A group of Havergal Senior School students, accompanied by Ms. Ina Szekely and Ms. Lois Rowe, went on an excursion to South Africa in August 2012 as a part of the Institute's Global Experience Program. They spent the first two weeks at two of the Nurturing Orphans with AIDS Humanity (NOAH) Arks, a place where children affected by the AIDS pandemic can find support. Founded by Havergal Old Girl Nicky Potter (class of 1991), NOAH’s objective is to help the staggering number of children orphaned by AIDS in South Africa to mature into emotionally and psychologically stable adults. The goal is to help them learn to form lasting and loving relationships, grow to be nurturing parents to their own children and become responsible citizens of South Africa.
At the Arks, the Havergal group was busy teaching English and games to the orphans, learning Zulu and implementing the One Child Per Laptop program, a project that began in August 2011. The group from Havergal worked with the children and their laptops on gaining new computer skills and learning to use the Scratch program.
One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is a global program with the goal to provide each child in an underdeveloped country with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop. The OLPC group has designed hardware, content and software for collaborative, joyful and self-empowered learning. With access to this type of tool, children are engaged in their own education, and learn, share and create together. They become connected to each other, to the world and to a brighter future.
After completing their OLPC program work at the Arks, the Havergal group spent the last week of their trip seeing the sights and animals of Cape Town and the region. “We had a wonderful, full and rich three weeks in South Africa!” exclaimed Lois Rowe of their Global Experience excursion.
To read more about this and other Global Experience excursions, visit our Excursion Blog at www.havergal.on.ca/excursionblog
