Building Hope Through Computer Labs

This is an excerpt from a piece originally posted on Endless OS Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to designing and delivering tools that give people access to and control over their technology.

Imagine teaching computer science without a single computer in the classroom. Writing the words “mouse” and “keyboard” on a chalkboard. Drawing a picture of a monitor. In many parts of Haiti, this is a reality. Teachers recognize computer literacy skills are critical for their students’ futures—even if the kids have never seen one—but don’t have access to the essential tools and programs they seek to describe. 

In 2014, Hope for Haiti and Endless OS Foundation set out to change this. Hope for Haiti, a nonprofit organization primarily focused on improving quality of life for Haitian people, particularly women and children, is a global network of individuals, foundations and corporations that believe positive change in Haiti is possible, despite the myriad of challenges its communities face. Hope for Haiti staff are in rural schools every day ensuring that kids have access to healthcare, nutritious meals, and now, computer labs full of educational content that can be accessed without internet. Hope for Haiti works in 24 different schools, reaching 6,500 school children through a network of 347 educators.

At Endless OS, we want all learners to have access to safe, curiosity-based learning experiences, regardless of their connectivity status and where they are in the world. We believe that access to personal computing is critical for productivity, learning and job skills. We have dedicated the last 10 years to designing and delivering an operating system and tools that give people access to and control over their technology. With our tools for productivity, creativity, and learning through play and discovery, we help people of all backgrounds engage in the digital economy on more meaningful terms.

The Partnership

In 2015, Endless and Hope for Haiti partnered to expand access and bring 1,000 laptops to computer labs in 47 rural schools and community centers in Haiti. Some of these schools were so remote that the Hope for Haiti team hiked three hours on mountain footpaths. Parents helped, hoisting solar panels, computers, and software. Community members brought donkeys and strapped batteries to their backs.

47 computer labs have been built, each with an average of 15 computers, and as part of the deployment, each school also received computer literacy training for teachers. The computers feature Endless OS and were preloaded with hundreds of learning and discovery applications, which can be used regardless of internet connectivity. At the time of the deployment, Haiti was still recovering from the catastrophic earthquake of 2010, which displaced millions and destroyed infrastructure across the country. In 2021, the country faced another devastating earthquake that destroyed many of this partnership’s computer labs. 

The organization has been focused on rebuilding, and there have been positive outcomes despite the ongoing challenges: Enrollment at schools with labs is increasing, showing that parents are finding greater value in schools with labs. And students at those schools have higher graduation rates and more engagement. Students at Hope for Haiti schools have 85% fundamental school promotion rate (6th grade test results), and 84% of Philo (last grade level in secondary school) students pass their national exams.

Computer Labs

With the computer labs and extensive suite of offline apps on Endless OS, schools unlock the opportunity for youth to learn about things that are not being taught in the classroom, and see the world beyond what they know. 

One of the key challenges for inspiring Haiti’s youth is that people can’t be curious about how technology works without seeing it. James Declerus, a Hope for Haiti teacher, found that 90% of kids in his community didn’t know what a computer was: “To be curious to know what is inside of a smartphone or how a car or how a computer works, you need to see the device say oh, I did not know that before, so let me go to see how it works. But if [you’ve never seen] a computer, you can’t be curious about it.” 

At some point, James decided it was important to share his love for computer science with his community. He says, “A computer connected to the Internet is a life-changing opportunity. It’s a [path to] University, it can create jobs.” Many high school students in Haiti will fall behind without computer literacy skills. Giving them the opportunity to learn at an early age increases their ability to connect, learn, and join the modern day workforce.

A Brighter Haiti

The apps on the Endless OS allow kids to explore resources in a safe way, from word processing to browsing encyclopedias online. They’re supporting computer literacy in real time, teaching the different parts of both software and hardware, and building understanding of how computers really work. Games that support programming skills are helping prepare the next generation to use technology for “a brighter Haiti.”

And besides, it’s fun: there was a typing game on the Endless OS that the kids enjoyed so much that when James would try to transition to a new topic, the students would offer to bring him cookies just to play a little longer. (Usually, it worked). 

The engaging content is key: a lot of times, basic education in developing countries becomes rote, and it’s easy for creativity to get stifled. What these students need is content that “inspires creativity and … enables and challenges students to be more creative in their thinking,” says Skyler.

Sustainable Growth

Each of the 45 schools that have new computer labs also received training for teachers, on both Endless OS and Windows. Importantly, the training is in Haitian Creole, which is the language the students will learn in. 

The training isn’t just a one-time event: Hope for Haiti builds communities of learning, supporting teachers long after the lab is built. Many of the teachers have never used a computer before, but all are willing to learn - and show other teachers how to do it too. These collaborations support the development of a sustainable network, one where teachers, students, and Hope for Haiti work together to support the next generation.

Looking Forward 

Haiti is going through a difficult time right now. And even with the hard work of this partnership, there are still barriers to digital access: the economic structure limits spending, and there is no public policy that encourages or supports schools to build and maintain computer labs. Most schools don’t even have the means to teach the basics of education, let alone technology. 

With these challenges, people ask, “is there still hope for Haiti?” 

And emphatically, Hope for Haiti says yes. If you look at it day to day, in the short term, it’s easy to say things haven’t gotten better. But we know what expanding access to education means for long-term social and economic growth. 

When you’re able to find examples of sustained long-term development, we can always find instances where there are pockets of hope and examples of where things are better. 

Those interested in helping to further this work can make a contribution or contact Taylor Hebble.