Our first graduating class!

March 26th, 2017

As of today, our fist class has officially graduated from the first CLAPS program! Everything ran smoothly; the kids presentation was great and the ceremony was very well received. I was not able to attend the event in person so I created a short video to express my gratitude to all of the students for being a part of this journey that will continue for the years to come. Seeing how grateful the kids were for the CLAPS program was truly heartwarming and I couldn't be happier for the kids. Knowing that all of these kids will see a better future due to this program illicit an indescribable feeling. I wish all of the graduating students the best in their future aspirations and I can't wait to see even more kids benefit from CLAPS!

The kids put together a short video to express their gratitude for the CLAPS program, glad to see all the work has paid off!

I am happy to announce that we have already begun to work towards helping a second girls school. The Braun Corporation kindly donated enough computers to make this happen. More details to come on the near future.

A minor obstacle.

November 5th, 2016

According to the feedback we have received from the teacher and the team, we are not able to ascertain whether the language-gap is or isn't a deterrent to learning for the Telugu medium children. However, we will fix the issue with haste. We will most likely get a Telugu teacher to shadow the class for a few days to identify and fix the problem. Aside from that we have begun to consider searching for one more instructor to lighten the workload on our current teacher. Aside from that the classes are going well.

Side Note: As of about 2 weeks ago, we have enough equipment to accommodate around 30 kids per class.

The first class!

October 13th, 2016

After a successful inauguration on October 6th, we have begun our first class in the SKD higher secondary school! This class is hopefully the beginning of hundreds or thousands of classes. CLAPS went from an idea to reality in about a year and a half's time. It's all thanks to the wonderful CLAPS team and all of the donors! I hope for a long and successful future for the CLAPS program, for CHILD, and for DigiKids! Here are some pictures of the first class:

A very brief update...a minor change in plans.

September 9th, 2016

We have changed the official inauguration date to October 6th. We have done so because October 2nd (the original start date) is a holiday and the staff would not be able to attend! Aside from this minor change the refurbishing is going well, and we are a few weeks away from the beginning of CLAPS!

The CLAPS pilot is approaching.

August 21, 2016

Just 4 days ago, we had an orientation with the students in SKD higher secondary school! Our team introduced the computer literacy program to 8th and 9th grade students in the form of an introductory class. It was clear that the students were excited. They all exhibited a clear sense of eagerness and urge to learn more about the operations of a computer. The future is looking bright! Lastly, the 10-12th graders will be learning just the major concepts (these students need to concentrate on their public exam).

We have decided on an official start date of October 2nd. We have decided on a room where the program will take place. However, we need to refurbish the room: painting, installing AC units, etc. Aside from that we are well on our way. A quick side note: after the CLAPS pilot our second school will likely be the Singaram Pillai School.

Here are a few pictures of the CLAPS pilot classroom in its current state:

A change of location...We are ready to accept contributions!

August 15, 2016

CAF America has finished their audit on the CHILD organization. We are finally ready to accept funds for US donors!

Moreover, the location of our pilot program has been changed. Unfortunately, we will not be able to launch the pilot in our original target school: Government Girls HSS. Due to delays in obtaining permissions and appropriate approvals from local government authorities, we will conduct the CLAPS pilot in another school. After securing a spot for CLAPS in Government Girls HSS 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. The management and faculty of SKD have been extremely supportive of CLAPS. The school houses children from even poorer backgrounds than the ones we had planned to work with at the Girls school, and has an almost 50:50 boys:girl ratio. The Board of SKD a private trust, has given us all the necessary permissions and the CLAPS team is working with the school to setup the computer lab and also build in CLAPS into their school curriculum. Regardless, we will maintain our efforts to help the Government Girls HSS now and in the future. If the pilot succeeds in KSD, then the implementation of CLAPS in the Government Girls HSS will become a priority.

Things are picking up.

May 28, 2016

After several weeks of looking, our team came across a school in which we could implement the CLAPS program (Villivakkam School). However, before doing so, we had to scout for teachers, and conduct several interviews. We have finally narrowed it down to 5 teachers. After a few demo classes, which will be held in the CHILD orphanage, we will decide which teachers will be teaching at the Villivakkam School. After weeks of tireless preparation, the initial phases of CLAPS will begin shortly!