Re: Promoting the CIS initiative.. and some other noise

Hi all,
I put the nomination of Richard up to Nancy George, and no problem with
me making noise about CIS in other spaces and lists and with possible
funders. I also realise that I keep referring to CIS as computers in
schools.

It is great to see this discussion happening again. I came in late last
year into the discussion list, and I realise that I need to clarify a
couple of things before I promote wrongly.

Could you clarify that the current projects in which we have an interest
in are :-
i) Development of burrokeet and
ii) Computers in primary schools project

CIS intends to invite other persons to discuss other related pilot
projects in this list, using the CIS website as a backup to outline
projects?

Next, an update on relevant activity in Guyana  - Dan Bretherton, a VSO is working on setting up a lab
within the space of the Ministry of Education Curriculum development unit to use LTSP with refurbished machines. I hope he will join this list to share what he is doing.

My own experience and possible areas for contribution: 
I am part of this entity called DevNet ( http://www.devnet.org.gy ) which would like to be 'think tank' and implementor of IT in development initiatives - ranging from participating in policy making, supporting CIS type initiatives, looking at OSS, finding solutions.
So far, in our work we have been able to get some experience in pulling together project proposals, bringing people together who work on similar areas in Guyana, and recently now from outside of Guyana. I will confess it involves a lot of waffle to suit the current 'development jargon' and we managing to keep up with the glossary of concepts.

To throw into the pot at this stage, 

- The Fast Forward Secretariat might have some small funding for initiatives. They could be persuaded, through the Government, to support some community projects, and initiatives which will show IT in action. I had a discussion with Tara Lisa Persaud and she said that they were looking at community collaboration.
- There is project called Educons in Suriname http://www.educons.sr which is not always up. They are putting (new) computers in schools, a private foundation
- I had come across online, a project being done by Servol in Trinidad - it seems that that they were training some of the out of school youth in computer repairs/assembly. I don't know if the project still exists, but you might get some additional volunteers/or people to pay a stipend, to help to put equipment together. You guys might already know of this.


And finally, the answer to the puzzle in Richard's email signature - birth dates are 26 August 1896 and 26 August 1903 - those people must have lived to a ripe old age.

Yours
Vidya


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