Project Launch:

Poor rural communities of El Salvador lack the resources and opportunities of their urban counterparts, especially in schools. There is a particularly large digital divide as many poor rural communities in El Salvador have not yet seen computers. In 2010, World Connect’s Kids to Kids Program provided $500 to start a small computer lab at a rural school in Caserio El Tizate in the Municipality of Joateca. The Peace Corps Volunteer and the Project Director provided computer classes to students in typing, drawing, and word processing and trained students in the proper use and maintenance of the machines. The students learned to type, write papers, conduct research, and paint. The Peace Core Volunteer told about a particularly excited young child who was fascinated by learning how to paint with a mouse. The Volunteer reported how this child’s eyes “lit up” when he learned to select a picture, select colors, erase, and produce a picture all in a few simple steps. The El Tizate School can now provide their students with the kind of computer experience that is essential today.