The Wilderness Technology Alliance

The United Nations identified that improving education and economic development are the two most significant factors in improving the lives of children. Nowhere in the world is education and economic development more in need of improvement than in rural East Africa (see video).

During the fall of 2023, the Wilderness Technology Alliance (www.wildtech.org) non-profit organization is convening a 15-day technology service-learning program in rural Tanzania, East Africa. Our goal is to create alternatives to subsistence farming jobs by improving education and creating new career pathways in technology. We will accomplish this through technology access, teacher training, vocational training, and facilitating technology entrepreneurship in two high schools and five vocational schools. In the process, we will provide life-changing cultural, technical and character-building experiences for up to 10 volunteer IT professionals leading the program.

Together, we will improve education in areas of extreme poverty and provide new pathways to economic opportunity through technology access, curriculum and training - creating new horizons of opportunity for all. Ultimately, we will provide $250,000 worth of educational hardware, software and training at no cost to seven Tanzanian schools. Our 10 volunteers will donate thousands of hours of their time. But we need your support to help cover our travel and accommodation costs ($5000 each or $50,000 for all ten). Please donate now and help make this program possible.

All donations are made to the Wilderness Technology Alliance (WTA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

TEAM MEMBERS:

Typical Rural Tanzania Classroom

This is not the “Africa” tourists typically see, it is a “deep field” experience, living and working closely with teachers, students, and tribal leaders in the traditional lifestyle of the Maasai and Meru tribes. It takes place in the most iconic lands on the continent of Africa: In the shadow of 19,350-foot Mount Kilimanjaro and at the epicenter of Africa’s greatest wildlife preserves.

Nearby Maasai Household Visited by Our Program

(Click the Picture to Play Video)

In Africa, rural students trained in technology typically return to subsistence farming because there are no technology jobs in their communities. WildTech solves this through its 5-step "Cycle of Transformation" model that addresses the entire continuum, from providing technology access to creating technology entrepreneurs:

Implementing this complex model is no small feat. That is why eight top IT professionals from around the United States have agreed to donate their time during this 15-day service expedition, as well as two low-income African American I.T. students. Together, they will donate thousands of hours of their time, but they need your help to cover their costs for travel and accommodations. We must now raise $50,000 to cover the direct travel and on-the-ground costs for these exemplary volunteers ($5000 each). Together, we will achieve the following outcomes:

This is over $250,000 worth of educational hardware, software and training made possible through $50,000 of support needed for travel and accommodations.

Tanzania School Computer Lab Creation Lou August Led in 2015

100% of your donation will go toward the travel costs of the IT professionals and IT students who are volunteers, donating hundreds of hours of preparation time each, and fifteen days in-country passionately working long hours to help extremely disadvantaged youth and teachers. All donations are made to the Wilderness Technology Alliance (WTA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Please donate now and help make this program possible.

HOW YOUR DONATION WILL BE SPENT (per person costs below)

Two Weeks on-the-ground costs in Tanzania. This includes ground transport, food, lodging, and entry fees - $1700

Misc. supplies need to support computer labs in schools $200

Airplane tickets – Washington Dulles (IAD) to Kilimanjaro (JRO) $1950

US Passport $200

Tanzania Business Visa $250

Travel Insurance $300

Yellow Fever Vaccination $200

Personal medication kit $100

Cash for snacks/souvenirs $100

Total Cost Per Participant: $5000

NOTE: The 60 laptop computers we are bringing with us are being donated by the Wilderness Technology Alliance (WTA) and Gensler Corporation and will be gifted to the Tanzania schools.

CRITICAL SUPPORT FOR THIS TANZANIA SERVICE EXPEDITION PROVIDE BY:

5/2/23 EdTech Digest Press Release: "This technology service-learning program in rural Tanzania, East Africa will be the first of many more such expeditions in the coming decade. As the old movie line goes, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship—one between WildTech and EdTech Digest, between individuals in parts of the world with technology and individuals in other parts of the world wanting to connect to opportunities beyond."

Thank you for your support - we cannot do this without you!

All donations received through GoFundMe will go into a restricted account at the Wilderness Technology Alliance non-profit organization, and will only be used to cover the direct project costs described above. No non-profit overhead or indirect costs will be removed. Due to delays getting our VAT tax exemption from the Tanzania Government, the target dates for this service expedition are now Dec 2nd to 16th, 2023. Service expeditions in low-infrastructure environments in differing political, cultural, and economic circumstances contain inherence risks, which is why the need is often the greatest there. There are uncertainties when working in rural Sub-Saharan Africa including communications, politics, natural disasters, fragile infrastructure, customs clearances for equipment, final sign-offs from school leadership, optimal dates and locations for teacher participation, and more. There are also risks state-side, including illness of key personnel, inadequate fundraising to cover essential direct costs, new State Department travel restrictions and more. Under no circumstance will participant safety or trip success be put at additional risk, especially if we are able to make reasonable adjustments to the program as needed. This includes adjusting the dates of the expedition, adjusting the itinerary, adjusting the participants, adjusting the schools and teachers in Tanzania that receive the computers and training, and adjusting the content of the training. For these reasons, all of these shall be considered acceptable adjustments to this program funded through this GoFundMe, if needed.

Tanzanians are Very Kind and Welcoming,

Just Like Our Neighbor Mariam with Her Children Below,

Right Next Door to the Hostel Where We Are Staying.

Her Children Mainly Need a Better Education to Give them a Chance.