Rwandan OLPC mentors: students with business cards

Back in May, we held an international Scratch Day event in our office called “Rwandese Kids Scratching their Communities.” This event had local students familiar with Scratch, an interactive programming activity on the XO laptop, planning and holding their own workshop. They taught teachers, family members and anyone else who came how to create Scratch projects.

This day was open to all and many new children found their way into our offices to learn more about Scratch and the XO laptop. Two such boys were Joseph (grade 3, 10 yrs old) and Erize (grade 2, 11 yrs old).

In the months that followed, Joseph and Erize kept coming to our offices (near
their houses) to use the laptops. During this time, they not only mastered use of the laptop, they spread word to their friends, and now help and guide other children who have begun coming to the office. Their homes have become popular places with family and friends coming each night to learn more and use the laptops.

The boys had been reserved and quiet, but are now outgoing and confident. Their English has expanded from a few sentences to conversational in just a few weeks. It is clear their work with the laptop has empowered them. They are so happy to be involved with OLPC, that they have each created their own business card and tell everyone in the neighborhood that they work for OLPC!

Joseph and Erize, on their own, chronicled through pictures an afternoon of themselves and their families at home with their laptops:


9 thoughts on “Rwandan OLPC mentors: students with business cards

  1. hello carmeno I want to tell you julia and pedro we love to eat RICE
    I am joseph write me I WANT YOU COME OLPC RWANDA. my best acitvites are SCRATCH AND DOOM AND JAMEDIA.
    PLEASE I NEED TO TELL YOU MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOOD day I am niyonkuru joseph tell your children kiss!!!

    hello carmero iwant to tell you merrychristmas sososomuch!!!!!
    ILIKE activity jamedia ILIKE to eat food rise chipusi, i am ERIZE i know you are my friend MERRYCHRISTMAS

  2. Pingback: OLPC Rwanda takes off | One Laptop per Child

  3. hello my friends my name is Erize. i work olpc. i love olpc soooososo much. i am friend of julia and pedro. ask me question and come to visit rwanda. i love you people.

  4. hello my friends I am joseph I can tell about olpc any question. come to visit to olpc in rwanda. You can visit gorillas. we are friends of pedro and julia. see you

    • Hello Erize and Joseph, it’s great to hear from you. I hope you are having a great summer! Tell me about the gorillas…

      If people have questions for you, they can add them here to this post.

    • Well, they do come to the Rwanda office to work on their XOs… I’d say the staff meetings come to them.

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