eCow Summer Tech Program Site Visit

To get a brief overview of this program, visit our website at KarmaCompany.org

This past Tuesday, Sriram and I drove about two hours from bustling Chennai to the coastal village of Kadapakkam. There, sits a children's home run by the East West Foundation of India. While this sounds like the start of a sad story filled with tales of teary-eyed children and squalid conditions, such cannot be said about the Uluru children's home. Instead, beautiful, bright buildings sit amidst green, tranquil gardens with water bodies (complete with Buddha statues donated by a Japanese foundation). The 40 or so children living there are fed nourishing meals and have a strict yet well-rounded schedule consisting of studies, movie nights, and even the occasional karate class. 

Ambitions of the East West Foundation of India run high for the children's homes: when we came, they just completed a boy's dormitory--I nudged my husband and said if our future home looks half as nice as the dorms, I'd be happy. Between lush, breezy views and stone work finishes, the conditions rival that of any expensive school. Also planned are separate learning centers, solar-paneled kitchens, and open amphitheaters. Having met the founder, Dr. Chandran, we don't doubt his team's ability to achieve these things given the home's amazing transformation since his involvement in 2001. 

The purpose of our visit was to follow up on the eCow summer tech program. While the bus--loaded with laptops and computer education programs--is utilized for the children during the school year, it sits idle during the summer hours. This is why the foundation decided to put it to good use by offering a computer class for residents of neighboring villages, as well as a few of the children there who wish to further their studies. 

Of course, every program has its issues: ones where we say, "we should've done that differently," or, "I completely didn't see that happening." The eCow summer tech program? No different.

Obstacles:

Program's timing: It's difficult to expect ANY student to want to study in the summer, and it's also a prime time for vacations. As such, there were a few dropouts. 

Possible solutions:

We strongly recommended charging a fee for the course. Yes, this may cause some to bristle, but hear me out: the amount of the fee doesn't matter: it could be 10 rupees or 1,000 rupees. Charging for the program wouldn't be to make it sustainable or to make money for the nonprofit. Instead, charging a course fee makes the students have skin in the game. Humans generally value what they pay for, but not as much for what's given free. The amount wouldn't be cost-prohibitive, and reasoned that the appropriate amount is somewhere near 50 rupees (appx 1 dollar). 

The other idea to strengthen incentives is a type of scholarship program, whereupon they pay for the course but then are reimbursed if their attendance and marks meet a set standard. 

Other issues:

When talking with the program director, Vijay Kumar, he mentioned that most of the attendees don't have computers in their homes. Thus, practicing was difficult, as was continuing computer use at home.  

Technically speaking, this is an issue. While it'd be easy for us to think, "great, then what's the point?" there are actually several benefits of even short-term computer use. For one, their mind opens to the possibilities of what's out there: sending emails, getting information at the tip of one's fingers. Many of us with such tools take this knowledge for granted. Secondly, students of the computer courses will likely be more receptive to what their children may learn in schools by virtue of their own, new-found familiarity with computers. Ideally, the next generation (even in remote villages such as these) will be using computers as a part of their school work. Instead of parents fearing or discouraging using such tools based on their own lack of understanding, basic community courses like these allows them to see the benefits of technology. 

Language barriers:

The software outfitted on each computer was in English, which isn't well-understood by the locals. Though English is taught in all of the schools, it's not spoken frequently in the villages, nor is the quality guaranteed. While the language could be outfitted to Tamil, this wouldn't be a realistic reflection of what they'd experience in cyber cafes, schools, or universities... as all of the computers are in English there. 

Language discrepancies also made for different skill levels. While some students spent time creating resumes using their existing English skills, others could only learn the symbols of the keyboard and how to open and close Word documents. 

Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot that can be done to overcome these issues. Perhaps in the future, a few laptops could be designated in Tamil, while the rest in English. Thus, a 65-year-old villager with no intentions of going to university could learn the basics and use the internet, while a 17-year-old girl could expand her skills by using the time to format and write documents. 

In the future:

Next year, we'll look closely at fee options and the possibility of expansion. Maybe a third shift could happen, thus accommodating 20 more students. Plus, another shift could happen at the in-house computer lab at the children's home.