Saturday we participated in a teachers’ workshop sponsored by Arusha Node Marie (http://www.arushanodemarie.or.tz/). The workshop was for teachers to learn more about IT and the internet, and the coordinators invited Neal and me to give a two-hour demonstration of the Reneal IEO system. Neal spent Friday evening tinkering here in our room, and ended up with a improvised (but very clever) system to replicate a Reneal IEO computer lab for the workshop.
Monday we returned to Mwandet Secondary School for the teacher orientation training on the Reneal IEO system. It was a lot of fun! Today we began our second computer lab installation, this at Ilkiding’a Secondary School. Just like at Mwandet, we’re installing a server along with 16 donated laptops connected to the server for student and teacher use.
While last week’s main focus was the computer lab installation at Mwandet Secondary School, we also had a chance to visit two of our 2013 installations: Mukulat Secondary School and Mlangarini Secondary School. One of the highlights was participating in the awarding of certificates for the top-performing teachers and students in computer use at Mukulat (some photos are posted on the Reneal IEO Facebook page). At both schools we gained valuable information about what is (and isn’t) working, from which we can learn for future installations.
It’s Thursday night, and we’re here at Mwandet Secondary School doing our first 2014 Tanzania installation. Since it is a rather long, rocky, dusty drive from Arusha, we are staying here at the school from Wednesday through Friday. As is usual, we have been astonished and humbled by the generosity and assistance we’ve received. We are excited to report that we are nearly finished already with the installation here, with full-up system testing planned for tomorrow.
Neal and I recently read a great book about the building of the Palomar 200” reflecting telescope. We loved how they grappled with each of the many engineering challenges to eventually achieve “first light” – the time when starlight is first observed with a new telescope. We had our own (very minor) version of “first light” just a few minutes ago here in Tanzania, as Neal fired up the server for Mwandet Secondary School for the first time. It was very exciting to see the Reneal IEO startup screen filling the monitor!
Tanzania at last! The journey has been a bit more protracted than expected, but we’re closing in on full arrival. Today, our first full day, got us right in the middle of it all with a blizzard of impressions and experiences.
It’s been a blizzard of box-packing this last week. Ten more boxes of donated computer equipment departed for the Philippines on Tuesday, joining 10 others shipped in the previous few weeks. We have just about completing our prepositioning for the 2015 projects in Cebu! And now eight more boxes are neatly stacked for Monday’s departure for Tanzania, along with a growing pile of personal gear (not so neatly stacked…) that will be packed tomorrow. Yes, at last we are on the brink of beginning the long-planned 2014 Tanzania projects!
Stacks of desktops to test and prepare for shipping… A big line of monitors sitting nearby for packing… Numerous empty boxes addressed and waiting for contents… Yes, lots of work ahead but what a thrill to know that the Reneal IEO 2015 project plan for the Philippines is now fully resourced! The trip to Ft. Collins this week resulted in 40 used desktop computers and 20 used flat panel monitors receiving new life helping students in high schools in the Philippines.
Another busy week here, culminating with a Reneal IEO Board meeting this afternoon. We are excited and pleased to welcome a new member to the board, Steve Guerzon. Our deepest thanks go to out-going board member Antonio Martinez for 2 years of dedicated service. Antonio’s insightful questions and attention to detail were an essential part of getting Reneal IEO started on a good trajectory. We are grateful for his contributions!
It’s been a great week here. Five large boxes of equipment just shipped out today to Cebu for the 2015 Philippines projects. This included most of the 15 wonderful desktops just granted by Free Geek in Portland (www.freegeek.org) plus a batch of monitors that we received through a connection with Alum Rock United Methodist Church in San Jose. Next week’s chore will be to box up the servers, monitors, and network switches for the five new 2015 high schools and get them underway to the Philippines. And of course, the Tanzania trip looms so we’ll be getting things packed up for that soon.