Digital Literacy: IT for Street Children

We are thrilled to inform you that, thanks to your support, our project Digital Literacy: IT for Street Children has reached our goal of $50,000! Here are just a few of the milestones that your gifts have accomplished over the last two years:

Closing the Digital Literacy Gap

All MindLeaps students in Rwanda participate in two-hour IT classes, twice a week, for an entire year. Each MindLeaps student receives over 200 hours of IT training in hardware and software skills.  They learn specifics on several programs that are important for success in their academic and professional lives, including MS Office and Google.

Technology Supplies

Your support has provided laptops, cables, printers and other computer supplies. For most of our students, these PCs - donated and purchased with your support - are the first time they have ever touched a computer.

Recognized Accreditation

MindLeaps implemented the ICDL curriculum - short for International Computer Driving License - an organization which provides digital literacy curriculum, testing, and certificates. ICDL is widely recognized and used across Africa and added international accreditation to our IT program. Our IT teachers were trained in this curriculum, adding to their skills, and all of our students have been learning this curriculum for the last two years. Rwanda is focusing on its IT development, so this accreditation prepares our students to fill jobs that are in demand.

Internationally Connected Students

Our students had the opportunity to use their IT skills to foster greater cultural connections between Rwanda, the United States, and Australia in 2017. Malvern Prep School in Philadelphia participated in a skype together with students at our center in Rwanda. And, as part of a Pen Pal Letter Exchange program, students at a high school in Australia have been emailing with our students in Rwanda, enabling our students to practice their emailing, typing, and English language communication skills.

School Success

MindLeaps students are prepared in the skills needed for school success. The majority perform in the top 20% of their classes. Their performance in their IT classes is even more impressive, having received a strong foundation from all the IT training at MindLeaps.  Many of our graduates plan to pursue careers in IT in Rwanda.

While this project will now close on GlobalGiving, we hope you will continue to support Divine, Jean de Dieu, and our many more talented children through one of our other projects: Leap Ahead: Empowering Street Youth Through Dance. Thank you again for your incredible support of our work over the past two years.

Your support has transformed the lives of all our students.