FUNSEPA US

TECHNOLOGY FOR EDUCATION OUR GOAL IS TO HELP UNDERPRIVILEGED GUATEMALAN CHILDREN GAIN ACCESS TO COMPUTER EQUIPMENT AND INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THEIR LEARNING EXPERIENCE. TO DO THIS, WE RAISE MONEY THROUGH PRIVATE DONATIONS AND GRANTS AND THEN DONATE THESE FUNDS TO ORGANIZATIONS IN GUATEMALA THAT SHARE OUR GOALS AND MEET OUR STANDARDS. ONE SUCH ENTITY IS OUR SISTER ORGANIZATION, FUNSEPA GUATEMALA, WHICH HAS A SUCCESSFUL ELEVEN-YEAR HISTORY OF ENHANCING EDUCATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY IN THE GUATEMALAN NATION. WE USE VOLUNTEERS TO HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR THE ORGANIZATION. WE ALSO OVERSEE GRANT WRITERS WHO ARE IN CHARGE OF WRITING GRANT APPLICATIONS. A PORTION OF OUR TIME IS SPENT NURTURING EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH DONORS, SUCH AS WALMART, WHICH ALREADY HAS DONATED 1,731 COMPUTERS DIRECTLY TO FUNSEPA GUATEMALA, AND MICROSOFT CORP., WHICH PREVIOUSLY HAS GIVEN DIRECTLY TO FUNSEPA GUATEMALA IMPORTANT SOFTWARE CONTRIBUTIONS AS WELL AS A MILLION DOLLAR MONETARY MATCHING GRANT.

COMPUTERS FOR TEACHERS THE DELIVERY OF COMPUTERS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS SHOWN US THAT KIDS HAVE AN INATE TALENT THAT ALLOWS THEM TO LEARN NEW TECHNOLOGIES. BUT HOW CAN A TEACHER GIVE LESSONS ON COMPUTER- RELATED SUBJECTS IF HE OR SHE DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER OF THEIR OWN? TRAINING AND COURSES MAY HELP PROVIDE BASIC KNOWLEDGE, BUT WE CAN ONLY BECOME EXPERTS THROUGH PRACTICE. IT WAS WITH THIS IN MIND THAT, IN 2007, THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION LAUNCHED THE "EXPANDING FUTURES" PROJECT, WHICH ALLOWS PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AND OFFICIAL INSTITUTIONS TO OBTAIN COMPUTERS AT A LOW-COST THROUGH AN ACCESSIBLE FINANCIAL PLAN . WITH THE HELP MICROSOFT AND FUNSEPA, SOME 57,000 TEACHERS HAVE OBTAINED COMPUTERS. THAT'S 70% OF ALL PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS! GIVEN THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT, A NEW PROGRAM IS BEING LAUNCHED TO GIVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHERS.