Tech Donation Gives the Power of Knowledge to Disadvantaged Kids in Malawi
World Camp is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the empowerment of disadvantaged children through educational camps around the world. Each child learns the skills to address the issues that challenge his or her health, well-being, and quality of life.
Based in North Carolina, World Camp has served more than 175 schools in Malawi, Honduras, and India since its inception. With more than 400 volunteers worldwide, it has worked with over 30,000 children and 100 teachers since it got off the ground in the year 2000. World Camp centers on three-day educational camps concerning HIV/AIDS and environmental issues. In these communities, there are almost no resources or factual knowledge on the above topics in the schools.
As many of the schools lack books, chalk, and desks, Microsoft Word documents can make a huge difference. Using Microsoft software, World Camp helps students and teachers create camp journals. Both teachers and students use these journals to take notes, complete activities, and draw diagrams. Students keep the record of what they learned to take home and share with members of their community. Teachers take notes on innovative and interactive teaching methods. After completion, World Camp presents each teacher and school with a certificate endorsed by the Ministry of Education in Malawi demonstrating each community's dedication to fighting the AIDS crisis.
Three years after completing the camp, the headmaster of Manondo Full Primary School in Malawi still proudly displays his World Camp certificate in his office. His students have since begun an HIV awareness club. They share knowledge about and break down stigmas of HIV-positive persons in their community, using what they learned from the camp.
