Here is a chance for e-book readers of all stripes, but especially those who have older Kindles, to help a bunch of poor schoolchildren in El Salvador! I know that I have multiple Kindles and am guessing that many of you do also.
Dear colleagues and friends,
I apologize in advance for the email clutter.
In July, my two daughters and I are going to El Salvador
to visit Suchitoto, the community where we’ve been volunteering for the past
five years.
We’re very excited about our plans for this year. We’ll
be working with the local schools and the NGO ConTextos
to launch an e-reader program in the community. ConTextos recently raised funds
to start the first e-reading and digital library
programs in El Salvador.
We need your help to expand the program! We’re writing to
ask you to donate any used Kindles you own, or to otherwise support our efforts
to bring used Kindles to these communities.
It is hard to exaggerate the
importance of the work ConTextos is doing in training teachers and supplying
books. In El Salvador, poverty is endemic; 30% of the population lives on less
than $1.25/day. Kids coming from impoverished homes
with parents who can’t read often have no exposure to books until they start
school. At school, students lack access to books and learn via rote
memorization, copying and dictation. They are not exposed to actual books until
3d grade, assuming any books are available even then. According to the El
Salvador Ministry of Education, 22% of students abandon school before the third
grade and nearly 40% drop out before grade 9.
Kindles can make a real impact by providing a method for
students to secure access to countless texts throughout their
education—something that is not economically feasible with actual paper books.
We are asking people like you to donate your old Kindles
so we can help establish an e-reader lab in Suchitoto. Our goal is to collect
at least 100 kindles, which would permit ConTextos to train all of the teachers
in the village’s school system, as well as to provide multiple kindles with
pre-loaded age-appropriate content for each classroom in the K-8 student
population. The Kindles can be any generation or type, but they must be in
working order.
If you don’t have a Kindle, but would like to make a
donation to support ConTextos’ work, click
here to donate.
If you have a used Kindle, here are the easy steps for
donating:
1. Erase the contents of your Kindle see the link below
or the instructions at the end of this email.
2. Bring your Kindle to campus and drop me a note letting
me know where to find you. (I’m at moberman@scu.edu)
3. OR send your Kindles (and your chargers, if you still
have them) to us:
Michelle Oberman
Santa Clara University School of Law
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara CA 95053
