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A new twist on training [2015-01-02]

The countdown to the 2015 projects continues, and we are excited that we will soon be back in the schools to set up more Reneal IEO low-cost computer systems!  During the holiday break, we’ve been addressing one of our key mission elements, teacher training.  The Reneal IEO computer system is packed full of resources for students and teachers: educational programs, on-line research material, videos, and administrative tools.  However finding the time for more than just some basic orientation training for the teachers is always a challenge; plus, there is only so much content that a person can absorb at a time!  Thus we have been searching for a way to provide on-going training support to schools after we leave the system in their hands.

Christmas fun [2014-12-26]

Whenever we finish an installation of a computer system at a school, we ask the school head and IT teacher to sign a document acknowledging receipt of the equipment and affirming that the lab will be used for the education of students and teachers.  The document includes an itemized list of the equipment, all the way down to the cable clips that hold the wiring in place.  Yesterday being Christmas, I was sitting around trying to fit this list of equipment to build a Reneal IEO computer lab into the tune for “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.  It turns out the required quantities really don’t match the song at all, but it was fun nonetheless!

Printing the list [2014-12-19]

We are now less than three weeks away from our departure to the Philippines to begin our 2015 projects.  Just this morning I printed out our packing list.  The longest section of the list is devoted to the Reneal “green bag” that holds tools, extra cables, screws, connectors, clamps, and other miscellaneous gear needed to install a computer lab.  Thankfully all of the computer equipment has either been shipped already or will be purchased there in Cebu, so we do not have to face the traveling challenges of Tanzania with ten pieces of checked luggage! 

It takes a team [2014-12-12]

2014 has been a year of significant growth for Reneal IEO.  Partially that is due to Neal’s continued efforts to make the low-cost computer system more and more turn-key.  However the main reason is that we now have fantastic in-country partners working with us.  They help to facilitate the entire process, from identifying candidate schools to coordinating travel to installing the labs and finally to long-term support and maintenance.  They have been “force multipliers” to make many more Reneal IEO projects possible.

2015 comes together [2014-12-07]

The Reneal IEO Board of Directors met yesterday.  We are so pleased to welcome Justin Thompson to the board!  Justin has a background in business, with experience both in a large technology company as well as a small locally-owned corporation.  The Reneal IEO board plays a vital role in advising, motivating, innovating, and oversight – we are so thankful for their support and effort.

Thanksgiving [2014-11-27]

Reneal IEO is truly giving thanks today for a recent donation of laptop computers!  This donation from a Bay Area corporation will make several new projects possible in 2015.  We are also packing up the last batch of equipment that we received in September for shipment to the Philippines.  This coming week our intern Jade will be visiting the five 2015 schools in the Philippines to coordinate schedules and make sure they are ready for our arrival.  The countdown to 2015 Philippines continues!

Hands together [2014-11-21]

The Reneal IEO corporate logo, designed by Michael Martinez (son of board member Sharon Fingold), features many hands reaching together toward a computer monitor.  Those hands to us represent many things: most obviously of course the students and teachers we serve, but also the generous donors that make Reneal IEO projects possible.  But one other wonderfully satisfying experience has been the development of our teams in the Philippines and Tanzania who work with us to install and maintain the Reneal IEO computer labs.  I am so pleased to report that in Tanzania the collaboration agreement with Reneal IEO, Arusha Node Marie, Habari Node Ltd, and the Arusha District Council has been signed.  This will aid us greatly in providing “on the ground” support throughout the year to schools in Arusha with the Reneal IEO system.

Follow-up [2014-11-15]

Neal and I are back in California again, catching up on sleep and deferred home tasks.  We also both have long lists of action items to tackle, from the Tanzania trip behind and for the Philippines trip ahead.  Each Reneal IEO trip brings lessons-learned and ideas for improvements, so it’s an exciting time for us to make strides in operations and systems that will benefit the students and teachers that we serve.  We are also hunting for resources already for the 2015 Tanzania projects.  Shipping costs to Tanzania dictate that we use laptops as clients in the low-cost computer system, so we are in need of a large quantity of used laptops to build new computer labs and address any hardware attrition at existing labs.  This will all make for a busy two months before we leave for Cebu in January!

Making the rounds [2014-11-08]

Our last week in Tanzania was filled mainly with follow-up visits at the schools in the Arusha area with the Reneal IEO system: Mukulat Secondary School, Mlangarini Secondary School, Mwandet Secondary School, and Ilkding’a Secondary School.  Neal made some final updates, include adding some health videos that we obtained from another U.S. non-profit, Empower Tanzania (http://www.empowertz.org/).  And finally, we completed negotiations with Arusha Node Marie, Habari Node Ltd, Reneal IEO, and the Arusha District Council for a collaboration agreement.  As we flew out of Kilimanjaro International Airport last evening, we felt true satisfaction for the 2014 projects in Tanzania.

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