Revitalizing STEM: HELP Lesotho’s YOUTH!

WE HAVE AN URGENT SITUATION in Lesotho, Africa. Right now, only 1.3% of Lesotho students graduate with a STEM-related degree (Council of Higher Education). Especially with the lack of resources in rural areas, many schools simply can’t cover science and math concepts and expose their children to STEM! The scarcity of teaching resources has inevitably discouraged the students who are actually interested in STEM to continue their pursuit.

This is where FTC 13356 RoboForce comes in... To level this inequity of education in Lesotho, we’ve initiated a project to provide the resources necessary to inspire Lesotho’s young generation. In partnership with Girl Coding Academy and the Ministry of Education in Lesotho, we will design, manufacture, and deliver FREE Do-It-Yourself STEM Toys to school children in rural Lesotho. These custom toy kits, after assembly, will be used to teach them the underlying math, science, and engineering concepts behind these toys. Our robotics team has been diligently working to design and manufacture the first installment of 100 DIY Planetary Gear Sets to be sent to them in December.

However, we can’t do this alone! We need your help! Please join hands with our team by donating or sharing this fundraiser with friends/family. Lesotho’s youth urgently needs YOUR help! We also accept in-kind donations, just email [email redacted]

Here's a breakdown of how your donations can make a difference:

$10: Provides 2 planetary gear toy kits to a child in Lesotho!

$50: Supports the costs of sending 10 toys directly to the community!

$100: Empowers 20 children with the joy of learning through hands-on STEM toys!

$500: Makes a significant impact, reaching 100 kids and inspiring them to study STEM!

Incentives:

$30: Team Stickers

$50: Gear Toy

$100: Team T-Shirt

Email us to claim your prize.

More about Lesotho:

Lesotho is a small developing and landlocked country located in South Africa. Their economy is predominantly agriculture-based. There are massive discrepancies among the school districts, providing unequal education and STEM resources throughout the communities.

Education in Lesotho:

Our partner:

Girls Coding Academy is an organization in Lesotho in one of the few fortunate communities in in Maseru, that seeks to fortify STEM in surrounding school districts that are not so fortunate. They have started their own robotics teams and hosted by-annual bootcamps to further their effort in STEM engagement. Their robotics teams will be helping with the distribution of the toy kits, as well as providing these village schools with lessons on building and the underlying engineering concepts.

More about FTC 13356 RoboForce:

FTC 13356 RoboForce is a youth-led robotics team from Fremont, CA, which participates in the FIRST Tech Challenge. Our team aims to inspire the next generation of scientists & engineers, by fostering an interest in STEM education to K-12 students. Over the years, our team has made significant strides in achieving this mission impacting over 50,000 individuals through STEM-related classes, robot demos, other impactful community events. We were also among the top 5 teams in California during the 22-23 season.

How our project will work:

1. With help from our generous sponsor Circuit Launch, we will manufacture our one-of-a kind STEM toys young kids can assemble themselves with instructions

2. DHL will ship the toys over to Maseru, Lesotho where the package will be received by our partner, the Girls Coding Academy.

3. Girls Coding Academy will distribute these toys to the underserved rural areas of Lesotho. They will also teach them how to assemble these toys and how they work.

Breakdown of how your donations will be used:

Demonstration Project (December’ 23)

Toys: $300 | 26%

Shipping: $600 | 70%

Tariffs/Misc: $200 | 2.6%

Total: $1100

The rest of the funds will be used for future projects where we want to donate Lego bricks, other robotic kits (like SPIKE PRIME) and DIY STEM toys to more rural schools.

Apart from these DIY toy kits, your gracious donations will also

contribute to our next project to create Engineering models for demostration at the Inaugural FLL tournament in Lesotho in the Spring' 24. Your generous funding will make our Lesotho Project sustainable while making a huge difference in the underprivileged youths in their country.

Email [email redacted] for more information.