Glenelg student raises funds, provides computer equipment for African village

September 23, 2:50 PMBaltimore Private Schools ExaminerMeredith Bower

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Baltimore Private Schools Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Glenelg student Ben Smith presents one of many computers to the village

It takes a child...

You've heard the expression "it takes a village to raise a child." This is a story about a child who is helping to raise a village. The child, Ben Smith is a junior at Glenelg Country School in Howard County; and the village, Vo Pedakondji, is a remote area of southeast Togo in Africa.

This past summer, working with sponsors, Ben traveled to Vo Pedakondji where he worked to establish an internet cyber café for the villagers. The idea for the project came out of a brainstorming session with his family about community service opportunities—a high school graduation requirement. What resulted was the desire to help a culture gain access to a resource he often took for granted—the computer.

Togo, which is twice the size of Maryland, has a population of more than 6 million people many of whom live in poor, rural areas without access to computers or the internet. Addressing this growing disparity, Ben worked to establish the Togo Internet Village Project.
 

A computer training course in Togo. Photos courtesy of Ben Smith

Togo Internet Cafe

From combined partnerships with local village schools and funding from charitable contributions, the initial phase of the project started in July with the creation of the first cyber café in the rural village. Ben spent his time in Vo Pedakondji not only setting up the café, but also teaching basic computer skills to more than 1000 children and adults. He presented additional computers to local schools, and subsequently trained administrators, teachers and students on how to use these new tools.

Ben says the experience made him realize how fortunate he is. He hopes that providing this kind of technology to the people of Vo Pedakondji will give them equal access to the resources of education and training that have always been readily available to him.

Ben's plans are to continue his efforts in Togo by raising funds for additional equipment. A "tag day" or school-wide fundraising day will be held at Glenelg Country School this fall and he is contacting businesses and friends asking for their support. To date he has raised $25,000 from private donations.

To learn more about the project, visit Ben's website www.togointernetvillage.org where he shares stories, photos, updates, and accepts donations for this cause. Ben plans to return to Vo Pedakondji next summer to check on the status of the project and to open another café.