IATP News

Website Jumpstarts NGO in Georgia

When the NGO Young Teachers and Psychologists Association (YTPA) (http://ytpa.ge.iatp.net ) in Tbilisi, Georgia, put their newly created website online earlier this year, they had no idea the amount of new contacts and opportunities it would generate for them.

Members of the NGO YTPA participated in Web design training at the local IATP center in Tbilisi in March 2009.  During the course, all participants have the opportunity to create their own website and have it hosted on the IATP server in their country. Not long after YTPA’s new website went online, several high school principals in Tbilisi contacted the NGO to inquire about their services and potential collaboration because they had seen the website.  Principals from schools #173, 177, 208, and 39 decided to cooperate with YTPA and all signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the organization to conduct training sessions for students on how to better communicate with their parents.

The student training began in June and NGO staff conducted over 40 sessions. Almost 250 students participated in the training from the two schools.  Eighth grade student Ana Abramishvili explained that now she views her mother and father’s parenting a little differently, “The information conveyed at the training helped me understand why my parents try to control me so much.  Now I clearly recognize they only do what they do because they love me and care about me.”

IATP Empowers Students in Turkmenistan to Become Community Leaders in Technology

University students Andrey Leskin, Kristina Puzarina and Madina Aliyeva are using their IATP training to help make a difference in their communities and in the lives of other young people in Turkmenistan. The three scholars are all studying abroad at the American University in Central Asia (AUCA) in Bishek, Kyrgyzstan, but haven chosen to spend their summer breaks and spare time sharing their knowledge and experience with their peers back home.

Leskin had some ICT skills before being introduced to IATP in 2007. He was soon to start his university career abroad, however, and knew he could benefit from more advanced computer training. Leskin completed courses in internet research and graphic design at the IATP center in Turkmenabat. During the course of the training, he also discovered online forums and became a regular participant in various international online discussions.

With a passionate interest in nanotechnology, Leskin decided to create his own online forum on the subject. Despite the niche topic, the forum attracted a strong interest both in Turkmenistan and abroad. In fact, many users at local IATP centers in Turkmenistan use the forum regularly to practice their ICT skills and learn something about the emerging field of nanotechnology. Leskin admits, “I’m a social person by nature, and I really enjoy communicating with people and discussing ideas even if it is done virtually. I really want other young people to have access to the latest global information such as nanotechnology, and I appreciate IATP centers providing us with the resources to do this.”

Kristina Puzarina and Madina Aliyeva first discovered IATP in their hometown of Turkmenabat while they were still in high school in 2005. They completed a series of training sessions on internet search skills, Web design, and graphics editing. Drawing on their ICT training, they applied online to universities abroad and explored options to fund their education using scholarship information they found through their research. Thanks to their efforts, Puzarina and Aliyeva were accepted into AUCA and both awarded academic scholarships.

TAG Finalists Carry Out Social Project to Prevent Family Violence

Assisted by IATP, a group of young women in Comrat, Moldova, united their efforts in the struggle against family violence, and raised awareness about this problem among local residents to receive their support. Student and Tech Age Girls (TAG) project finalist Tatiana Turcan initiated an anti-violence project after learning the results of an anonymous survey, which she and her friends conducted in the region from December 2008 through February 2009.

The TAG project is an IREX-founded initiative that aims to address challenges facing young women in a number of countries. TAG in Moldova works with young women designated by local civil services as being at-risk of being trafficked as they consider seeking better lives in Europe and Russia. Since March 2007, TAG has reached nearly 115 young women in Chisinau, Balti, Ungheni, Comrat, Căuşeni, Soroca and Tiraspol, providing in-depth ICT skills and leadership training. Participants learned everything from computer basics to Web design, database creation, and blogging. Four nationwide online discussions introduced the participants to prominent female role models in Moldova. Their newfound skills and confidence are applied in initiating social projects for their communities, and help them find gainful employment close to home, family, and security.

The survey revealed that the main causes of family violence in Moldova are poverty, heavy drinking, divorce, and when children are left behind with relatives while parents seek work abroad. To present their findings to the public, the students created an MS PowerPoint presentation on family violence, which they presented at a conference attended by all of the schools in Gagauzia. Turcan and her peers also distributed pamphlets on the problem among conference attendees. The pamphlets encourage youth to use anonymous hotlines to seek help in facing domestic violence problems.

In order to further develop the project, reach wider readers, and, possibly, to generate more volunteers for anti-violence activities, the group decided to publish information about their work on their wiki page created in the IATP center. As a result of their outreach efforts, the young women received anonymous messages about at-risk families. In response, the TAG finalist and her friends disseminated materials and information on obtaining psychological help to the families.

Other TAG finalists are having success in their social projects and employment searches as well. Nina Ivanova trained ten girls from her community on the same topics as she studied herself, and also assisted trainers of the ICT4Librarians project in Chisinau from March to May 2009. Xenia Terzi landed a well-paid job in at the Classic Salon in Comrat, and uses her ICT skills to create promotional materials for the salon and to show her clients the expected results of various hair and skin treatments. Other young women, currently finishing school, are planning their projects for the summer months.

Tatiana Turcan described the attitude and approach to service of TAG finalists. “The most important thing is to be stay active, not to be silent, and not to become helpless.”

IATP Training Helps Comrat Residents Better Serve Local Children and Women

In April 2009, five Comrat, Moldova, kindergarten teachers improved their institution by applying ICT skills they received from IATP. The Moldova Kindergarten No. 9 teachers introduced a more effective means of informing parents about all the kindergarten’s events, employing personal wiki pages and a website they created with the help of IATP training. With a new understanding of how to apply computer and internet resources to their teaching and professional development, the five teachers decided to publish a number of their lesson plans online for other educators to employ and for parents to view to gain a better understanding of their children’s school experiences. These wiki pages include kindergarten lessons on appliqué, drawing, and painting (aplicatia.wikidot.com, dedsad-lepca.wikidot.com, dedsad-risovanie.wikidot.com).

The teachers also made their kindergarten the first in Comrat to have an online presence (detsad9.md.iatp.net). Kindergarten director Anna Croitor wrote in an article for local newspaper Vesti Gagauzii, “Not too long ago, for many of us the internet was a wonder, a modern system we could not think of using in our work for the kindergarten. But things changed when our teachers went to IATP center training, mastered their computer skills, and created personal wiki pages.”

IATP Experiences Essential to Evolution of Sevastopol Children’s Library

The Central Sevastopol Library for Children (CSLC) in Sevastopol, Ukraine received its first computer in 1998. At the time, not one library employee had the training to use it. Now, however, CSLC is equipped with 54 computers, 18 printers, six scanners, and a number of digital and Web cameras. Most importantly, today’s CSLC employees, after IATP training, can put these technological tools to use.

In 2001, CSLC partnered with IATP to open a public internet access and training center. This center housed eight computers and was the first local center with high-speed internet access. Free internet rose rapidly in popularity, among both library visitors and employees. Internetadept librarians began accessing websites developed by colleagues in Ukraine, Russia, and other Eurasian countries. As the technical skills of library staff increased, the institution decided to become producers, not just consumers, of online information. They began work on a CSLC website to promote library activities and services. Today, the website offers CSLC news, online publications of local authors, a children’s page, information about CSLC partners, and an electronic catalogue, among other resources.

Beginning in 2002, CSLC librarians have been developing an ecological information Web portal entitled “EcoLogia. EcoTavrika. EcoLogika.” Developed with the help of IATP and Peace Corps Volunteer Betty Kelly, the portal was hosted on the IATP server. This project required the help of many partners, including state and local environmental organizations, university and school libraries, and several prominent ecologists. The portalprovides a list of ecological publications available in city libraries, materials about rare and endangered species, and a list of university ecological departments across Ukraine. In 2004, the Web portal was visited by over 20,000 people. CSLC staff regularly updated the site, provided information about important ecological developments and initiatives in the region, and posted photos of environmentally-focused events. In 2006, the Web portal won the Library Information Resources on Ecology and Environment Competition sponsored by the State Public Scientific-Technical Library of Russia. The Web portal is still evolving, regularly posting information about developing environmental issues.

CSLC Director Svitlana Kapranova said, “We believe that creating websites and Web portals expands the information offered by our library and creates a positive and modern image. Now that we have our own level of experience, we’re ready to share it with our colleagues. We’re open to collaboration and hope to expand our network of partners and friends.” Since the Sevastopol IATP Center opened in 2002, over 200 librarians from the city and region have benefited from free internet access or training.

University Students Create Wiki Pages in Native Language

Six students at Khorog State University and three employees from its hydro-meteorological station created more than ten wiki pages in their native language after attending wiki training courses at the IATP center in Khorog, Tajikistan, in January (http://tg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Шириншох_Шотемур).

Third-year history and law student Shukriya Mamadnabieva stated, “Information pertaining to the history of the region can be found on the Web, but mainly in foreign languages.  Printed materials in the Tajik language are scarce.  Therefore, the wiki sites can be a solution to this problem.”

 Fourth-year geography student Muboriz Abdulasanov who created a wiki page devoted to geographic information systems mentioned, “Many people today face difficulty understanding materials printed in the Russian language.  The wiki page is a small contribution from us in this field.”

Thirteen wiki sites were created in the Tajik language during the last six months, among more than 500 non-commercial websites supported by IATP in Tajikistan.

Schoolchildren Create Blog in National Language

Fifteen Dushanbe School #29 students created a blog for their school (http://schoolblog.freenet.tj/) in the Tajik language after completing ICT training at the local IATP center on February 6.

The initiative was started by math teacher Shahlo Kurbonova, who reported that “during Soviet times, ICT was taught as a separate discipline in school.  Only selected students had access to these courses…Today, there are other obstacles like the lack of equipment and skilled personnel, problems with electricity, as well as several other impediments that prevent our students from acquiring necessary skills.”

 As a result of Kurbanova’s initiative, a group of students completed internet training to access academic resources.  Student Rahimov Amin said, “It is a good opportunity for us to obtain necessary ICT skills and get all our classmates involved in a blog to discuss issues regarding our education.”  Another student Mirzoev Azam mentioned, “I use the computer only for games at home.  I did not expect that through online searches I could get valuable information for my homework.”

Thanks to ICT training at the Dushanbe IATP Center, students were able to create a blog for their class in the Tajik language and enhance their ICT skills.  Throughout the region, IATP has been helping students and educators create and access resources in their local languages.

Educators in Transnistria Use ICT to Improve Teaching Methods

Teachers in Tiraspol, Moldova, mastered the use of ICT for education and began using their skills in the classroom thanks to IATP.   At a city-wide meeting of the Vice Principals' Association, Tiraspol School #7 teacher Oxana Chernyshuk conducted an MS PowerPoint presentation and showed a video to demonstrate how she and her colleagues are using IT skills acquired at the local IATP center to make their lessons more vivid and informative.  The presentation covered a lesson on local folklore and prompted several questions from participants.

 Chernyshuk reported that she had noticed increased attention and performance levels among her students when she used a variety of media in the classroom.  She noted, “Children remember much better if they see the issue discussed on a screen and if they can view pictures with the events and facts they talk about.  Also, involving IT in educational process raises students’ interest in their lessons, and it is something used very rarely in our schools.”

 Inspired by their colleague’s presentation, attendees expressed their desire to attend IATP-sponsored workshops.  By providing technical assistance, ICT training, and access to internet resources, IATP is contributing to the development of Moldovan education.

ICT in College Classrooms Leads to Improved Student Performance

Russian and English professors from International Relations Department of the Turkmen State University are reporting increased student performance as a result of incorporating ICT in the classroom.  Fifteen professors completed training at the IATP center in Ashgabat and began integrating visual presentations and other modern teaching techniques into their standard lectures.  The training is a part of ongoing cooperation between IATP and the Supreme Council on Science and Technology of Turkmenistan (SCST).

Turkmen State University was recently equipped with computers and multimedia projectors, but most of its lecturers did not know how to use the new technology resources.  IATP and SCST offered its assistance to the educators, and from November to December 2008, the first group of university trainees learned to use computer and internet applications, converted their curricula into electronic formats using additional materials from the internet, and created MS PowerPoint presentations for their students.

As the educators mentioned, the integration of ICT into their lesson plans resulted in better class attendance, student performance, and interest in the lectures.  Russian language teacher Nadejda Maksimova commented, “I never used or was interested in computer technologies.  I thought they were irrelevant for the education sphere.  But we live in the 21^st century, and now I understand the importance of ICT in education.  I already witnessed the results of ICT usage in my lectures.   Students’ understanding of material covered improved and they seem more attentive and interested in my course now.”  Last year, 115 teachers across the country took part in intensive ICT training provided by IATP centers in Turkmenistan.

Children from HIV/AIDS Infected Families Benefit from Grant Received with IATP Assistance

Biaz Gul (White Rose), a Moldovan NGO for the protection of rights and social reintegration of people with HIV/AIDS, received a grant in mid-December from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). The grant for $1,000 will allow Biaz Gul to implement a project to improve the quality of life for children of families suffering from HIV/AIDS.

The NGO’s staff members learned to use computers and the internet at the IATP center in Comrat, which led to their online search of sponsors and guidance on how to prepare grant proposals. Biaz Gul’s project made the New Year’s holiday special for children from HIV/AIDS families from the region of Gagauzia with an all-expenses-paid trip to Chisinau on December 28. They visited the holiday tree in the square and zoo, enjoyed dinner at a restaurant, received New Year’s gifts, and met other children facing similar circumstances.

Biaz Gul staff member Alexander Zavrichko commented, "The knowledge received at the IATP center in Comrat and the opportunity to access high-speed internet is very important for our organization, especially for finding new funds and negotiating with international organizations and other NGOs to collaborate on similar initiatives."