Computer Class, Improved

When a PCV first arrives at site, to put it bluntly he or she has little idea about what the $%*# is going on.  After only 3 months of language training, communication is still an issue.  Then you're uprooted and dropped in a completely new community with a new host-family and a new workplace.  It's almost unheard of that said workplace will have a perfect (or even a semblance of a) workplan drawn up.  For the most part, your co-workers don't know what you're capable of or supposed to do and frankly, neither do you.  It's important for PCVs to find something that both fills a community need and is something that they like to do and can do well.  In my own humble opinion, this takes about 3-6 months to figure out.

Good news: I think I've figured it out.  From observations in our schools and offices, I've found that adults and (to a lesser degree) children are severely lacking in computer skills.  There are actually fairly decent computers available in my village, but there has never been anyone to teach people what they really need to know - typing, Word, Excel, and Internet.  Instead, the schools concentrate on programming language, which I fear at most only 1% of the graduates will actually use.  Combine this need with my knowledge and the recently discovered internet cafe in the village (which has only one computer with dial-up, but 8 good computers), and I've got myself a project.

Originally, I was teaching in the school's computer room, but the computers there proved too old and prone to crash to really make the class worthwhile.  But at the local internet cafe, things are really humming along.  I've held two 1-hour classes there for an 8-person group, all teachers.  Next week I'll add another group of 8, and the following week another.  There's really no limit to how many of these I could do, and once kids are out of school in the summer this would be a worthwhile thing for them to do.  I'm shooting for at least 5 classes.

The course is not free, but I managed to get the typical 5 lei hourly rate down to 3 lei (20 cents) by explaining to the owner that I'm bringing him all kinds of new business - adults.  I feel good about pumping money into the local economy, especially a business run so well by its young and knowledgeable owner Vitalik.  At the same time it increases the incentive and commitment of my students - they have to pay the entire sum for my 20-hour course up front and basically forfeit the money for any classes they miss.  Most if not all can afford this, and if not they can pay in the installment plan.