Reneal IEO struck gold yet again, this time at Mlangarini Secondary School. We found there a visionary school head, a committed and knowledgeable IT teacher, and students and teachers eager to use computers. It seems almost miraculous that all three of the 2013 Reneal IEO projects in Tanzania would fall on such rich soil!
It is Monday morning and we will be picked up soon to go to Mlangarini Secondary School, the third and final school for the 2013 Tanzania projects for Reneal IEO. It’s been a long week but IT labs at two schools are now completed and ready for operation.
Thanks to some unexpected assistance, the IT lab at Mukulat Secondary School is well underway!
The next challenge up for Reneal IEO for the 2013 Tanzania projects is installing an IT lab at Mukulat Secondary School in Arusha. This poses a new set of unknowns, since instead of the 12 laptops that we were able to check out in a full system test prior to departure, we will be using the Pentium III computers that Reneal IEO purchased from the World Computer Exchange. While we had one Pentium III unit at home to test, this will be the first time the entire system has played together. There will undoubtedly be a few “surprises” as we get underway. The good news is that I am now in Tanzania, providing an extra set of hands for Neal for installation as well as taking over the main training responsibilities.
What a magnificent week in Musoma for Neal and Reneal IEO! Installation of the IT lab at Paroma Secondary School went very smoothly, with the help of the IT teacher and technician. Neal was able to send daily e-mails with status reports, and I’ll include extracts below to give an idea of “a day in the life” when he is in his element
Neal arrived in Tanzania Tuesday evening at 7:30 Arusha time. It's been an incredibly busy and productive week so far!
Reneal IEO is just a few short days away from beginning the 2013 projects in Tanzania. It’s hard to believe the big day is finally almost here. It’s been such a long road, starting almost immediately when Neal returned home from his trip last year; he got home on October 27th, and the first draft of the 2013 Tanzania proposal was dated November 4th. The last ten months have brought challenges and excitement as we’ve planned and prepared for this moment.
We want to share the profile of someone who has been very important to Reneal IEO and to us personally: Jade Reyes. Jade transferred to Compostela National High School within a few days of when we arrived as US Peace Corps Volunteers. Jade's story illustrates the impact that computers can have on students' lives.
Reneal IEO has taken a major step forward in realizing the 2014 Philippines project plans. Just this week, a donation of 22 used laptop computers was received from a major corporation headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Eight UCSAP scholars graduated from high school in the Philippines in 2013, through a joint partnership of Reneal IEO and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. We are very proud of all of the graduates but we were especially thrilled that one of them, Xaviel Aguelo, was the valedictorian at Compostela National High School.
