Developing World Problem #3: Internet

Before I arrived in Rwanda, many people had told me how terrible internet was at the school and in the country as a whole.  When I came, it was very slow by American standards, but it was still functional for me and had exceeded my expectations. The company used a satellite dish to direct internet to a router in the computer lab and it serviced all the classrooms and the library.  But at the end of March it started cutting out every few minutes and then one day it stopped working altogether.   The longer I’m here, the more I realize how people take for granted the most important uses of the internet such as updating or installing software.  Nothing can download if wifi turns off regularly. 

MTN is both my phone and internet company.
I have two sim cards, one for the phone and one for the internet

A common way to access internet in Rwanda is to use the phone networks on computers or mobile phones.  I have a personal modem that I can put into my computer to route the internet and can buy a day for only $1.  After the satellite broke and the company could not repair it, the school started using a router that they simply stick a phone sim card into to convert it into wifi.  However, the big kicker is that you don’t actually get unlimited internet when you buy a day or month or whatever. A day of internet is only one gigabyte of data which may seem like a lot until you start actually using the internet.  The worst was when I skyped with friends and it only lasted 2 hours.  My roommate once tried to install Microsoft Office and it took a few hours to get about 80% through before shutting off.   I have been trying to install Adobe on the computer lab desktops so they can use Rachel but it shuts off after only a few are done. 

For personal use, I usually use the modem in the staff room but it is worse there.  Imagine 8 computers trying to use 1 gig of internet?  Usually it is done by lunch, especially because the teacher enjoy streaming youtube videos.  Interestingly, the companies provide free Wikipedia, facebook and twitter. So sometimes I have run out for the day, but I am still able to go on those websites!

From Maranyundo Initiative website

So how does this affect the students?  The internet does not reach the computer lab so they do not go online.  When I give them a project that requires research, usually I have to do it for them, which is both time consuming for me and a missed opportunity for them. I have noticed they tend to be less inquisitive about large themes in the world because they only have access to the information known by people in their immediate vicinity.  This is probably the main reason I’m so excited about Rachel. The students will be able to work and learn using a computer without requiring the internet! On the other hand, right now they are more able to solve problems on their own.  In the US, if I have a question or problem, I google how to take solve it, but they are able to work more independently.  

Buying in Bulk?

Candy hoarder?

I have been really lax about updating my blog lately.  I'm sorry.  I will try to do better.  The senior three students had a speech competition so I went to town to buy some prizes for the winners.  I finally settled on simple lollypops and biscuits.  When I started picking out twelve candies, the man in charge of the stand and everyone around him burst out laughing and continued until I had paid and walked. Buying in bulk is not at all common here.  When I had bought the biscuits earlier, the vendor asked if I was going to sell them in the street.  There would be no other sensible reason to stock up.  Quite the opposite of Cost-co loving USA!

Raspberry Pi and RACHEL

Big changes are coming to Maranyundo!  This little device called the Raspberry Pi has been making waves all over the tech community for the last few years.  It is a credit card sized computer that only costs $35!  It was specifically designed by a nonprofit to be used in education for teaching students coding, but soon enough techies in the developing world started swooping in and making it work for their uniqueproblems.  One such project is called RACHEL standing for Remote Areas Community Hotspots for Education and Learning.  This is an offline digital library sent through a network to any computer that tries to access the pi (Here is an online version of the library).  It includes resources licensed under creative commons including textbooks developed by the state of California, Khan Academy videos and interactive exercises, much of Wikipedia, .books from Project Gutenburg and much more!

Maranyundo describes itself as a School of Excellence and part of this high standard is to use technology in teaching for the benefit of students.  This is not always so easy because of the unreliable internet and electricity.  But RACHEL-Pi requires no electricity, as it is battery powered (you can still use it on a battery powered laptop, which every teacher has) and supplies its own wireless network that computers connect to as if it were wifi. The Maranyundo Initiative Board visited the school last week and they brought the Rachel-Pi and donated by an organization in Boston  through one of the founders of the school.

Marcella showing how to use the technology

Working together with individual questions

Exploring RACHEL independently!

There was staff training a few days later.  I expected only teachers to come, but the headmistress was so supportive of the technology that she implored even the librarian and secretary to attend. It couldn’t have gone better.  The teachers all brought their computers to follow along with the demonstration.  I also have to point out that even with almost 20 computers connected to the network, the Pi was still faster than the usual internet!  It was really amazing.

Now my next step is to find additional, Rwanda specific content to add to RACHEL. It would be great if there were more English exercises, Kinyarwanda content, National Exam standards and perhaps even some lessons about coding because that is the original vision of the Raspberry Pi. I’m sure I will think of more as time goes by!  The big challenge here will be to find information that is not under any copyright or other protection.  If I have any coding friends who would like to help with this in any way, I would be eternally grateful (not even exaggerating). Please get in touch with me if you are at all interested in giving me even 5 minutes of your time for this project.

When you aren’t using RACHEL, the Pi can be used with just a monitor and a keyboard as its own computer on a Linux Operating System. Then you can do anything! So I also want to learn some coding and possibly teach it to the girls or maybe even start a robotics club! If any of my friends want to help me in this initiative in any way, that would be great because I have no idea what I’m doing :p But I’m so excited to find out where this can take the school! Now I just need to take a deep breath and go one step at a time!