During spring 2014, IT Director Tony DePrato and Head Librarian Kendra Perkins led a team of students to collect, clean up and update over 40 computers. Y8's Angela and Peter, Y7's Sam and Hans, and Y6's Tiger and David came to school on a Saturday afternoon to help take apart each computer, blast out the dust, wipe off each one’s software, install updated software in Chinese and finally, to check that each one was working properly.
Over 40 desktop units were sent to the organization Mifan Mama and were distributed to orphanages throughout China in December, just in time for Christmas. Mifan Mama sent a gracious thank you for this hard work: “We were delighted to receive such a donation and worked to make sure that the computers went to places where they would be used and appreciated.”
These computers have now been sent out to two orphanages where children will receive regular access to them for their schooling and learning. Asian Express International Movers shipped 10 computers to Dawn House in Hebei and 30 computers to Jiangxi Orphanage. The children were very excited to be able to have access to the computers, and they were eager to get them set up and start learning.
The importance of learning on computers is tremendous, with everything revolving around new technology and electronics. Mifan Mama explained: “You will all be reading this on a computer, in such a short time we have come to rely on them for communication, work, storage, entertainment and so much more. Young people who emerge from orphanages knowing nothing about computers will be at a huge disadvantage in society, and these donated machines will help at least 200 young people to get comfortable with a keyboard and understand what it is to be connected."
YK Pao School Secondary Division is looking forward to working with Mifan Mama on future projects to help children from all over China. For our next project, we plan to donate Chinese and English books to further assist these children.
(From Kendra Perkins, Head Librarian)
