Our Mission:

The Marrakech, Morocco, SOS Village School for orphans was the site of an outreach program teaming some 20 technology specialists from Nortel with a local team that included the school's headmaster and students. The technology included eight fully functional computer systems with hardware and software and a five-way speaker system.

Nortel LearniT 21st century eLearning initiative

The Marrakech effort is reported in a first-hand account from Darryl Edwards, President, Nortel  Europe, Middle East, and Africa  region:

"I have just returned from doing a community project with approximately 20 volunteers from the EMEA COE trip.  We went to a school for orphans about 45 minutes outside of Marrakech.

The school is the SOS Village School for Children.  Following is a description of the school and the volunteers' experience, as reported by Darryl Edwards:

• This school cares for 106 children aged from a few months old up to the age of sixteen. They live in small houses on the school estate with "carer" mothers.
• We were very warmly greeted by the children and MD [the director] of the school (who was visibly loved by all of the children)...[This is] a real home environment which really touched the hearts of all the LearniT team volunteers. A number of the children were also actively engaged and were  willing helpers.
• We painted a room (twice), made computer tables and installed eight computers that were loaded with software and networked to a printer and imager by WiFi.
• We also provided an overhead projector and PlayStation 2 game machine.
• To finish the room, we put up the LearniT posters (in Arabic) so that they can get more information from our web site.

But--and very importantly--actually seeing LearniT being made real was the biggest thrill...especially when we showed the children the equipment and how to use it with some short, hands-on training:

• We formally presented the facility to the MD and children who were overjoyed and very emotional...as were the Nortel team members!!!
• The children then sang to us a very moving song about SOS school.
• It's difficult putting in an e-mail the feelings that the whole team left the school with.  Everyone was elated but somewhat sad at the same time. 
• I think that this is because such a little gesture by Nortel and some time from a few volunteers really made a huge impact on these children and will also impact the local community.
• The team all felt personal ownership and even handed out e-mail addresses to the children (who speak French and Arabic only) so as to further extend the relationship and contact with these wonderful loving children.
  

Whoever came up with the LearniT idea should be given a GOLD MEDAL.....

It's a brilliant idea that has captured the minds of employees and--most importantly--made it personal!! 

View a pictorial captioned slideshow (below) or a Flash video of the outreach events.  

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