Championed by Patti Garamendi (Mettu 66–68) and Faith Garamendi
This RPCV Legacy Program project has joined in the efforts of the Ethiopia-approved NGO Alumni Association of St. Gabriel School in Mettu, Ethiopia, along with parents and community members, to bring computer literacy and enhanced learning to the students of this primary-middle school through a project entitled “Enhancing the Quality of Education Through ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Labs at St. Gabriel Primary School.”
The long-term goals of the team are to:
- Set up, in existing space, a computer lab that will be furnished with 20 computers, appropriate furnishings, and necessary wiring.
- Provide computer literacy training to the school's 25–30 faculty members.
- Assure that the faculty members are capable of designing curriculum and teaching students and community members using computers and the Internet in their own areas of study.
- Provide enhanced educational opportunities for the students and citizens of Mettu.
Patti and Faith’s RPCV Legacy Program project has established an initial goal to raise $10,000 for the purchase of 20 computers, and 20 desks and chairs for the workstations in the ITC Lab.
Patti's April 2020 update:
“Through the past 8 years thanks to your support we have sustained the lab and given the students in this very poor school the opportunity to compete to further their education.
I visited the lab last summer and was proud of what the students have achieved and how well they care for the computers. They wanted their Peace Corps supporters to know how much they appreciate the opportunity to see the world beyond Mettu. As the Peace Corps was evacuated from
Ethiopia this month they wanted you to know that they will be the volunteers and keep the projects going until our return.”
See also: Garamendi Information and Communication Technologies Lab
Faith Garamendi Bardet with Mettu Lab Students
Patti Garamendi in Metu in 1966
Return to Mettu, 2012
To support the ITC Lab in Mettu . . .
. . . you can send a check to:
Ethiopia & Eritrea RPCVs
c/o Randy Marcus
1634 Martha Terrace
Rockville MD 20852-4134
Make out your check to "Ethiopia & Eritrea RPCVs," and in the subject line enter "Mettu ITC Lab." Include your email for tax receipt.