Bridging the Technology Gap in Kenya and Denver

Recently, an American student in 7th grade asked if she could volunteer with us to get credit for her National Honors Society service requirement. I tasked her with a research porject, with a scope of looking at what kind of technology is being used in quality public schools (in the US), what type of curriculums are implemented and how students use technology throughout their school day, plus her personal opinion about it all.

In our initial conversation, she told me about how every student has an ipad, chromebooks in every classroom, a technology lab that includes robotics and the library desktops. Wow! Technology is in constant use as a tool and not jsut something to be studied.

Now, cross the Atlantic Ocean plus the continent of Africa and arrive in Kenya.You have landed in the cradle of humanity, famous for its lions and giraffes. What makes Kenya great is it's young people. Their schools do not look like the one described above but their dreams are similar. They might not have running water but they have a deep desire to learn and move their communities out of poverty.

Kenya is a country and culture of makers. In Kenya, you can not go to Home Depot to buy a ladder so you make one. You were gifted a solar panel but it broke? You learn how to fix it. There are problems in Kenya and they are in need of Kenyan problem solvers. There is no shortage of intelligent, hard working and resilient young minds in Kenya. With the right access to technology, powerful disruptions will change the status quo.

Now, we jsut need to get these young stars the tools they need. We need to help build their foundation of knowldege and intuition that comes with regularly working with technology. We need more support than ever as work to build the bridge to sustainable employment and entreprenuership that Kenya is asking for.

Every student, every where has the right to a quality education. We know that in 2018, that includes access to technology and the ability to use it with confidence. It also enable connections that would not otherwise be available. With access to the internet, students are able to learn and collaborate across borders and languages. They are inspired and enabled to dream big. At risk students in Kenya and Denver benefit profoundly when they connect and work together.

Recently, the cost of internet at Kaaga Primary, our partner school that participates in this project, has increased. We want to bring continued internet to the students, teachers and families at Kaaga. We need more support in order to do that!

We hope to continue connecting Kenya students to Denver students.