African Learning Program – Oysters and Pearls

Thanks to Hockaday for Introducing Us to EiE

We are so proud of our Engineering is Elementary program and the difference and influence it has made on our young students. I came to find out about this fantastic program from Amy Banks, a science teacher at the Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas.

The Hockaday School now has a post on their website recounting our initial discussion and how they were instrumental in introducing this wonderful program to Oysters & Pearls and sending us and our students on a great road of discovery and priceless learning. Here is a bit of what they have to say:

On October 12, 2012 Lower School science teacher Amy Banks met with Jennifer Nantale, Country Director or Nyaka Aids Orphans Project in Southwest Uganda and Sandra Washburn, Executive Director of Oysters & Pearls. Ms. Banks shared the Engineering is Elementary program and discussed how it is used with students in grades 1-4 at Hockaday. Ms. Banks encouraged her visitors to contact EiE at the Museum of Science in Boston to learn more about the program and how to apply it to their own organizations. Ms. Washburn took this advice, and met with EiE, who arranged to send two volunteers to Northern Uganda to train six teachers at the Gulu

Nyaka Aids Orphans Schools & More

giving-computers-to-nyaka Whenever and however we can, we support the Nyaka Aids Orphans Project in Southwestern Uganda. With two Primary Schools in operation, a health clinic, a water pump, libraries that are inclusive of the community under their belt, they are building a vocational school and a Secondary School at the Nyaka campus. You can read the story of their founding in “A School for My Village” by Jackson Kaguri. In June 2013, we purchased 18 computers, 8 of which went to the teachers in Nyaka and 10 of which are used in partnership with Fundi Bots, an NGO teaching Robotics to schoolchildren throughout Uganda.

Here are some of the emails I received after the teachers received the laptops:

Hullo Sandra,

How are you doing? I wish to appreciate for your donation.

Sincerely, I am very happy using a computer which has helped me in teaching and compiling classwork.

May God bless you.

Ahumuza Annet

Dear Sandra

I am very happy for the good services you normally render to us.

The computers you gave us are contributing much towards our desires of performance.

This means that you want us to succeed in life. May the good Lord continue to protect

Teaching Robotics in Africa

Linz Craig from SparkFun was invited to teach a course in robotics to our students. Here are his thoughts and a great video of his journey.

Please enjoy Linz Craig’s blog: Teaching Robotics in Africa.

Preparations for Summer 2013 Travel

Plans for summer 2013 are in place and now we are all busy making lists of what we will need to take with us to complete all the teaching that is scheduled. My suitcases will carry robotics kits, laptops and software, flash drives, microscopes, books and snacks.

It’s important to bring some snacks with you because Ugandans tend not to eat between meals or in their cars like we do. They sit down for a meal and enjoy it with friends or family. My snack selection will include tins of nuts, bars of chocolate and different kinds of energy bars. I like to bring something new for the students to try. Last time it was Butter Rum LifeSavers and Craisins, both of which were a big hit. We are bringing some branded water bottles this year in hopes of promoting reusable vessels and that we will also consume fewer plastic bottles. KOR gave us a discount and a friend who works with a printer is preparing the stickers.

We don’t consume tap water, but St Jude’s Orphanage has wonderful fresh water right out of the ground that we can use to fill our bottles.

Sandra