Looking ahead [2020-12-11]

Reneal’s work began in the Philippines, growing out of its co-founders US Peace Corps assignment on the island of Cebu.  From 2013 to 2018, the number of Reneal computer labs in schools in Cebu grew from one to 34.  During this same period work began slowly, haltingly, in Tanzania.  However, the last three years have brought a dramatic shift in Reneal’s focus.  In 2018, Reneal installed seven new computer labs in the Philippines compared to two in Tanzania.  In 2020 by contrast, eight (and soon nine) new computer labs have been completed in public high schools in Tanzania compared to a single new installation in the Philippines.

This major shift in effort has been due to primarily to a very happy development.  The Department of Education in the Philippines has worked very hard over the last 15 years to provide computer resources to all public schools across the country.  In roughly 2012, DepEd began deploying NComputing-based systems to public high schools in Cebu.  Over the years since then, the hardware deployed by DepEd has changed but the intent remains the same – to equip all schools with computing resources for student use.  Reneal’s mission is being fulfilled in the Philippines through DepEd’s efforts.

We at Reneal rejoice in this “big-picture” success of students across the Philippines having access to computers.  It is somewhat bittersweet though to acknowledge that the Reneal computer labs are no longer meeting the needs of many of the schools in Cebu.  As a consequence, the Reneal Board chose in 2020 to decommission roughly half of the existing Reneal computer labs in Cebu.  Several of the remaining labs are located in school libraries where the computers can be used by students for research.  Reneal also continues to support Cebu Technological University in Carmen, which is not supported by the Philippines DepEd.

In Tanzania, on the other hand, Reneal has seen a radical increase in interest for computers for students over the last five years.  Increasingly the teachers themselves bring a high level of computer literacy and understand the benefits to the students of hands-on use.  Making time in a very congested school timetable for computer studies has become a necessity, not a nuisance.  Magically adding to this is an amazing Team and partners to implement, teach, monitor, and maintain.  Reneal is experiencing a confluence of “right time, right place, right people” for its computer labs in public secondary schools in Tanzania.

One other issue affecting Reneal’s work right now is SARS-CoV-2.  It is extremely puzzling how differently the US, the Philippines, and Tanzania are experiencing the pandemic.  In Tanzania, life is going on normally.  Schools are in session, businesses are open, and people move freely about.  In the Philippines, a series of different quarantine restrictions have been enacted as the pandemic has unfolded.  Students are not reporting to school and will not return until a vaccine is available.  And of course here in the US, we are in the midst of a very challenging time.  We are grateful that Reneal Team Tanzania has been able to continue working safely to bring computers to more students.

Thus as 2021 draws near, Reneal is actively planning for additional expansion in Tanzania.  We hope to execute two sets of projects, similar to 2020.  The goal is to add approximately five computer labs in the first half of 2021 and five in the second half.  Reneal’s Country Director in Tanzania, David Nyangaka, is already working on identifying candidate schools for 2021.  Reneal is actively seeking used laptops for this work – please check out minimum specifications at http://reneal.org/content/donate-used-computers.   

[Photo: February 2020, students at Cebu Technological University in Carmen]