Transition to Week 2 and Official Computer Hand-over

I can't believe we are already plowing ahead through week 2 of teaching in the new Kibra Computer Lab. The end of last week was marked by the official handing over ceremony for the laptops from the Children of Kibera Foundation to Kibra Academy. In the begining of last week it seemed that some of the administration at Kibra had not yet realized the true potential and importance of the computer lab, but after being at the ceremony and hearing from so many community members about the transformative potential of the computers for students and teachers alike, we've noticed a tangible difference in the attitudes and approach to the project. Below are some pictures of the official hand-over event:

Students gathered in the school yard to welcome donors and community members to the ceremony.

One of the school's board members spoke of the importance of bringing Kibera's students into the new century by learning computer technology that is now an integral part of academic and professional life.

Donors and community members visited the new computer lab and met some Kibra Academy students hard at working practicing their typing skills.

Karima and Ken Okoth, Founder of the Children of Kibera Foundation, spoke with representatives from Kibera's radio station - Pamoja FM - about the project and their roles in realizing this great opportunity for local students.

The headmaster, Mr. Sabwa, had made a renewed commitment to filling our class schedule straight from 8:30am-5:00pm every day, ensuring that all the interns leave exhausted after so much continuous student interaction. Last week we had some challenges scheduling classes and ensuring that all students had access to the lab, with some groups receiving more instruction than others. Happily, these problems now seem to be resolved and all students are quickly catching on with increased time in the lab.

With the more robust schedule, every day becomes that much more rewarding as more students continue to progess with the skills we are teaching and explore their curiosities about computers. In the past two days we've use Microsoft Word as our main teaching program, showing students the tools to bolden, enlarge, color, italicize, etc... I noticed many students typing sentences stating "I like studying computers" and one saying "We have good computer teachers at Kibra." That felt nice!

One thing the American interns have been especially impressed with is the students willingness and talent at sharing the computers. We usually have about 20 students in each class and unfortunately only 10 laptops. This seems to not be a problem in the mind of students, with partners constantly assisting each other and taking turns without being asked. If one better understands how to complete a task or type a key, they kindly explain and show one another. Their patience and cooperation makes our work much easier and it's a pleasure to work with the students. Below you can see more shots of class and our students: