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Fakamalu 'o Latufuipeka Youth

Introduction to the WDYHCC

Speech by Princess Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho

Continued Support

About the Author and Project Coordinator

 

 

Introduction to the Western District Youth Hall And Computer Center

By Paul W. Neville, Project Founder

 

The Western District Youth Hall and Computer Center (WDYHCC) of Kolovai project was conceptualized in August 2000 as an effort to pursue technological progress and communication, two of the most common themes of development in today’s world.  The WDYHCC was devised in order to introduce the benefits of computer technology, to promote interaction between individual Youth groups, and to serve as a launching pad for future youth or technology based projects.  Kolovai was chosen as the appropriate location to launch the WDYHCC because of its central placement in the Western District, the contribution of a facility to house the project, and the enthusiastic support of key village officials and the village’s youth.

The WDYHCC formally opened on the 12th of May 2001.  The celebration was well attended by Western District community representatives and officials.  Speeches were made by Paul Neville, the residing Peace Corps in Kolovai, Teodoro Guambana, Country Director of the U.S. Peace Corps, and Her Royal Highness Princess Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho.  The event was covered on television, newspaper, and radio media.

The Computer Center currently hosts seven fully equipped computer workstations, one server computer, a color printer, a scanner, a CD-rewriter, and a digital camera.  The Center was constructed with the initial capacity of nine computers, but can be upgraded further if demand persists and funding is available.  Four supervisors currently facilitate the Center: Paul Neville, ‘Elisepa Kali (of Kolovai), Jose Valu (of Kolovai), and ‘Malia Fanua (of Fahefa).

In July 2001, the WDYHCC was connected to the Internet.  Access is currently based on dial-up service, but there are negations with the Tonga Telecommunication Corporation to connect via a dedicated, wireless Internet line.  The Internet has been utilized to pursue employment, academic, communication, electronic commerce, and income generating endeavors.

The Center provides weekly two-hour “Introduction to the Internet” seminars.   These sessions boost the skill capacities of students while fostering their desire for continued learning.  The Center also provides a facility to manage income generation projects based on Internet usage and E-commerce.  Finally, through Internet accessibility, local users are able to open and explore the cross-cultural gates of correspondence to the international community with church, women, and youth groups, and other non-profit organizations. 

The 11th “Introduction to Computers” class began on March 5, 2002.  The current instructors are Malia Fanua and her sister as the assistant, Telesia Fakava.  Daytime and evening classes are offered adhering to a schedule of two-hour sessions, twice a week over four weeks for a total of 16 hours.  Upon completion of the course each student receives a Certificate from the Western District Computer Center.  While enrolled students have free access to the Computer Center during Open Lab hours (not including Internet).  The price of the class is TP$20 and includes a copy of Class Outline and Exercises and a Student Identification Card.  To date, forty-nine students have taken the class.

Resources are being compiled that will contribute to additional courses at the WDYHCC including Intermediate Computer Operations (specializing in specific software programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Publisher), Advanced Computer Operations (further detailing specific software applications and introducing computer and network configuration), Small Business Management, and Internet Navigation.  Classes are targeted towards the youth, but do accept non-youth if space permits.

In addition to the Computer Center, the Western District Youth Hall provides a central location for resource management and information sharing along with youth-based project organization and facilitation.  The goal of the Youth Hall is to increase communication and thus cohesion among local youth groups of the Western District while creating and expanding opportunities for the youth to communicate with outside parties.  The final result of this is reflected in the overall increased productivity and awareness of life skills among the youth of Tongatapu’s Western District.

The Western District Youth Hall and Computer Center was conceived and implemented by the local community and youth group (known as Fakamalu ‘o Latu Fuipeka) of Kolovai in conjunction with the residing Peace Corps Volunteer.  Those who have shown complete support for the project include the Tongan National Youth Council; the Town Officer of Kolovai, ‘Alaipulotu Pahulu; the Town Committee of Kolovai; the Western District Officer, Masima Sefes; Drew Havea and Teodoro Guambana of the U.S. Peace Corps; the Prime Minister of Tonga, His Royal Highness Prince ‘Ulukalala Lavaka Ata; and Her Royal Highness Princess Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho.

 

Overall goal of this project:

To achieve increased productivity, employability, and awareness of life skills among the Youth of Tongatapu’s Western District through the promotion of computer technology competency and effective communication.

 

Specific Objective Outputs:

Youth Hall:

Computer Center:

 

Applications of the Youth Hall:

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Speech by Princess Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho:

The Opening of the Western District Youth Hall and Computer Center: May 12, 2001

 

The Country Director of Peace Corps,

President Of Kolovai Youth Group,

Paul, Peace Corps of Kolovai

Ladies, Gentlemen and friends:

 

According to the most up-to-date studies in social development, the best aid is aid which makes people independent, not dependent.  It is aid, which helps people help themselves.  I would like to thank the US Peace Corps for promoting the idea of village computer centers.  Thank you, Paul, for embracing this project and making it a reality in Hihifo [the Western District of Tongatapu].  It is truly a project that will help Hihifo be more independent.  Now it is up to each of us to use it to our own benefit.

There are probably many people here today who ten years ago had never seen a computer.  During the past decade the supermarkets and business in town have replaced their cash registers with computers.  Government and private offices have replaced typewriters and a multitude of forms with computers.  Computers have reduced the workload and increased the efficiency throughout industry, commerce and even in Christian Ministries throughout Tonga.  Our government and schools are encouraging our young people to become computer literate. In today’s world computer skills are becoming a necessity rather than a choice.

How will we benefit from a computer Center in Hihifo? Firstly our benefit from directly.  The Center will be available for them to do their assignments.  A growing number of schools are requiring many of the research projects to be typed on computer.  Presently, many students are paying up to $25 per paper for someone else to type it.

Although many of our youth have computer skills, they still don’t have a computer available to them.  Through this Center they will be available to them. Through this Center they will be able to do their research and print their papers, including their own tables and graphs.  Just a little warning, please remember, youth, there are only five computers at the moment.  You can’t all wait until the night before a paper is due and expect to have an available computer waiting for you.

Our children will also benefit indirectly because their teachers will be able to produce notes, assignments and tests for their classes. Having handouts ready for the class will enable our Hihifo teachers to spend more class time actually teaching.

Secondly the men will benefit.  Your letters, business cards and contracts can all be typed professionally in either English or Tongan.  You can even print advertisements, if you wish.

Thirdly, we women will benefit.  We will be able to print newsletters, brochures, minutes of meeting, agendas, invitations and programmers, we can print whatever materials we need for the family, church or community.

This computer Center has the potential of benefiting everyone in the village, both young and old alike, it can save you time and money.  By Email, communication through the computer is much faster than the post office and much cheaper than the telephone.

During the next ten years I believe we will be amazed at the new uses for computers.  Perhaps some of these new ideas might come from Hihifo, like possibly a children’s storybook or a program for writing Tongan music notation.

Through the computer our children and we will be able to connect into a world of knowledge. Our new Hihifo computer Center brings the world to our fingertips.

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Continued Support at the WDYHCC

Paul W. Neville, September 21 2001

From my experience as the project advisor for the Western District Youth Hall and Computer Center, I recommend to those considering implementing a project of this magnitude to consider stationing a consulting volunteer for a minimum of two years once the project has commenced (post-funding and construction).  I wrote the following to outline the reasons why a replacement volunteer of at least one more year would best contribute to the sustainable success of the WDYHCC based on experiences accumulated hitherto.

 I understand that the idea of the Peace Corps is to have volunteers assist the initiation of projects that benefit the well being of host country nationals, thus increasing local standard of living.  This has been my primary objective since the beginning of my service.  However, after being involved in the implementation of the WDYHCC and other local projects, I have come to realize that a project of this extent will require more than the allotted two years of a standard Peace Corps service to fulfill the ultimate goal of local-run self-sufficiency and long-term sustainability.  The reasons for this are complex, numerous, and interrelated.  I will attempt to describe them here.

 Most significant factors justifying a replacement Peace Corps Volunteer:

 

The difficult task of implementing the computer technology

I write this a full six months before the end of my service.  The Center opened a full four months ago.  Some people might suggest that ten months would be enough time to assure that the operations of such a project as the WDYHCC could be firmly established and run smoothly.  I certainly would have agreed to this before I dove into the project, but now I have a different line of thinking.  As I write this in late September I am concurrently working on reinstalling the software of each computer.  Yesterday, amidst an already busy schedule, a deadly virus called Nimda was downloaded off the Internet.  It infected the Server, which in turn infected the other computers.  Classes have been canceled and the Center is closed, hopefully temporarily.  Weeks worth of work were lost since the last document backup.  Currently, I am receiving errors in my attempts to re-install the Server software.  Next week we will learn the process of ghosting, which allows one computer to clone itself enabling all client computers to have uniform installation.

While this has been about the worst situation that could happen, apart from the physical destruction of computer hardware, its occurrence does not come to me as a shock.  For four months there has been challenge after difficulty after problem.  Many times it feels as if not a single thing has gone right since the power buttons were first pressed.  I realize that some of this was due to my relative inexperience with running a computer center, but I am convinced that this Computer Center has been shrouded by bad luck as well.

Hopefully, all the past mistakes and failures will allow starting from scratch to be a smooth operation.  I have come to accept that implementing this project has not been and will continue not to be a simple task.  Most likely, establishing operations of this Center will continue to consume enormous amounts of time and energy well beyond the end of my service.  It should be noted that during the process of developing an effective program, instructions to all technical operations and troubleshooting procedures are being well documented to ensure sustainability.  Though a strenuous process at the time being, the end result will surely be of great benefit to Tonga.

[Note, written two weeks later:  The Computer Center has been cleansed of the Nimda virus and software has been sufficiently re-installed.  All classes have resumed, and the project shall go on.] 

 

Sufficiently training local administrators

I believe what was said in the previous section is implicative of the reasons requiring significant training for local supervisors to run this project self-sufficiently.  I personally spent plenty of time on computers before the Peace Corps and I took a couple computer courses in University.  Yet, I still felt ample ignorance when it came setting up a server-run, networked computer center.  I have spent months training myself, and here I am this far into it with the Center shut down.

We have three local supervisors, Jose Valu, ‘Elisepa Kali, and ‘Emalata Kali.  I have spent considerable time training them basics of computing and the operations management of the WDYHCC.  The networking and accounting is currently facilitated only by me.  I am adhering to the idea that I should perfect these systems before teaching them to the others.

Finding the supervisors was not an easy task.  It was a two months before I identified anyone suitable for the job.  It is a constant effort to keep the supervisors motivated, on time, and trustworthy.  They have agreed to work without pay (aside from free Internet and computer use), but eventually I predict they will lose motivation without financial incentive.

The local culture deserves discussion on the matter of employees.  I have been nonchalant about concerns of abused privilege because I have come to understand that such things are expected.  In most Western cultures breaking or bending the rules and tardiness is shunned, but Tonga relies on a less pedantic value system.  Resolutions of these matters are difficult.  Also, I must be careful not to discourage employees by reprimanding them too harshly for inappropriate behavior since the Center cannot afford to lose them.

The idea of running a business is a difficult concept to grasp for the people of the Tongan culture.  Tongans value communal effort and reward, where everything from possessions to living space is shared.  In a successful business atmosphere it is important for individuals to be proportionally compensated for their contributed effort.  In traditional Tongan context there is little incentive to pursue personal gain when the gain must be distributed to family, friends, and neighbors.  Anyone from a Western mindset working with a business in Tonga will find this to be a challenge as I have.

I do believe it is possible to train host-country nationals to effectively run the WDYHCC without outside help, but it will take tremendous effort, time, and clear guidelines in the form of manuals and instruction.  I do not believe that I am capable of completing such a task before the end of my service.

 

Numerous projects associated with the Center conceptualized, but not yet executed

The original idea of the Western District Youth Hall and Computer Center was to establish a launching pad for further projects.  It is meant to be a foundation supporting and encouraging continued developmental work.  For the time being most other Peace Corps sponsored project ideas pertaining to the WDYHCC and the Kolovai community have been recorded, but put on hold due to the consuming efforts of implementing an effective computer center.

Before the WDYHCC opened, I compiled a list of project ideas for Kolovai and the Western District.  Some proposed projects are meant to be run out of the WDYHCC such as selling kava over the Internet or running a district-wide life-skills workshop and some are specific to Kolovai such as a building a fence around their cemetery or the construction of a sports field complex.  With six months left of my service I doubt I can get to these other projects while continuing to establish operations at the WDYHCC.  It is my hope that a future volunteer can assist in the organization and funding of these projects.

The list of projects ideas included in this literature is meant to be pursued once the operations of the WDYHCC are satisfactorily running.  It is separate from the current WDYHCC Things to Do list.

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About the Author and Project Coordinator

Paul W. Neville is a United States Peace Corps Volunteer stationed in the village of Kolovai.  He is the project advisor for the Western District Youth Hall and Computer Center.  He originates from Issaquah, Washington, a growing but homey town thirty minutes from Seattle.  He attended University of Washington and University of Massachusetts Amherst earning a degree of International Business and Marketing.  He has experience in small business and food services.  His Peace Corps service will be complete in April, 2002 whereupon he will pursue his passion of traveling embarking on a journey over five continents before finally returning to his home after a three year absence.  He would like to thank the support he has received from Kolovai youth and community members especially the Town Officer, ‘Alaipulotu Pahulu; Drew Havea and Teodoro Guambana of the U.S. Peace Corps; the Prime Minister of Tonga, His Royal Highness Prince ‘Ulukalala Lavaka Ata; Her Royal Highness Princess Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho; and his mother, father and the rest of his family who are waiting patiently for him at home.

 

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