Wheaton students rally support for Philippines computer clinic
November 7, 2007
In partnership with a grassroots organization in the Philippines, four Wheaton students are working to establish a computer clinic for rural schoolchildren in that Southeast Asian country.
The students are seeking donations of computers and cash to support a January-break trip to the island nation in order to set up the Pinoy Computer Clinic for the students of Lucena East 1 Elementary School in Quezon Province. (''Pinoy'' is a vernacular term for ''Filipino.'') Many of the school's 1,850 students come from needy families who can barely afford adequate food and school supplies, the Wheaton students said.
Christine Panzarella '10, Pierre Dizon '09, Rodrigo Bacus '10 and Ryan Letada '08 (pictured, left to right) have set the ambitious goals of collecting 30 Windows-based computers and raising $14,000 for the project. They plan to refurbish the computers as needed, install Internet service, and outfit each machine with tutoring software in math, reading, science and writing. Much of the software content will emphasize Filipino culture and history, said Letada, an economics major.
To date the group has collected most of the computers they need and about $3,500 in donations, said Panzarella. They are seeking further contributions from campus organizations, fellow students, alumni and friends. (To learn about computer specifications, or make a cash contribution, write to panzarella_christine@wheatonma.edu.)
The group's partner organization in the Philippines is Uplift Movement, Inc., a non-profit foundation that focuses on affordable health care, education and community-based entrepreneurship. The computer clinic will be housed across the street from Lucena East at the Harmony Christian School, a more affluent institution that enrolls fewer than 90 students. Harmony Christian is building a facility for the clinic and hosting it as a community service to Lucena East.
''It's community support for community,'' Panzarella said.
Letada suggested the idea for the project after visiting his family in the Philippines and seeing that his cousin was still using a 10-year-old computer Letada had given him years earlier.
The Wheaton students see their project as one small way to address global inequities in access to educational technology. ''In essence, these computers will connect Filipino children to the world,'' said Panzarella, an international relations major and president of the sophomore class. ''We want these children to have access to the same tools that we have.''
The four students plan to travel to the Philippines in January 2008 to install the computers and provide training on their use to both teachers and students. They want to be sure the clinic is able to run independently and that its tools effectively support learning and teaching.
''When we visit, we will meet with school administrators to talk about how this technology can be infused into the curriculum,'' said Letada.
Although the clinic will primarily serve schoolchildren, it will also be available as a community resource. The Wheaton students hope that the clinic will be the first of several that they and others help to create in the Philippines. ''We're designing the program for sustainability,'' said Panzarella. ''We are thoroughly documenting our work as an example of a micro-development project that's student-initiated.''
The campus Asian American Coalition has adopted the computer project as its community service initiative, and other student groups have offered their help. The Sole Step Team, the Gentlemen Callers, iSpeak and individual performing artists donated their time and talents to host a benefit show and awareness event in October.
The Student Government Association, the Intercultural Board, the Latino Students' Association, Wheaton's Organization for Women, the International Students' Association and other groups are donating funds from their budgets and helping to develop a list of volunteers to write letters and seek donations from family members.
Student Life has also been helpful to the group. ''Dean Alex Vasquez and Dean Sue Alexander are good at making sure we stay realistic and grounded,'' Panzarella said. ''We have very good support on campus.''