Computer center opens doors for rural Guatemalans (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Computer center opens doors for rural Guatemalans
Maya Tech the mission of St. Francis parishioners

By Lenore Christopher
http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/tct/may0506/050506computer.html

DAYTON DEANERY — What started as a personal donation of some old
computers to the Guatemalan town of Nahualá has multiplied into a full
commitment to open doors of communication and education for the
residents of the Guatemalan town where Camilo Macario was born and
reared and where his wife, Karen, a former Peace Corps volunteer, once
lived.

[COURTESY PHOTOS
A man in the typical Mayan dress of Nahualá learns how to use a
computer.]

A key ingredient to this blossoming technological outreach that — in
less than two years — includes Guatemala’s first community computer
lab, a training center, Internet café, youth programs and a children’s
library, is gratitude.

It was Camilo’s gratitude for a scholarship, allowing him to study in
the United States and share his insight when he returned home, that
prompted his initial donation.

It was the community’s grateful response to that gift that encouraged
Camilo, aided by private donations, including a grant from his parish,
St. Francis of Assisi Church in Centerville, to expand the operation.

And, judging by the grateful requests for similar centers in adjacent
Guatemalan towns and, hopefully, with financial and spiritual support
from those who see the merits in his project, Camilo’s dream to, one
day, offer learning centers throughout Guatemala and Central America,
will become a reality.

The mission of Maya Tech Learning Centers Inc. is to provide computer
technology and education to Guatemala’s underserved communities. It was
officially founded as a non-profit corporation in the state of Ohio in
2004 and last year became a federally tax-exempt organization with a
voluntary board of directors and advisory council. Its first project is
the Centro de Computación Swan Tinamit, founded in 2004, in Nahualá. Its
name is derived from the town’s indigenous language, K’iche’, which
translates to "communal town," and refers to the community’s
involvement in maintenance and use of the center.

"The original idea was to give rural communities access to technology,"
Camilo said, because, on return visits, he and Karen observed the
growing "digital divide" between the indigenous people in rural
communities, 70 percent of whom are Mayan descendants, and those in the
larger cities, who have access to more resources. In 1992, for example,
he said, there were no computers in Nahualá.

So Camilo donated a few used computers. The gift generated such
interest, he knew it would not be enough.

Following additional college study in computer technology and moving his
family to the Dayton area, "I decided I wanted to do something more
substantial to help out the community," he said. Camilo and Karen, in
2003, personally financed the start of the Maya Tech Learning Centers
Inc.

[Curiosity and eagerness bring all ages to the Computer Center Swan
Tinamit.]

"We are calling this the pilot project," he said. "Once we get this one
set up and we think it will be self-sustainable in the future, it will
be time to open new centers." And, he said, the main center "and the
people from the smaller communities (who come to the center) will help
us grow."

The community computer lab and learning center opened a year later with
five computers, providing access for personal, school and business use.

The center relies heavily on free software, such as Open Office and
Linux. A group in Guatemala is translating the programs into different
languages, including K’iche’. "The idea is, why teach people to use a
computer if they can’t afford to use the products?" he said.

Camilo remembers thinking if 12 students signed up when the doors first
opened, "I’d be happy. A week later, we had 24," and the numbers have
been growing ever since. "They were all ages, from third-grade to
university students and teachers."

An Internet café at the center enables people to access the Web and
obtain and send emails in a community atmosphere.

The training center began with the start of the academic year in
January, offering a curriculum and classes on various levels of
computer operation. Seventy students are currently enrolled in the
classes that are accredited through the Guatemalan Ministry of
Education.

The center now has 12 computers, with the help of donations, including
five laptops from Lexis Nexis.

"The town has grown in the last 10 years," Camilo said, and there are
now banks, an attorney — more commerce that will use computers and
technology" and, therefore, a place where new job skills will be
needed. With a certificate, students will qualify for jobs in computer
operation.

"I hope the kids who come to the classes will feel a part of the center,
not just take classes and leave," he said. "I want to build a community
feeling — (so that people) feel it belongs to them."

The center, lab and café have been so successful that Maya Tech is
soliciting at least 30 new or slightly new functional computers and any
available software that can be donated. Additional computers, especially
laptops, will allow the center, lab and classes to operate
simultaneously. The cost of building a new computer in Guatemala is
approximately $450, he explained.

Checks may be made payable to Maya Tech Learning Centers Inc. and mailed
to P.O. Box 139, Bellbrook, Ohio 45305. All donations are tax
deductible, and board members are available for presentations. For
information, contact Camilo at camilo.m at mayatechlc.org.

Within the center is also an educational area equipped with books,
puzzles and educational games for family use. Youth activities,
including study groups, school newspaper and academic clubs, are also
available, all under the direction of the center’s program manager.

A children’s library is a work in progress, Camilo said. The hope is to
eventually expand the library to include reading material for all ages.

"Schools in general do not provide textbooks," he explained. "The main
idea is that a lot of the schools ask people to buy (particular) books,
and a lot of families can’t afford it. If we know what books they need,
we could buy a supply, and those who can’t afford the books can use it
at the center."

Maya Tech is supported by private monetary donations and is hoping to
spread the word of their pilot’s success so that people will want to
invest in the future of this and other centers.

"I know how it is (there). I have experienced it, those who are
marginalized and who do not have the opportunities," said Camilo. "Now
I know what I can do to help, even if it is a small thing. I think it
will make a difference."

"This is not just a charity for poor people in Guatemala," Karen
emphasized. "It is a social justice project and creating an awareness.

"We are constantly looking for funding opportunities," she said, as well
as ways to share their work and to connect with other people and groups
who have similar missions.

For the second year in a row, Camilo and Karen will represent Maya Tech
Learning Centers and Guatemala with a cultural display and booth at A
World A’Fair May 19-21 at the Dayton Convention Center. "We will be
selling various Guatemalan artisan products," said Karen.

Maya Tech was named "business of the month" by a local bank branch and
also offers Fair Trade, organic, Guatemalan coffee at $10 for a
one-pound foil bag. Proceeds support the computer center and small
coffee cooperatives in the rural areas of the country.

Maya Tech will also hold a fund-raising dinner at Benham’s Grove in
Centerville June 23 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45. For information on Maya
Tech Learning Centers Inc., access www.mayatechlc.org or email
learnmore at mayatechlc.org or call 937-654-0669.