August 29, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 17 Computer lab in Africa (continued from page 3) classes to girls and women. When Persaud arrived in Cameroon, she met with the members of FEPES, which stands for Femmes Porteuse d’Espoir (Bearers of Hope for Women). FEPES suggested the computer lab and multi-media center. “At first, I was hesitant. Mostly I was worried about fundraising for my first activity at post. You see, during training, and throughout our service, volunteers are reminded that we are here as capacity builders and trainers and not as funders,” Persaud said. “We spend a lot of time telling people we are not here to give out money or materials, and fundraising for this project seemed to contradict everything I had been saying to date. Secondly, I was not sure Garoua needed a computer lab. I hadn’t had a chance to conduct a needs assessment.” After a year of working with FEPES and the women of Garoua, Persaud became convinced that the computer lab was both necessary and practical. “This computer lab will help the women we work with create the documents necessary to formalize their groups,” Persaud said. “It will also allow them to gain technical training that will help them grow in their professional careers. They may even have access to jobs they never considered before because they were computer illiterate. “Also, the girls who are enrolled in school will have an affordable option to practice Emmanuel Asks... (continued from page 10) contributions to cover the costs associated with providing free services to any New Jersey child who has cancer. Approximately 70 cents from every dollar goes toward direct care for our families. If your company has a charitable giving program, please let us know. Each month, we distribute about 140 bags of food to our families. You can help us fill our pantry. When you go grocery shopping and something non-perishable is on sale, please grab some extra items and drop them off at our outreach center. Staples such as sugar, flour, salt, cooking oil, detergent, pancake mix/syrup, and rice are always needed. Consider turning your next event into a fundraiser for ECF, and ask guests to bring checks or gift cards to be used by our families. Your efforts help us to help our families in many ways, including sending a case worker to visit the families at home or in the hospital. Kids can help, too. Many have held sales or other events and contributed the proceeds to ECF. If your Boy Scout or Girl Scout Troop needs to earn badges, visit us in Midland Park. Scouts can get creative and have fun helping our families as they learn about philanthropy. ECF representatives are available to discuss our programs at your next fundraiser or event. Give us a call for details. If you have a few hours a week to spare, consider becoming a volunteer, or just stop by and meet with us, take a look at our pantry, and see what ECF is all about. This September, we will need a volunteer on Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m. Call (201) 6128118 before you stop by. Please do not leave items at the center without checking with us first. Our storage space is limited. The Northern Regional Center is located at 174 Paterson Avenue, Midland Park, NJ 07432. Visit us at www.emmanuelcancer. org. As always, thank you for helping the children and their families! their theoretical computer skills they learn in class. You see, most high schools have computer classes, but do not have working machines that students can manipulate.” Persaud noted that the fees for the computer classes are kept low because the trainers are volunteers, and all the startup costs were provided by in-kind donations from the community and FEPES members and through donations from friends and family through the Peace Corps website. The class fees will be distributed into three funds: 25 percent of the fees will help pay for electricity and other monthly expenses, 50 percent will be used to replace or repair computers, and 25 percent will go to a library fund to build a collection of textbooks and other reading materials. “The library is an important aspect of the project because it provides another necessary resource in Garoua,” Persaud noted. “Besides lacking computers, the girls of Garoua face many obstacles. Often, parents choose to send their sons to school rather than their daughters. If girls are permitted to attend school, they usually don’t have textbooks or school supplies necessary to succeed.” FEPES is working to increase the enrollment of girls in secondary school through other projects, and the library will be a great parallel project to support these efforts. Since FEPES does not have the resources to provide school supplies or textbooks to all of the girls they help enroll, the library will provide a complete set of textbooks that girls can borrow to complete their schoolwork. Girls will then be able to come to the center to do their homework and read the materials for the next day’s classes. This will, hopefully, increase their likelihood of succeeding in or completing their schooling. “As you can see, this computer lab is more than just a gift,” Persaud added. “It is a resource that is sustainable and will grow over time. That is why I am wholeheartedly behind this project.” Follow Persaud’s Blog at: MelissaPersaud.com. Follow the progress of the computer lab on Facebook at: http://www. facebook.com/groups/346806275398662/. Donations may be made via the Peace Corps website at: https://donate.peacecorps. gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute. projDetail&projdesc=694-210.