FEATURED INTERNS
MICHAEL and
MITCHELL LLOYD, DOT USA TeachUp!
Interns
These "Twinterns" have joined the TeachUp! Team for the
2008-2009 school year. "I applied first and forwarded the email to my brother,"
said Michael Lloyd. Michael jokes that he wasn't surprised to find out both he
and his brother had been chosen for the program, "He is always trying to be like
me."
Both Michael and Mitchell attend the University of Southern
Mississippi. Michael is majoring in Industrial Engineering Technology, and
Mitchell is an Architectural Engineering Technology major.
Learn more about Michael and
Mitchell...
____________ |
INTERN
ALUMNI
FAITH
MURICHO
DOT Kenya ReachUp! Intern Alumna (2006/07)
Faith
Muricho was recently married in a colourful garden ceremony held on October
11th, 2008. Several DOT staff and alumni were present to wish the couple well in
their new life together.
DOT Kenya
and the entire DOT family congratulate Faith and Paul and wish them a happy life
together.
See more photos from their
wedding...
____________
|
PROJECT PROFILE
WARMING
BASKETS
DOT Kenya ReachUp!
Project
Opportunities are everywhere. Some are born out of
desperation or challenges that one undergoes. Enter Susan Mwende and her warming
basket. This young woman with plenty of drive has embraced a technology that
modifies an ordinary sisal or raffia weaved basket in such a way that it keeps
food or beverages warm.
|
PARTNER
PROFILE
Kenya
Society for the Blind
The Kenya Society for the Blind (KSB)
recently became a DOT Kenya community partner with 18 young people, including 6
who are visually impaired, enrolling in the pioneer class. To ensure that all
the participants fully benefit from the training, the participant manuals have
been converted to Braille.
KSB is
now one of the 3 DOT Kenya community partners who primarily focus on people with
special needs.
____________
|
PODCASTS
Visit the new Multimedia page on our website to
access our podcasts, including the recent CBC morning radio show with Janet
Longmore and Interns Patricia Oyoyo and Antoine
Powell.
____________
|
INTERN
VIDEO
Mentwab
Abiy (Ethiopia), David Thiberville (USA), Paul Akiiki (Lebanon) and Robina Guchu
(Kenya)
DOT Intern Alumni discuss their internships and the impact
that they have helped make within their communities. Watch their video from Doha,
Qatar.
____________
|
WHO WE
ARE
Digital Opportunity Trust creates educational
and economic opportunities through the use of information and communication
technologies for communities and people living in the developing
world.
Learn
about our Global Partners...
____________
|
NEWSLETTERS
Read the latest DOT Ethiopia Bisrat and DOT Kenya Tangaza
newsletters.
____________
|
QUOTE OF THE
MONTH
"There is a
saying in China: the first to eat crab. It refers to someone who bravely tries
something new, a person who has courage to venture into a new
world."
|
|
|
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
Issue #12 -
October 2008
|
|
|
DOT Launches Its
China Education Initiative in Sichuan
The recently
reconstructed DuJiangyan Model High School chosen for the DOT China
Initiative
The buzz around DOT these days is China, and
quite a buzz it is. We are pleased to announce the launch of the DOT China
Education Initiative to help revitalize the schools that were devastated by the
May 12 earthquake that ripped apart villages and lives in Sichuan province of
western China.
This is a partnership with Cisco and is yet another
example of Cisco's leadership in corporate social responsibility and the speed
with which the company mobilizes its resources in support of those in need. It
is also an example of the pace, efficiency and effectiveness with which DOT is
able to mobilize, qualities that have earned it the trust and respect of
Cisco.
 From an initial telephone query from
Cisco in late June to a planning mission in early August to Chengdu, the capital
of Sichuan, by Anne Williams, DOT Director of Global Learning, DOT has now
established a program office in Chengdu, hired program management and is
recruiting Interns who will be trained and deployed in November. Dujiangyan under
construction in July 2008
The DOT China Education Initiative is
based on the successful TeachUp!
partnership with Cisco in the schools of
Mississippi and Louisiana where the devastation from Hurricane Katrina is
similar to that of Sichuan's earthquake. Cisco is committing a major investment
over three years to help rebuild the education and health sectors. Working with
the Sichuan Ministry of Education, various schools in the region are being
identified to receive advanced education technology and teacher training as they
are re-established. These schools will serve as models in the region and are
being selected as representative of lower schools, middle schools, high schools
and vocational colleges in both urban and rural environments.
 DOT is immediately engaging 20
Interns who will be trained in November and deployed to Dujiangyan Model High
School and Aba Teachers College before the school break in January. The program
will scale up with an anticipated 40 Interns recruited and trained in January
and over 100 more during 2009, as more schools are supported. DOT is negotiating
partnerships with the local universities and IT training institutes to promote
the program to promising young graduates.
DuJiangyan students
We are pleased to
welcome Catherine Luo, an experienced corporate trainer and manager, as the DOT
China Program Manager. We are also pleased to welcome Frank Shi who joins DOT as
Program Executive, Western China, and who will provide part- time guidance to
DOT as we ensure a smooth program launch and as we look to establishing a
sustainable growth strategy in western China and beyond. Frank is a local
Sichuan professional who has extensive international experience developing trade
and investment relations, including serving as Canada's trade representative in
Chengdu.
DOT assembled a rapid response and mobilization team in early
October to support the launch. A key component has been the participation of DOT
USA with its extensive experience in the school system. This team (Nuria Arias,
Christian Blocker, Anne Williams, Grant Thomas, Janet Longmore and advisor Linus
Wang) has made a serious impression on the local authorities, schools and
partners and has initiated positive relationships and a strong foundation. Anne
Williams will stay on in Chengdu to guide the start-up process as we recruit
Intern Support Managers and administration staff and put in place the procedures
to support a DOT program office. She and Yvonne Lehr of DOT USA will deliver the
critical first training in November.
China is a complex and exhilarating country
where nothing is done without reason and reflection. DOT and Cisco are honored
to have the opportunity to contribute.
Visit the DOT China Education
Initiative area...
________________________________
|
|
DOT Ethiopia's
Model Microenterprise Project
Interns Mahlet
Eshetu (far left) and Sosena Negalign (far right) with participants from Tsalke,
a DOT Ethiopia local partner
DOT Ethiopia is currently
implementing a model entrepreneurial project with one of its partner
organizations to assist the ongoing ReachUp! program.
The soap production
project, which is one of the projects implemented with the collaboration of Hope
for Children, is projected to produce 6,000 bars of soap by using domestically
abundant raw materials. Running at full power, the project will create job
opportunities to four local individuals, including a chemist. The project
provides participants with an opportunity to study and practice the process of
choosing a project, conducting market research and writing a business plan.
|
|
TeachUp! Intern
Lends a Helping Hand to Give Local School a New Gym
Floor
 Jeffrey
Brown and Coach Josh Hawthorn
Baxterville School serves 250 students
ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade. They gymnasium is used for physical
education classes as well as for the boys' and girls' junior high basketball
teams. Basketball season begins in early November.
 Jeffrey played basketball for more
than eight years as a student. "I came here and the first thing I did was go
check out the gym," said Jeremy.
Jeffrey found the gym in less than
perfect condition. Baxterville's Gymnasium was constructed from an old aircraft
carrier donated to the school by Camp Shelby. The gym floor had not been redone
since 1971.
Jeffrey began brainstorming and went to Baxterville's coach, Josh
Hawthorn, with a plan to rejuvenate the floor before the beginning of basketball
season.
Refurbished gymnasium
floor
Read more...
-
Article and photos by Ginny Sims, DOT
USA Communications Intern
________________________________
|
|
Message to Our
Readers
Thank you
for your ongoing support and contributions to the success of Digital Opportunity Trust.
In our
next newsletter, we will feature the re-launch of our DOT Lebanon program, in partnership with CIDA,
YMCA Lebanon and Cisco. The program builds upon the success of the innovative
community-based sustainable tourism programme, in partnership with the YMCA
Lebanon, from 2003-2004. This is a testament to the perseverance of the DOT
team and our local Lebanese partners to give a rebirth to this very important
economic development program. The initiative will stimulate entrepreneurial and
small enterprise development and empowerment of vulnerable groups (including
women and youth) in communities affected by conflict and economic
dislocation.
If you would like to share your feedback, or if you are a DOT Intern or
alumni and would like to share your success story, please contact me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Emily Marks
Communications Manager, DOT
email: emarks@dotrust.org
website: www.dotrust.org
|
|
|
Digital Opportunity Trust
Lebanon: Lebanese Youth Reach Out to Local Communities
2008-12-23
