SOLOY Community Technology & Learning Center

Microsoft® Grants Mona $106,800 for a
Community Technology & Learning Center

Ngobe-Bugle area of Chiriqui, Panama

Mona Foundation and FUNDESCU are extremely grateful to Microsoft® Panama for their support of this unique initiative, and acknowledge the indispensable assistance of Mr. Rene van Hoorde, General Manager of Microsoft®, of Mr. Luis Carlos Stoute who was instrumental in promoting this initiative, and of Mrs. Carolina Donkersloot, Director of Community Affairs, without whose confidence this project would not have happened.

Introduction

The remote mountains of Chiriqui is home to thousands of Ngobe Bugle indigenous population of Panama whose only access to education is the schools established in the mountain villages by FUNDESCO (Foundation for Development & Culture) and operated by the voluntary indigenous teachers it supports. FUNDESCO also supports the Ngobe Bugle Cultural Center in Soloy, at the base of these mountains, and its radio station which is the only means of communication between these remote villages. This radio station presently uses three solar-powered computers in its operations.

To further the educational opportunities of these very under-served yet capable people, Mona Foundation partnered with FUNDESCO and proposed establishment of 15 solar-powered computers in the Ngobe Bugle area of Chiriqui Province to serve the following purposes.

• To provide basic computer skills and technical training to the 13 indigenous teachers and their 430 students of the 8 village schools scattered on the mountains of Chiriqui
• To provide continuing teacher training opportunities to these teachers to quality them for official government certification, and to improve their quality of instruction
• To provide added programming capability to the local radio station
• To provide basic computer skills and technical training to the 500 students attending the Primer Ciclo, Joaquina H. de Torrijos High School in Soloy

The Mona Foundation proposal suggested that the indigenous population of Ngobe Bugle and all the schools serving them, or the high school in Soloy, a town within 15 minutes of the Cultural Center, have absolutely no access to technology, nor they do they hope to have access any time soon. This computer lab, the first in any indigenous region in Panama, will be open to public and will offer this under-served population an opportunity to leap frog to the 21st century, to access communication and networking benefits of technology, and to further develop their human resources in the service of their people.

Microsoft® generously agreed, and notified the Mona Foundation and FUNDESCU on June 4, 2003 of its generous cash grant of $106,800 and software grant of approximately $17,000.00.

Mona Foundation is of course extremely pleased by this vote of confidence by Microsoft® Corporation. To implement this ambitious plan, Mona Foundation has closely collaborated with FUNDESCU, Microsoft® Panama, Microsoft® Redmond, the Indigenous National Council, the Ministry of Education, and myriad of other individuals.

Press Conference

On August 4th, Microsoft® Panama hosted an extensive press conference at one of the most prestigious hotels in Panama City to announce this grant. Several members of the press were present, and as a result the announcement was covered by three major newspapers of Panama City, and included on the Evening News of the Local Television Station as excerpted here (to the left).

Progress Report to-date

Through the dedicated efforts of members of FUNDESCU, we are proud to say that to-date we have:

Obtained the permission of the National Indigenous Congress of Ngobe Bugle, Chiriqui to place the CTLC in the Chiriqui area

Obtained and signed an official contract with the Ministry of Education to place the CTLC in Soloy High School

Placed the order for the needed equipment

Been able to hire, and are in the process of training, two indigenous Ngobere, Mrs. Tahire Sanchez and Mr. Adan, as Project Manager and CTLC instructor respectively

FUNDESCU has also put in place a committee of technical experts who, with the help of our vendors, will supervise the transportation and the installation of the lab within two months.

CTLC Inauguration

This Community Technology and learning Center (CTLC) will be inaugurated on Monday November 24th in the presence of all the 13 teachers and students of our Ngobe Bugle Tutorial Schools, the teachers and students of Primer Ciclo, Joaquina H. de Torrijos High School in Soloy, the staff of Radio Bahai, the representatives of FUNDESCU, Ministry of Education of Chiriqui Providence, 4 members of the board of directors of Mona Foundation, General Manager of Microsoft®, Mr. Rene van Hoorde, Mr. Luis Carlos Stoute who was instrumental in promoting this initiative, and Mrs. Carolina Donkersloot, Director of Community Affairs, and other Microsoft® staff.

Evaluation Process

As with every project, Mona Foundation uses specific evaluation methodologies to measure the effectiveness of our support. The success of the CTLC will be measured by:

1st Year

Basic computer literacy of the teachers including basic hardware, Windows concepts, and the use of the Internet

Increased productivity in the programming and services of the radio station serving the villages of Ngobe Bugle

The number of official credits earned (educational points) by the 13 teachers which will apply towards their official certification by the government, which in turn will allow them to receive a salary and social security benefits

2nd Year

1st phase of technical training of the teachers in IT Pro skills to include competency with Word and Excel

1st phase teacher training for accessing information on the Internet

1st phase of basic computer literacy of the students of 8 Ngobe Bugle Schools to include initial exposure to the use of computers and typing skills

Basic computer literacy and IT Pro technical training of the 500 students of the neighboring high school to include initial exposure to the use of the computers, typing, and the use of the Internet

3rd Year

2nd phase of technical training of the teachers in IT Pro skills to include competency with Word and Excel

2nd phase of teacher training for accessing information on the Internet

2nd phase of basic computer literacy of the students of 8 Ngobe Bugle Schools which will include initial exposure to the use of computers and typing skills

Basic computer literacy and IT Pro technical training of the 500 students of the neighboring schools to include initial exposure to include competency with Word® and Excel®, and accessing information on the Internet

Initial exposure to, and basic computer literacy of other community members

Mona Foundation, FUNDESCU and Microsoft® Corporation inaugurate the CTLC

Soloy, Chiriqui Province, Panama, November 2003

This afternoon represents a new opening for the development of our indigenous people. An historic seed has been planted that will enable us to reach our full potential. Mr. Victorino Rodriguez, teacher and representative of the tutorial schools.

Through an ongoing collaboration between Mona Foundation and FUNDESCU (the foundation for social and economic development) the Community Technology and Learning Center (CTLC), made possible by a grant from the Microsoft® Corporation and located at Primer Ciclo Joaquina H. de Torrijos, the public junior high school in Soloy, was inaugurated on Monday morning, November 24th, 2003.

In attendance were the President of the Ngobe-Bugle Indigenous Council, the General Manager of Microsoft® Panama, the Mayor of Soloy, two representatives from the Chiriqui Ministry of Education, three members of the National Council of Baha'is of Panama, the principal of the school, the director of Radio Bahá'í, members of the Institute Council, hundreds of students from the junior high, their 30 teachers, our tutorial school teachers, three students from Molejon, several members of FUNDESCU, and a delegation of five representing the Mona Foundation.

The presence and active participation of so many different organizations provided ample evidence of the widespread acceptance of this project, and of the spirit of collaboration it has engendered, which was commented upon favorably by many in attendance. Some even expressed surprise that so many institutions could work harmoniously together, in service to others, without one group trying to take credit or take over the project.

Mrs. Tahireh Sanchez, CTLC project manager, chaired the formal proceedings, which opened with an invocation in Spanish and Ngabere, the local indigenous language. This was followed by a series of short speeches, a gift exchange, the unveiling of a plaque at the entrance to the lab, and a formal ribbon cutting. When the ribbon was cut, masses of people poured in to examine the lab. Children and youth, adults and elders took turns testing the keyboards, typing their names, and opening and closing various programs. Many expressed their great delight with the equipment and its possibilities as a door to knowledge and advancement for the Ngabe-Bugle people. The new lab, along with the battery house and solar system was truly a showcase. Following the ceremony, Microsoft® hosted a lunch for the 500 people in attendance.

After the crowd had gone home, Mrs. Sanchez offered the following thoughts: "Now is the time for unity in the world. With this technology, you have given us a tool to connect to people everywhere.

"I am especially pleased that there are so many women involved in the project. There are five women here from Mona; the team in Panama that worked so hard to make this a reality is mostly women; and as the director of the lab, I am also a woman. I think it's significant."

Adan Bejerano, the newly-hired teacher for the lab, added, "For me this is a dream come true. I feel so proud to be part of this project. It's so different from every other international development project that has come to our area. It has a spirit." I would agree with Adan.

Excerpts from speeches made during the CTLC inauguration

Mrs. Tahireh Sanchez, CTLC Administrator: This is the first community learning and technology center to be established in the entire Ngobe-Bugle region. This modern technology will allow us to participate fully in the affairs of the world. In time, the whole community will have access to the Internet and so, we will be able to take our place with the rest of the world. We would like to thank Microsoft®, the Mona Foundation, FUNDESCU and Soloy Junior High School for making this possible.

Mr. Rene Van Hoorde, General Manager, Microsoft® Panama: The mission of our company is to help individuals reach their maximum potential, and with this lab, we are adding our grain of sand to help the children of Soloy to reach theirs. This is Microsoft®'s first visit to Soloy, but we hope it is the first of many.

Dr. Mahnaz Aflatooni Javid, President, Mona Foundation: The work of Mona is inspired by the principle that we are all members of one human family who shares our common planet. We believe that we will have a better world when we all given opportunities to develop our capacities to actively participate in the process of our community development. Mona has found a partner in Microsoft® and FUNDESCU to establish this CTLC in service of this ideal. We are grateful to them, and to many volunteers without whose dedicated services the implementation of this lab would not have been possible. Mona is privileged to be associated with a project that will benefit the entire community and we look forward to many years of collaboration together.

Professor Gertrudis Rodriguez, Provincial Director of Education, Chiriqui: We are extremely grateful for such a fabulous and fantastic project that has been implemented in the Ngobe-Bugle area. It opens many doors to knowledge in science and technology, and with the Internet, there are no limits. This lab will cultivate minds and open new horizons for our students. It's an extraordinary project! I want to exhort the primary school teachers to also learn along with the secondary students, and to be one step ahead of them. And to the parents, I ask you to support your children in their efforts.

Mr. Ruben de Gracias, President, Ngobe-Bugle Council: This project will galvanize our efforts to improve every area of our lives. Our profound thanks to Mona Foundation, FUNDESCU and Microsoft® for concerning themselves with the advancement of the Ngobe-Bugle people. This gives us the opportunity to develop the intellectual capacity of our youth and opens the windows of their minds to the world. It will benefit not only the Ngobe-Bugle region, but all of Panama. Our dream is that, with this beginning of 15 computers, in time, every family will have a computer in its home.

Aurora Moreno, Sixth-grade student from Molejon: In the name of the tutorial school of Molejon, our profound thanks for this extraordinary opportunity for the Ngobe-Bugle people. You have given us access to a technology that will benefit the entire community. This lab is a tool for the new era and for my generation. It is a big step for our beloved Panama.

Lucilia Montezuma, Soloy student: This gives us a completely new outlook and a new vision of what is possible.

Fernando Contreras, Soloy student: We are very happy in Soloy today. The students, the teachers and the whole community know that this lab will give us a better future. Thank you for opening the door.

Professor Vielka Gonzalez, Principal, Soloy Junior High: We want our Ngobe-Bugle students to grow, develop and have the tools to enable them to succeed in this century. With this lab, we have at our fingertips all the tools for scientific and technological progress. We give thanks to God for this opportunity.

Mr. Julio Mitre de la Cruz, Mayor: As mayor of our district, I thank you and say that it is a great honor and pride to witness the advancement of our community and our people with this great step today.

Professor Rodolfo Malek, PRODES, Technical Education for the Chiriqui Ministry: First, we give thanks to God. We are so happy that the Ministry of Education was invited to partner on this important project. We haven't had the resources to take this step in the past. It was just a few short months ago that the idea was first presented to us, and now, today, it is a reality. Some of the schoolteachers here didn't think this project would ever come to pass, but I know the people involved, and I always had faith.

Mr. Victorino Rodriguez, teacher and representative of the tutorial schools: This afternoon represents a new opening for the development of our indigenous people. An historic seed has been planted that will enable us to reach our full potential.

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