Part of our mission here at the orphanage is to help prepare the children for the future. We put far more emphasis on education than most of the friends experience because we know how important it is to their futures. Also important to their futures, especially as Mozambique is becoming more connected with it’s neighbors and even further globally, it to train them and give them a fundamental understanding of technology. In the past, we’ve sent some of the high schoolers to the local university for a computer proficiency course (internet, email, Word, Excel), but we decided that for our kids to compete for jobs and opportunities in the new economy of Mozambique, they must be proficient in something more than navigating Windows95. It is with that goal in mind that we decided to do something really great for the kids, and we went out and got them all iPad 2s.
It took some considerable scrimping and saving in order to do this. Things like “electricity fasts” as well as the slightly more unpopular “food fasts” of reducing meals from rice and beans to just rice, and sometimes just rice (in the singular, not the plural). But I think the kids will tell you it has been well worth it.
The kids are able to do their homework on it and its loaded with educational tools, although most of the kids will tell you the thing they use it for most is aquele jogo com os passarinhos zangados (that one game with the angry birds). The second most popular activity has to be viewing rir gatos. You probably know them as LOLcats.
Eu estå molhado e eu nao estå felîz. I is wet and I is not happy.
The iPads have my life much easier too. When the kids need homework help, we just instant message or use FaceTime to talk to each other. And when it is time for Bible study and worship in the evening we can just do it from the comfort of our beds as I literally just phone it in. And will all the administrative tools I have, I can control which websites they view. I can also control which apps they download and authorize their downloads at the end of the day. And for the last three days we haven’t had anybody click on a “1 millionth visitor Grand Prize” link so I think the kids are learning pretty fast.
Unfortunately, when you’re dealing with children they have a tendency to become careless and not appreciate the fragility of the electronics. So far we have had three iPads break. The first one was when Pacheco accidentally sat on his. The screen cracked, but he can still use it. The second was when Atija, unsure at how the motion sensors worked, accidentally drop-kicked her iPad playing a soccer game. The third was when Nacape dropped his in the latrine. When I asked him what he was doing with his iPad in the latrine in the first place he responded with “Eu cheguei num nivel maninge alto do jogo dos passarinos.” (I made it to a crazy-high level in the bird game).
Much like the rest of the world, we have only scratched the surface on the potential of these beautiful machines.
Ohmygoshteejican'tbelievethatyouguysgottheseipadsthatissoexcitingandmeansalotfortheorphangeiamsoexcitedforyouguyz!!!!!!!
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