Computers update

It looks like we might be going to buy the computers on Monday. This week has been really hectic - everyone is getting really excited but I only have one week left. The headtecher took me to the LEA to meet all sorts of important people, the highest up of which reports directly to the minister of education. I think she's just playing politics and trying to further her career, but the more people she invites to come and see the computer room, and the more they have invested in it, and the more certain it is to work out well. The local director of the government computer plan came to the school yesterday and complicated matters by advising us to get a different spec than I had got the quotes for - but hopefully it will be worked out by Monday. I'm also staying in Lima this weekend to work with a couple of tech guys to repair some of the older existing computers.

I am getting the school and parents to agree to a few things before we go ahead - it's not a completely free lunch for them - a two way process. They have to make the security satisfactory, and get the older computers mended, and sort the transport, and send me pics every so often. I'm also going to come back in August to check everything is working out, and then I may donate more later. I am also trying to arrange a maintnence contract with a guy who has an internet cabin 50m from the school, so the teachers can easily go and find him if there is a problem.

Computers for a Peruvian school

I am coming towards the end of my time volunteering in Lima. I want to leave something a little more permanent behind, so I planning to buy some computers for the school. As I mentioned in a earlier blog entry, they have computing lessons, but since there are no computers the teachers are limited to showing them pictures and teaching them what the different parts of a computer do. In the modern world I think it is hard to overestimate the importance of learning computing skills, so access to a computer is important.

Over the last few months they have been getting a building ready for the computers, with electricity and security. The ministry of education say that once the school has at least 6 computers that meet a minimum standard; they will provide an IT teacher and help with an Internet connection. On Saturday, they did an inventory of some computers that had been donated to find that those that did work were very old and well below the required standard. But they have monitors and keyboards that work.

Yesterday, I went with some of the teachers to get quotes for second hand computers that meet the required standard. We got a quote for $120 per computer (spec below), which given the dollar to pound exchange rate at the moment doesn't seem like much to us - only £63.

There is a little bit of politics between the school and my volunteer program, which I have been unavoidably drawn into in trying to make this happen. Such are the problems of developing countries - corruption is the biggest inhibitor to growth. But I don't want to become so cynical as not to do anything. The best people to work with are the elected representatives of the parent's association - as they truly have the children's interests at heart.

So I will personally preside over the purchase of the computers, and return to the school later in August to see them in use, and get pictures for you all. As such, I want to place the order soon so that I can see the computers installed before I leave at the start of July. I will also ask subsequent volunteers to report back to me on how the computers are being used.

I would like to start by buying the 6 computers required. If I end up with more money than for this, I will purchase more computers once I have seen the first 6 in use by the kids in lessons. I also may try and set up a maintenance contract for someone to come in once a month or so to service the computers.

So over to you, please donate if you would like to. If you are minded to do so, please do it now rather than later! Let me by email know how many computers you would like to give (fractions are allowed). Or if you would like to make a small monthly commitment for the maintenance contract, that would be useful too.

Thanks for any help you can give,

FC

Tech Spec
PIII 1Ghz, 256Mb Ram, 20Gb HD, CD writer, Floppy, Network and Sound Cards, XP

The Pied Piper of Lima

So what has been keeping me busy for the last few weeks and away from this blog?

I've been at the school five days a week, helping in lessons, getting to know the teachers and the kids, and acting in the school play! I played the part of the shepherd in the parable of the lost sheep - adapted with a bit of artistic license to include an evil wolf who poses as a donkey, and some helpful butterflies. All in Spanish, of course. I've also been a little tied up with the politics of the school which I will write more about in my next entry.

In the maths lessons some of the content the older ones have been doing is quite hard - stuff that I didn't learn until A-level - such as algebraic division, geometric and arithmetic sequences, and binomial expansions. I think they just do more because they have more maths lessons than in British schools - there is less diversity of subjects generally. It's nice when they all seem impressed that I can do maths! The other day the teacher didn't arrive for her class, so I ended up taking the 2 hour lesson and going through their homework to rationalise irrational fractions.

Outside of school, I've been seeing different parts of Lima, and making friends with Peruvians through the other volunteers - good for my Spanish. I've also been making weekend excursions to places within reasonable bus distance of Lima.

• Pacahacamac, for Inca and Pre Inca Ruins
• Tarma, for picturesque Sierra valleys and impressive jungle valleys.
• Pisco and Paracas for an island trip, heaven for ornithologists.
• Huachina for sandboarding on massive dunes - safer, softer and warmer than snowboarding

Some of you wanted to see a few more more pics from my travels, so here they are:

• Ecuador
• Peru
• Sandboarding

FC

Post pending

Apologies to anyone checking here that I haven't written in a while. There are a number of reasons for this, but I plan to post something soon, so don't give up hope!

FC