Hole-in-the-Wall

Hole-in-the-Wall is an Indian initiative that gives disadvantaged kids (in rural India and now South Africa, Venezuela and Cambodia as well) free access to computers. Rather than wait for affordable technology (like the $100 laptop) to become available, the group just builds super sturdy computer workstations into outdoor walls which are remotely monitored and allow kids an unsupervised learning experience about computer technology and the internet. A recent article in Ode describes the experience:

Walking the streets of Madangir, I run into Ruvina, a 14-year-old girl with long braids who walks to the kiosk nearly every day. “I pushed buttons and just looked to see what happened. Sometimes another screen appeared and I learned as I went along. Now I read English texts too, which is something we hardly ever do in school.” Tarif, the same age, says he mainly looks at maps of different countries, which he memorizes.
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A lot of shouting and pushing among the kids can be expected. But the amazing part is that within hours the kids always find a way to organize themselves. An older child usually takes a leadership role and proclaims that it makes more sense to take turns using this new attraction because they simply can’t all work with it at once. And when it becomes clear that screaming disrupts the user’s concentration, the bystanders keep quiet.
Within a matter of days, the kids have established their own rules without any interference from adults—which is even more remarkable in a country where children are accustomed to strict rules and hierarchy at school and are not generally encouraged to be creative or take initiative.

Read the entire article here.

Learn more about Hole-in-the-Wall here.