By Inji Kim and Sangho Suh
Technology is making it easier than ever for us to communicate with people all over the world. But is this enriching our lives or is this having a negative impact on our lives?
We are Sangho and Inji, graduate students at the University of Waterloo in Canada and Seoul National University in South Korea. We are working on a project that utilizes technology to enrich the lives of children in Africa and elderly in North America. We would like to share our journey and introduce our service in the hope that you will keep us in your prayers, and even better, join us in impacting the lives of the children in Africa as teachers and mentors for these children.
Our journey started from the mission trips we have gone on to several countries in Africa, such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, and Burundi. The missionaries we met during our trips were serving these communities by operating local schools, among many other things. Since education is the key to overcoming poverty for these children, the missionaries were keen on providing them with the best possible education. They were especially interested in English education because in these countries English is essential for these children to pursue further studies or find jobs.
While pursuing her graduate studies in the U.S., Inji learned about the loneliness and social isolation affecting the retired elderly, as well as how the opportunity to bond with children can help the elderly overcome these problems (“Hidden in Plain Sight: How Intergenerational Relationships Can Transform Our Future,” 2017).
These experiences have led us to contemplate the possibility of building a platform that would connect these children in Africa and elders in North America, so that children can have opportunities to learn English from elders and elders can actively engage in meaningful activities that would help them overcome loneliness and social isolation.
Since September last year, we have been working towards realizing this idea by (1) visiting the schools in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, (2) testing the internet infrastructure in Africa as well as the quality of video chat between these schools and the eastern part of Canada, (3) conducting field surveys, teacher interviews, and research in the schools in Africa, and (4) developing the “Gible” system and contents that will enable video chat and continued learning for these students.
The first field test for service will take place at Hanbyul school (Elementary / Middle School) in Dilla, Ethiopia with its students. We chose Hanbyul School because the infrastructure — that is, computers, classroom and so on — is ready, and the school’s principal is eager to adopt the service in their after-school program. The after-school class takes place after 5:00 pm, which is 10:00 am here in eastern Canada. It fits nicely with the free time or volunteer activity time in the retirement communities.
With all that said, we are looking for volunteer elderly teachers who can be a positive influence in the lives of these children! Please join us on our journey and keep us in your prayers!
Donation: https://www.gofundme.com/help-us-make-impactful-connections
Follow our journey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pluscope_gible
For more information, Contact us at pluscope410@gmail.com or go to www.pluscope.com (homepage) & www.gibleworld.com (beta service)