CLAPS is a computer literacy and professional skills program.

As our first project we have entered into a partnership with CHILD in India which is an orphanage that provides several kids with the basic necessities to lead a normal life. They give the children an environment that is conducive to intellectual growth, enabling them to integrate into mainstream society. Digikids has teamed up with CHILD to implement a Computer Literacy and Professional Skills (CLAPS) Program in the Villivakkam School in Villivikkam. To find out more about the genesis of the project please see Our Story.

 

OUR GOAl

Our computer literacy program is designed solely for the purpose of giving everyone the opportunity to escape the clutches of poverty, and become a intellectually capable citizen of the world; through the medium of computer literacy. Our students will utilize their knowledge to make their own life changing decisions.

Computer literacy is a key aspect for a large majority of the jobs in this fast growing, technologically advanced world. Employers require intelligent and efficient workers that can utilize this technology to its greatest capability. An employee who can use a computer effectively, opens up a myriad of opportunities to his or herself. CLAPS enables any given student to effectively integrate into our technology based society.

THE NEED

Of the entire population of India, a mere 6-7 percent of people are computer literate. Moreover, the more rural regions of India tend to have poor infrastructure: lack of roadways, water supply, manpower availability, banking facilities, and most importantly, power and electricity. Due to a plethora of setbacks, students, and adults alike, are unable to gain access to computing technology.

In today's predominantly digital world, computer illiteracy is an overwhelming hindrance for those who don’t have access to much technology. The emphasis on computers in our day to day lives is greatly increasing. In order to keep up with our fast growing society, computer literacy is necessary. Nowadays computers have invaded almost all fields; therefore computer literacy assumes paramount importance to people of all walks of life. Teaching computer skills to children in school will motivate them to strive for success and reach for a higher level.

Government schools cater to the poorest sections of society. They have suffered from years of indifference to the dismal plight of schools. Unfortunately, most of these schools have poor infrastructure, a lack of teachers, and disproportional student to teacher ratios. Even if driven individuals seek intellectual growth, their financial limitations hold them back from, purchasing a computer, buying course material, etc. It is these limitations that lead to a digital divide: a disparity in access to technology.

After looking into this "digital divide" one comes across some unsettling statistics. There is approximately 350 million children within the age group of 5 and 19; and 70 percent of these children are enrolled in primary schools. However, the drop off rates are, unfortunately, very high: 53 percent of these children will drop out before primary school, and 90 percent will drop out before completing high school. Moreover, the statistics for girls are even more stark: 40 percent of girls in rural India will not complete the 4th grade, and only 1 percent will graduate from high school. All of this newly found knowledge that I had accumulated served as the catalyst for the CLAPS project. After realizing how prevalent this issue was, I decided that I wanted to do something to narrow the gap in access to technology.

WHY CHENNAI (VILLIVAKKAM)?

In the local community (Villivakkam), the residents face the full brunt of the problems listed above. During monsoon season the roads are flooded, power and electricity is expensive and hard to come by,  technology is almost nonexistent, and there are no future plans to repair the infrastructural damage in the area. Furthermore, the Government Girls HHS school in Villivakkam has been devastated by the recent flood in Chennai.

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This school was initially our target school for the pilot however due to delays in obtaining permissions and appropriate approvals from local government authorities, we will be conducting the pilot in another school: Sri Kanaga Durga Telgu Higher Secondary School. The CLAPS team got into full action to work on a plan-B which had originally started a month back, purely to de-risk the dependence on government school and its processes; we are very fortunate to have found the ‘Sri Kanaka Durga (SKD) Higher secondary school’, which is also located in Villivakkam hardly a mile away from the Girls school where we had planned to kick off the Pilot.

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Regardless, we will maintain our efforts to help the Government Girls HSS school, and once things are up and running we will implement the CLAPS program into their school as well.

While issues like these affect nearly all parts of India, we decided to start here, in Villivakkam, due to locality. As of now, the large majority of the CLAPS board and staff, are residents of Chennai. In order to make a difference nationwide, we have to start somewhere. After we achieve a sustainable and successful program here, the scalability of CLAPS will become our main focus.

The "I Support a girl" (ISAG) program

The CLAPS program will also be a part of the "I Support a Girl" (ISAG) program. This program is in affect to stop the stigmatization of girls in the areas of Chennai and Tiruvallur, India, due to their HIV positive parents.Currently, there are 12 girls that are being supported. For more information please visit their website here.

OUR OBJECTIVES

1. To provide computer literacy to minimum 500 children from government schools, per year

2. Raise awareness of the community as a whole about computer literacy and its importance

PROJECT OUTLINE

  • The Computer Literacy Program will launch in the Sri Kanaga Durga Telgu Higher Secondary School. for students grade 8-12 (as a pilot)
  • Future plans will be in response to the success of the pilot
  • Trained instructors will be appointed to educate students in computer literacy and basic hardware
  • The students will be taught several essential skills to finding a job; through the medium of a computer

THE RESULTS

  • Our Computer Literacy will equip the students with the necessary level of education to get any job that requires fundamental computer-based knowledge
  • Our CLAPS program will give students the fundamentals of computer knowledge that they can build on and reach greater heights of success
  • Our program will enable everyone in the surrounding community to be proactive and change their lives