Describe a baseline assessment of the current situation. What can best be achieved by your efforts from your observation? If relevant, include description of Computer and Internet access and availability in the schools with which you are engaged.
Upon my arrival and subsequent available information of Kilimanjaro educational situation in the local government office, I have realized that not all schools in the region of Kilimanjaro and Moshi city especially have computer labs and Internet connection. That is why my objective is to involve students and teachers from this region into iEARN programs. Currently this is possible by using Kilimanjaro Information Technology (KIT) as telecommunication center because they have the facility required. For more information about schools please see the attachment!
Based on this assessment, what do you see as your professional goals for this year at this point in time? (This can be based on needs of iEARN coordinator or overall professional goals).
Basing on my current assessment in Kilimanjaro region and especially in Moshi city my professional goal is to gain more visibility for our partner organization KIT in order to make impact to more teachers and students from primary and later from secondary school as well. Our project starts in Moshi, which is the capital city of Kilimanjaro region and home to the highest freestanding mountain in the world, the Kilimanjaro Mountain!
There are 33 primary schools and 12 secondary schools in Moshi. There are 25,000 students in primary schools and about 9,000 students from Secondary schools! So my activities will start with primary school for this year where I will conduct Training of Trainers (TOT) for teachers and thereafter-general computer training to schools!
Next year January, I will introduce the same training to 12 secondary schools of Moshi! This will form a baseline for other towns of Kilimanjaro. There are about 6 towns in Kilimanjaro, which are, Moshi Urban (Capital City), Moshi Rural, Hai, Rombo, Mwanga and Same. Each town has separate administrative government including education departments! On average there are 1000 primary schools in Kilimanjaro (average of 800,000 students and 30,000 teachers) and about 350 secondary schools in Kilimanjaro (315,000 students and 17500 teachers)!
Expansion of iEARN and TOT activities countrywide so that students and teachers can participate more in the collaborative projects through Internet. This will assist students and teachers to gain more knowledge from digital libraries! As it has already been stated before Kilimanjaro region is more advanced in terms of educational network in Tanzania. The region accommodates more than 35% of all schools and higher learning educational institutions in Tanzania. Current there are six universities in Kilimanjaro. The region has a population of 1.3 Million. So it is easier for me to work from here where schools and other educational facilities are abundantly available!
 
The other reason that makes Kilimanjaro to be an ideal center is its location. This is a getaway to other major northern regions like Arusha, Singida, Tanga and Manyara. The mentioned area consists of more than 60% of all schools in Tanzania!
One of the main objectives of my placement is to raise funds to support and expand activities not only for organization that I belong (KIT) but other educational centers such as Kilimanjaro regional library and etc.
From July of next year teachers and students from Kilimanjaro can attend the next iEARN annual conference in the Netherlands and participate in the Online Professional Development Training workshops in order to familiarize themselves with what iEARN does, implementation of iEARN projects in classroom activities and curriculum and how they could leverage from the established network of teachers and educational professional in ICTs.
 
How will you measure these goals? What will be the indicators that you have achieved them?
I will first set up the beginning level from where I will raise the knowledge level of students and teachers in ICT and iEARN. For instance, starting from 05/09/05 I will introduce Training of Trainers (TOT) to 33 teachers. This is one teacher from each 33 primary schools in Moshi. Once the training is through in two weeks time, I will continue with the Training of Trainers (TOT) of supervise the training of other 3 teachers each from the same 33 primary schools in Moshi. The training will be conducted at the Kilimanjaro Information Technology (KIT).
The main objective is to have a well trained group which consist 4 teachers in each school. Once this is achieved in one month, I will then supervise the training of available teachers in all 33 primary schools in Moshi. This will form a baseline of my project because the target is to start training the students in 33 primary schools in Moshi come 5^th month of my arrival in Tanzania.
By December of this year I expect to have trained almost all the teachers in 33 primary schools of Moshi. I will be conducting a through assessment to determine their level of understanding through questionnaires and test!
In summary I will conduct a baseline assessment and measure, e.g.

• Improved computer literacy
  
• Number of schools impacted
  
• Attendance in courses
  
• Number of teachers trained
  
• Number of schools involved in iEARN and TOT!
  

What obstacles do you foresee?
As the Volunteer of WEC and promoter of iEARN currently in Moshi city, I foresee working of teachers who volunteer to do collaborative work on iEARN and other activities as an extra-curricular activity could be very challenging.

• Main challenges are that teachers do not have basic skills in internet and computer exploitation. Out of one hundred teachers in Moshi, less than two have access to the computer or Internet. This is a question of knowledge because if they had this, Internet cafes are many that could give access.
  
• Lack of money to pay internet connectivity in order to participate in the iEARN projects, forums and other activities!
  
• Another challenge for teachers is limit in time. Afternoons are the only available times but these are hardly free since this is the time for meetings, remedial work, staff workshops etc. The workload is also so high for the teachers because those who could be involved have their major teaching subjects, and other activities from the staff.
  
• Motivation too is to low because teachers are normally paid very little as compared with other professions!
  
• Almost all schools that would have loved to participate do not have computers and are not connected to the Internet because of the cost involved. But one positive thing is that almost all schools if not all schools have electricity power! This could be exploited if computers can be available for them.
  
• Understanding importance of ICT and iEARN collaborative projects in education and also the necessity of integrating the ICT in their teaching.
  
• Lack of local sponsors is also a major problem.
  

What support do you need to be able to reach these goals?

• Support of local government educational office in all activities and aspects. In my current situation I am getting all the help I need from the local government educational office. In fact they organized my Kiswahili language orientation, transportation, provide Internet access and have set aside an office and assistant for my activities while I am here!
  
• Funding from WEC and iEARN and support in obtaining grants from other organizations. This will help in obtaining computers for schools and Internet connectivity!
  
• Providing information about sponsor organizations that are working in Tanzania. We want these organizations to assist in our projects financially! Like buying computers, stationeries etc!
  

What does it mean “foreigner”?
What if the identity ‘foreigner’ is disappeared in our world? When there is no longer a sense of “us” and “them”, but when the world around you is the “us” and you yourself have become “them” even of your own perception. Some times you defining yourself according to the “aborigines” not by what YOU ARE but by what YOU ARE NOT can cause a sense of timidity or self limitation. Of course it is easy to have an idea in your head – I am a foreigner so that rule doesn’t apply to me, I am a foreigner so they go their way and I will go my way, I am a foreigner and so it is inherently known that I cannot participate in some actions, or that I haven’t this or that skill, I view the world in this separate way. But the way how volunteer thinking is – “I am a foreigner so I am different and there is power in my difference. What can I or we do to make this place better? What can I do that there is no longer a sense of “us” and “them”, but the world around is the “us”
I have to think of these things more…these are just current ideas….

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