first to prepare when to build suspense or ask questions. With this, I should be able to help my two kids to become fluent readers and better writers.
so I spent time visiting schools and talking to students, teaching staff. I sought to understand the nature of challenge that Reading Liberia is faced with, where the children stand in terms of reading and writing abilities and efforts underway in the classrooms. I was pleasantly surprised that the classes I visited, mostly grades 4 & 5, had more girls than boys or equal numbers. And, the girls were very active in classroom activities. But the painful part is that the percentage of girls will drop to a mere 10% by junior high school according to Mike [who is well knowledgeable about Liberia’s education system]. And this statistic is up there among the grand injustices of our time. Don’t you agree?
If I had any doubts about the nature of the influence We-CARE has in the country, I got my answer this week. During one of our meetings, a phone rang and, on the end of the line was the Deputy Minister of Education. How did I know? I heard Mike say repeatedly “yes Minister”. When the call was done, I asked for details. The Minister had called inquiring if We-Care had any books he could buy. He had heard of the famous books and now a large donor was itching to spend some money on them! We then turned our discussion to finding the best way to respond to the Minister in light of our book production timelines. Things are looking up indeed. I am also wondering if 30,000 copies per title might be enough if USAID and the Ministry were to follow through on their interest to purchase books.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Learning 36,000 Feet Above Sea Level
Dr. Haddad Wadi of TechKnowLogia fame once described qualities of successful individuals in the 21 century to include the “ability to learn to learn” -literally looking at every experience to learn and grow.
I did just that on my flight from Brussels to Monrovia. I sat beside a non-assuming gentleman and a couple of minutes later we were discussing Liberia’s development strategies and the importance of education. Roland, who works with the Ministry of Finance, retold his moving story of survival during the civil war and of the challenges facing a nation with a huge youth group that must learn new skills to survive a new kind of enemy – poverty.
Roland told me that Liberia’s new Poverty Reduction Strategic Plan sits on four pillars namely; peace and national security, economic revitalization, governance and the rule of the law, and infrastructure and basic services. Education is a key priority and another university has been built. I was impressed by Roland’s mastery of the national vision, issues and challenges when he’s barely in his 30s. He narrated his experience on a visit to Rwanda after genocide and how what he saw in that country strengthened his commitment to diversity and support for Liberia’s development.
From the airport, I engaged my youthful driver to debate what matters to Liberian youth. Without any hesitation, Morrison retorted; education and jobs. He spent the best part of our 1-hour drive to my hotel painting a picture of what his life would have been like if he had gone far enough with his education. With four kids, Morrison reiterated that supporting his kids to get quality education is the biggest motivation for his work.
see: http://www.codecan.org/blog/
I did just that on my flight from Brussels to Monrovia. I sat beside a non-assuming gentleman and a couple of minutes later we were discussing Liberia’s development strategies and the importance of education. Roland, who works with the Ministry of Finance, retold his moving story of survival during the civil war and of the challenges facing a nation with a huge youth group that must learn new skills to survive a new kind of enemy – poverty.
Roland told me that Liberia’s new Poverty Reduction Strategic Plan sits on four pillars namely; peace and national security, economic revitalization, governance and the rule of the law, and infrastructure and basic services. Education is a key priority and another university has been built. I was impressed by Roland’s mastery of the national vision, issues and challenges when he’s barely in his 30s. He narrated his experience on a visit to Rwanda after genocide and how what he saw in that country strengthened his commitment to diversity and support for Liberia’s development.
From the airport, I engaged my youthful driver to debate what matters to Liberian youth. Without any hesitation, Morrison retorted; education and jobs. He spent the best part of our 1-hour drive to my hotel painting a picture of what his life would have been like if he had gone far enough with his education. With four kids, Morrison reiterated that supporting his kids to get quality education is the biggest motivation for his work.
see: http://www.codecan.org/blog/
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