December 26, 2023

1. Project title or name of your school, project, or NGO - A short title or description for your project(*): 
Reference Technical and Commercial College (REFTECCOL) Tiko - Computer Literacy and Digital Inclusion project. REFTECCOL is a new technical and vocational school started in September 2023. The school is owned and managed by Community Relief and Development Action (COREDA).

2. Project Description - Please explain about your project and how you will use the laptops (*):
Background and Need
Elementary and primary education is essential but not sufficient to build career paths that will guarantee a better and self-sustaining future. Statistics shows that more than 80% of those who ended education at the primary level only are unemployed, frustrated and live on less than $1.9 day. They have very limited economic opportunities; engage in early marriages, domestic violence and with very high birth rates leading to a generational cycle of poverty. It has also been observed that general secondary right up to the university in Cameroon only produces job seekers who depend on the state for employment. The Cameroon public sector is already too saturated and alternative education that will produce entrepreneurs and job creators is paramount. We started a Technical and Vocation Secondary School in September 2023. Current enrolment is 126 and is expected to double in the next academic year. We offer courses in Civil Engineering (Building/Construction), carpentry and joinery, welding and sheet metal fabrication, electrical engineering, home economics/catering, clothing industry, accounting and business with crosscutting modules on entrepreneurship and digital skills. 
Education is unthinkable in the 21st century without computers and related technologies. The world is rapidly changing with the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). It is therefore imperative to adapt education with changing trends in the global sphere to enable children irrespective of their social and economic background fit into the digital world. We believe the future is for those who are not only able to read and read but those who can adequately use ICTs. The requested 24laptops will therefore be used to integrate the acquisition of digital skills while facilitate the teaching-learning process in the technical and vocational school.

Project Aim
Computer literacy and digital learning in a Secondary Technical School.

Project Objectives:
    • To facilitate the teaching-learning process through interactive educational programs;
    • To enable pupils/students acquire basic computer literacy skills which will enable them fit smoothly into the digital world;
    • To enable vulnerable and disadvantaged children have access to ICTs tools, a rare resource in our communities and enable them compete with those on the global scale.

Sustainability of the Project/computers
We have a hardware expert who will carry out maintenance of the computers. The school is well secured to prevent theft of the computers. The computer rooms are also well ventilated and we will ensure the computers are unplugged and covered after use to prevent dust which is a common cause of computer breakdown. Automatic Voltage regulators will also be used to regulate power supply to the computer systems. 
 Expected Impacts of the project 
    • The teaching-learning process greatly enhanced;
    • The  huge digital divide among orphans and needy school children narrowed;
    • Students able to manipulate a computer and use to accomplish tasks such as 3D drawings;
    • Students graduating from our schools are not able to integrate themselves smoothly into the digital world;
    • Students graduating from our secondary vocational school will have a competitive advantage in the job market due to computer literacy skills;
    • Greater learning outcomes as the pupils and students are exposed to interactive learning programs;
    • Students able to engage in independent online learning activities and further their education thanks to the acquisition of computer skills.
    • Students more enthusiastic to learn, manipulate and use a computer and hence regular school attendance.

3. Number of students (*): 126
4. Number of teachers (*): 24
5. Claimed IT equipments (*)
5.1 Number of Laptops needed(*): 24
5.2 Number of eBook Reader needed: 0
5.3 Others needed (Tablet-PCs etc): 0
5.4 Additional comments: 
6. On Site Contact Information / project manager. Please provide at least one way to contact (*):
6.1 Full Name(*): Etuge Sumbede Elvis
6.2 Phone(*): +237677848757
6.3 Email(*): coreda98@yahoo.com or etugesumbedeelvis@coreda.org 
6.4 Physical address of Organization (street, city, zip code, country...)(*):
Community Relief and Development Action (COREDA)
Long Street, Tiko, P.O Box 116, Cameroon

6.5 GPS coordinates (click the link to find the coordinates: https://www.gps-coordinates.net or https://support.google.com/maps/answer/18539) (*):
  REFTECCOL: https://g.co/kgs/vaJVg7 

7. Language
7.1 Local / Preferred language(s)(*):  English
7.2 Additional information about language(s):

8. Project Location - street, city, state/province, country, zip code(*):
Long Street, Education Entrance, Tiko, Southwest Region, Cameroon, 116
9. Access to Internet(*)?
9.1 Access to internet (yes/no) : Yes
9.2 Wired/cable (yes/no) : Yes
9.3 Wireless (yes/no) : Yes
10. Conditions about the room where the laptops will be installed:
10.1 Is the room secure? [yes / no + brief explanation] : 
Yes, well secured, metallic doors with internal and external locks. We also have a permanent security guard on campus.
10.2 Can the room be locked in a way that the supervisors (e.g. teachers) can control access? [yes / no + brief explanation]
Yes. Only authorised teachers will have access to the room. Access will be controlled and students will only be permitted when the instructor is there to guide them. Any other teacher who wants to use the computer lab must seek prior approval from the supervisor in charge of the computer lab. Inventory will also be taken after each practical session.

10.3. Is the room weather-proof? (e.g. does the room protect the laptops from rain, sand, etc?) [yes / no + brief explanation]
Yes. The rooms are protected against rain and to an extend dust. The computer room has lockable windows for ventilation. Also, the computers will be covered after use to prevent dust which is the major cause of computer breakdown. 
11. How did you hear about Labdoo?:
--Search Engine (e.g. Google) X
--At local Conference,
--At online Conference,
--From other organizations/companies, X
--Facebook
--Instagram
--Other (please describe)
12. Picture(s) of the school, students, teacher, etc with this Request Form. Please send as file(s) (*): The picture will be uploaded to your project site
Pictures of the school and registration document of our organization are attached. By legality and in accordance to our statutes, we are eligible to run a school. However, we are also expected to get the school recognized by the state. The authorization of the school is in process – we have already submitted the file but it can take several months before it is signed.
***The solicitation of a Labdoo laptop request implies that, upon receiving the laptops, the recipient agrees with the "Labdoo Laptop Recipient Agreement".
Yes, we agree with the “Labdoo Laptop Recipient Agreement”

Organizational Background
Community Relief and Development Action (CORED) is a development driven, non-profit making and educational charity started in 2009 as an informal voluntary group. It was later constituted and registered on July 29, 2010 with registration No: 078/AR/G.42/162/AJPAS as a non-profit making association. 
Vision:
We envision a society in which everyone will have equal opportunities to thrive and live a fulfilled life – a society void of all forms of social injustices.
Mission:
Empowering and sustainably improving the living conditions of children, women, vulnerable youths and disadvantaged rural and indigenous forest communities in the South West English Speaking Region of Cameroon.
Objectives:
    • Undertake community development initiatives;
    • Advancement of quality education and training as a tool to development;
    • Promotion of livelihood initiatives for poverty alleviation and economic autonomy for the less privileged;
    • Environmental and nature protection activities;
    • Advancement of the rights of women, children and indigenous forest communities;
Area of Operation:
The organization’s geographical focus is the South West English speaking Region of Cameroon. South West Region is the marginalized English Speaking region which was colonized by Britain.
Sectors of Intervention:
Education and vocational training, community development, human rights, environment, water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) and the promotion of sustainable agriculture and livelihood initiatives for poverty alleviation and economic autonomy for the less privileged.
Target Groups/Communities:
Children - Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), women (more specifically single mothers & widows), disadvantaged youths, and indigenous forest and rural communities. Our inclusive and participatory approach to development drives our initiatives. Target groups and beneficiaries are at the pivot of our interventions. They are involved in project conception, implementation and evaluation.
Guiding principles and core values:
Inclusion and participation, good governance, fairness and equity, sustainable development, transparency, accountability, gender equality and equal opportunities for all regardless of age, religion, sex, race or tribe. 
Ongoing activities programs: 
Holistic and Inclusive Primary Educational Program for orphans and vulnerable Children:
In September 2016, we started in a rental home an educational program for orphans and vulnerable children blended with feeding and psychosocial support as part of our long term strategy for meeting the educational and social needs of vulnerable and underprivileged children in our communities. In particular, we work with orphaned and children displaced by the ongoing war and arm conflicts in the two English Speaking Regions of Cameroon.  In 2018/2019 we were able to construct a school and we are now running a full elementary and primary educational program from nursery 1 and 2 to the 6th grade. We offer an exceptional quality educational program in a socially inclusive environment and we have so far graduated 4batches at the 6th grade with performances far above the national average. Our current enrolment is 216.
Dance program
Within the framework of the holistic primary educational program, we run a dance program focusing on traditional dances. The dance program has been instrumental in providing emotional and psychosocial healing while reviving disappearing culture among children. 
School Feeding program  
Hunger is a serious threat to life and learning. We are providing daily school meals to all children in our primary school. The daily nourishment program is freeing children from the physical and psychological trauma associated with hunger, thus enabling them to focus on learning. The school feeding program which has been running for the past three school years has directly improved health and academic performance of children. 
Regenerative and Climate Smart Agricultural program
We have continued to engage peasant farming communities in adopting regenerative and climate smart agricultural techniques for food self-sufficiency, livelihood improvement and environment restoration. This program uses a novel farming approach of Inga-alley cropping in the cultivation of food and cash crops while restoring ecosystem and mitigating the impact of climate change. The program rejuvenates the soil and the natural environment and also results to high crop yields. 
Technical and Vocational School
Elementary and primary education is essential but not sufficient to build career paths which will guarantee a self-sustaining future. It breaks our heart that we are not able to provide higher grade education to OVC graduating from our primary school. In 2022, we started the construction of a technical and vocational school which will provide technical and entrepreneurial skills to children for job creation and financial autonomy especially at a time when the Cameroon public service is saturated and employment is difficult to come by. The school was opened in September 2023 and our current enrolment is 126 with more students expected in the coming years.