Everything Under The Sun: Online Connections Benefit Teachers And Students In Deprived Areas Of The World

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Online Connections Benefit Teachers And Students In Deprived Areas Of The World

A professional education session with teachers at Roshan Learning Center.

It was the inspiration of a young educator, this international program connecting teachers globally, PINK ELEPHANT INTERNATIONAL. Now a fully qualified teacher, with a background in elementary and special education, Lauren Vining was a student teacher at the time she founded this organization in 2013. It was her passion for international education that led her to start outreach to both educators and students in Nakuru, Kenya.

Lauren discussed what led her to create Pink Elephant and its Teacher Outreach Program, "I decided to start this project after I participated in a university-sponsored service learning trip to Botswana, May 2013. I learned that many teachers in disadvantaged locations lack the support and continuing education opportunities that are necessary for quality education to occur. Some of the teachers didn't even have 4-year degrees, thus they were not adequately prepared to keep up with the ever-evolving world of education. Once I recognized this need, I decided to take action and provide teachers with the support they desperately needed; support for which the students deserved."

So far, this organization is supporting schools in Nakuru, Kisumu, and Pokot areas, including the Pangani Special School, where the pilot program was established, all in Kenya: and three sites in Indonesia, at Refugee Learning Center, Refugee Learning Nest, and Roshan Learning Center, all located around Jakarta.

The website has a Teacher Portal, which is the conduit connecting teachers around the world. That is further divided into the Resource Library, Global Teachers Lounge, and Professional Development Library. Since these resources rely upon the knowledge of contributing teachers, participants don't have to be from the target locations, but from anywhere around the world that has access to the types of materials needed. So, these Contributing Teachers add critical information to the portal's database, so that the teachers and students in the targeted locations can have access to this information.

This is why teachers who have better resources are needed to join the Teacher Portal.

In 2015, Pink Elephant added the Saidia Mama Maasai project, based in the small town of Mali Tisa, on the border between Kenya and Tanzania. It focuses on the women of the Maasai tribe and provides them with skills training and economic opportunities. The project enabled these women to establish an online shop, where customers can buy boutique-type jewelry and other accessories, crafted by these women. Women who buy the items offered are providing a source of income for these women and mothers, enabling them to avoid selling their children and engaging in female genital mutilation (FGM). Whenever women of an area become economically empowered, it means their children and other family members benefit, preventing them from being exploited.