Teacher planning 50,000km drive to spread laptops across Africa



DUBAI // Thousands of children in rural Africa will log on to the internet on solar-powered laptops next year if a teacher at the Emirates International School can drum up the funds to realise her dream. Tamin-Lee Connolly, a South African who hopes to raise enough money to buy 5,000 laptops, plans to drive some 50,000km to Burundi, Mozambique, South Africa, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo starting in July 2011 to distribute them.

Ms Connolly began her campaign two months ago and has already secured 950 laptops, costing Dh740 (US$200) each, paid for by people from Dubai, South Africa, Malaysia and Britain. She is confident she will reach her target over the next year. "Many of these children have never seen technology," said the 29-year-old geography teacher, who also coaches the school's swim squad. "I'm hoping to give them a chance, to open up their world. The laptops will broaden their horizons [and] may help them stay in school."

Ms Connolly is working with One Laptop Per Child, a non-profit organisation that designs low-cost computers for the world's poorest children. The group will help her identify locales in need of computers and will also pay for shipping. The target is to provide 1,000 computers for five countries. The first 1,000 computers will be distributed to children in Burundi, Ms Connolly said. She plans to drive a 4X4 from Dubai through Oman and Yemen, take the ferry to Eritrea and then drive along Africa's coastline to reach the children. However, if Yemen seems especially risky, she plans to bypass it and drive through Saudi Arabia with a male friend.

The longest distance the off-road enthusiast has covered before was 25,000km in Australia eight years ago. Ms Connolly will take a sabbatical next year when she heads out to distribute the laptops across Africa. "I plan to meet the shipments that come into each country, drive with the trucks to the areas we have chosen, train volunteers and teach the children," she said. "This is a dream I've had for so long. I'm trying to promote education and give the children a boost."

She will have a helping hand from a source close to home. A group of parents from her school plan a fund-raising drive in the new academic year to help Ms Connolly reach her target. "Children get used to the affluence here, there is nothing out of your reach," said Linda Pollock-Mirdad, an Irish mother of four. "This will teach children that there are intelligent children in other parts of the world who don't get the opportunity to progress because they don't have access to computers and books."

Lola Lopez, the founder of the Dubai aid group Volunteer, has offered to assist Ms Connolly with volunteers once she reaches her first goal of 1,000 laptops for Burundi. "Once she has got enough laptops for one country, we will help spread the word to get volunteers to help her with the distribution," Ms Lopez said. "It's good for people to get involved and experience something tangible. It will open their eyes to the real world." @Email:rtalwar@thenational.ae

The biog

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Where to buy

Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com

THE DRAFT

The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.

Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan

Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe

Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi

Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath

Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh

Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh

Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar

Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel

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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Uefa Nations League: How it Works

The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.

The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.

Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.

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German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT

Price, base / as tested Dh460,000

Engine 8.4L V10

Transmission Six-speed manual

Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm

Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km

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