By Rebecca Davis | Executive Director
You are receiving this Project Report since you are a current supporter of the RDDC GlobalGiving Program: “Street Scholars – From The Streets to The Classroom”.
Can street kids code?
RDDC (now “MindLeaps”) started teaching street children basic computer skills three years ago. Children who had never held a pencil before or learned how to write their names were put in front of a laptop. Our Rwandan teachers taught them to identify parts and repeat words like: “double click”, “save as”, and even “algorithm”.
Three years later - with a more developed curriculum and years of field experience - we have some students who are learning to do much more complicated computer tasks, including: email, building websites, and playing games that revolve around the basics of computer programming.
One of our top students, Alphonse, sends me an email every week!
What can street kids do with computer skills?
The tech industry is growing rapidly in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. Rwanda is positioning itself to be a leader and wants the entire population’s digital literacy to improve. As such, there is an opportunity for kids like Alphonse to obtain basic jobs in computer/mobile repair, installation of applications and manual testing.
How can we help more kids?
These kids have accomplished so much in their computer classes that now MindLeaps has started to converse with the Ministry of Youth & ICT in Rwanda to determine how our program can serve street youth across the country. There are at least 7,000 street children in the capital city of Kigali, and thousands more in all the rural corners of Rwanda.
In 2015, we will be finalizing an agreement with several partners to help us ensure multiple children can be lifted off the streets through a program that teaches them one of the most important skills today: computer usage.
It’s because of you that we have reached a point where other partners are interested in helping us in Rwanda…Thank you.
We’d also like to share our newest 3-minute video with you:
Please feel free to share our video through your social media and help us spread the good news of street children joining the digital age.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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