Project

Name your fund: APUSA – Direction Digital

Headline: Providing remote education digitally where it is needed most.

Target audience: Teachers and students from the municipal public-school system in Santo Antonio da Patrulha, Brazil.

Short paragraph:

Direction Digital is a project that enables the continuing development of public -school teachers in educational digital technologies and the acquisition of equipment that can be utilised by students, in their homes, during COVID-19 and at school, after COVID-19, as well as food and school supplies for the most vulnerable students.

About:

APUSA (Santo Antônio University Polo Association) is the non-profit arm of The Polo Universitário Santo Antônio, based in Santo Antônio da Patrulha, Brazil. Its mission is to promote the Polo's public-school education projects including training of public-school teachers. Via the University, APUSA is part of a federal program to promote raising the education standards in Brazil, however funding is limited. Compared to global standards, Brazilian education levels are low, particularly in rural areas. The Covid crisis has hit countries like Brazil particularly hard, and with no access to online learning facilities, many children’s educations have ground to a halt.

The biggest challenge the education system is facing is a lack of resources and the capabilities to provide remote education digitally. A lack of infrastructure, limited internet access and scarcity of portable devices are the major issues. With their ‘Direction Digital’ program APUSA is tackling this challenge at a grass roots level and it has the ability to significantly impact the future of thousands of children.

The project provides for the continuing professional development of teachers in educational digital technologies and the acquisition of equipment that can be used by students, in their homes, during COVID-19 and at school, after COVID-19, as well as food and school supplies for the most vulnerable students.

How can we help?

Since 2016 the project has been supported by Tech luminaries such as Google as well as by local Government and Legal partners. This has enabled them to build a bank of Chromebook computers loaded with Google Education packages and educational apps that can be used in schools. The bottom line is there are simply not enough to go around and many students are unable to benefit as they do not have access to computers or internet at home.

APUSA is helping more students to access this digital learning opportunity by putting together ‘kits’ for the students to use both in the classroom and at their homes.

Each Direction Digital kit includes:

1. Technical equipment kit for use by students, at home and at school:

The technological resources kit comprises a smartphone which will be given to an individual family, usually including two to three students who will take turns using the Smartphone. Access to mobile data will be donated by the local community. The device will allow them to access socially distanced learning when the need arises, as in the COVID epidemic, and at school and for homework purposes under normal circumstances.

2. Food and school kit supplies given to the most vulnerable students.

The Food and School Supplies Kit will include a selection of non-perishable food stuffs accompanied by a notebook, pencil, eraser and pen.

Cost of the kits: $200usd. Kits will be supplied by household, enabling families of up to 4 kids start/continue their education sharing the resources.

APUSA members will ensure the academic platform delivers at least 8 hours of continuous online education per student, along with their additional homework exercises. The program goal is to enable remote education to over 200 kids per academic semester.

Partners: Santo Antônio University Pole, Santo Antônio da Patrulha Municipal Education Secretariat and Santo Antônio da Patrulha Google Educators Group and Public Schools.

First Kits are delivered to the Medianeira Municipal Elementary School