The eco soldier
A teacher has always been the best guide and philosopher, so it came as no surprise when I saw Tamin-Lee Connolly preaching the world how to help the world’s poorest children and the environment. Ms Connolly, a geography teacher at the Emirates International School is all set to distribute 5,000 solar-powered laptops in rural schools this summer. Not only will this noble initiative open new avenues of education for the deprived children, but will also contribute towards our precious Mother Nature.
The arena
This noble initiative of providing eco-friendly laptops in rural areas, where education prospects are limited is taken place in rural areas. The 30-year-old teacher is going to 5,000 computers in rural schools in Mozambique, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Namibia and South Africa.
The eco effort
Tamin-Lee Connolly, a UAE teacher always dreamt of helping thousands of poor African children to get an opportunity to explore the exciting world of the internet. She is now shaping her dream into reality by distributing solar-powered laptops to one of the world’s poorest children. She started her campaign in March, 2010 and is all geared up to give away 5,000 computers in rural schools in Mozambique, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Namibia and South Africa this year. The year-long trip beginning this summer will end only after covering some 60,000km. In this green and noble campaign, Ms Connolly is being assisted by One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), a non-profit organization that designs low-cost computers for the world’s poorest children. Her initiatives have inspired students, parents and corporate houses in Dubai to give a helping hand in raising funds. They have succeeded in raising Dh70,000 approx. $ 19,061.6).
This eco warrior along with OLPC will list down communities and schools in need and provide children with laptops. On July 1st, Ms Connolly will be leaving Cape Town and set towards Africa where she will be joined by OLPC volunteers. They will give away the green and white laptops, packed with educational information to the poor children and teach both the children and teachers how to use them. These solar-powered laptops will run on renewable energy, eliminating the need of electricity.
Ms Connolly says:
Providing laptops in rural areas, where education prospects are limited, will be great for children who may otherwise not stand a chance. “I’ve always wanted to make a big difference. I’m very excited. It’s all happening so fast.
The 4×4 purchased specifically for the occasion will be fitted with a tracking device enabling her to pinpoint her location as she progresses. The money donated by the students, parents and some companies has be utilized to buy the laptops, while the other firms donated between Dh5,000 (approx.$ 1,361.54) and Dh30,000 (approx. $8,169.24) each towards the costs of her expedition. Just in case if you too are interesting in helping her, you could donate Dh740 (approx. $201.50) per laptop via Ms Connolly’s Facebook page, Everything Except the Horn. The funding lines for the campaign will be kept open so that more children can get a laptop and connect with the rest of the world.
The impact
Not only will this great campaign stand as an example for the world to follow, but will also give new hope and opportunities to the deprived children. Providing laptops in rural areas, where education prospects are limited would mean giving them a chance to connect with the other parts of the world, learn a lot of new things and grab better education opportunities. Besides, the laptops are solar-powered, so it will cause no harm to the environment. Using them will not even increase the electricity bills.
Via: TheNational