Objectives for Project Think Big Nepal:

The objective of this project is to create a yearlong extracurricular academic and mentorship program for 10 children—mostly girls—who have been rescued from slavery or abandonment in Nepal. Through the use of the laptops, the program will encompass a wide-ranging curriculum that will enhance the children's understanding of themselves and the world and will foster cognitive, psychological and emotional development.

The curriculum will be divided into 3 parts; each part will take 4 months to complete:

• The first part of the curriculum focuses on geography, peoples of the world, cultures and religions.
• The second part focuses on government, law and human rights.
• The third part focuses on health, the environment and basic science.

As stated, each section of the curriculum will take four months from start to completion and will include focused readings, writings, and creative exercises for the particular subjects. The participants will be responsible for teaching younger children at the orphanage what they're learning, and mentor those who will participate in the program the following year. Although Children of Tomorrow is starting off with ten children due to the OLPC contributors program guidelines, the goal is for this program to grow and expand for years to come.

The objectives of the project are:

• To fill in the gaps in the children's education due to lack of schooling.
• To broaden their understanding of themselves, society and the world.
• Enhance cognitive development through the use of technology.
• To enhance critical thinking skills through a specialized curriculum in contrast to the rote lessons inherent in the Nepalese school system.
• Develop creative thought and communication skills through various in-class and independent exercises.
• Enhance emotional development through self-empowerment and confidence-building exercises needed after years of victimization.
• Increase interpersonal skills between the students at all age levels, encouraging them to move into leadership roles in the future.
• Create a mentorship program between older and younger children in order to maximize the program's benefits for years to come.
• Enhance student interaction with each other through the use of technology, fostering an innovative learning experience outside the classroom.

Team Members--Project Think Big Nepal

Lauren Yanks

Project Coordinator

Lauren Yanks is a children's advocate, journalist, and professor at the State University of New York. Over the past two years, Lauren has traveled to Nepal and taught specialized literacy and self-empowerment workshops to children rescued from slavery. The goal is to enhance these workshops through the use of technology.

  

Tauheed Khan

Tauheed is a Co-Founder and CEO of Children of Tomorrow. Tauheed brings passion to providing solutions to communities with large-scale educational challenges, a keen eye for providing measurable results to all stakeholders and the ability to provide deliverables that make a difference. Tauheed has an MBA in Corporate Strategy from Leicester Business School, UK, and an MSc in Decision and Information Sciences from the University of Florida, US. He has been involved with many public sector organizations and has been an active member of corporate responsibility groups within each organization.

Irene DeVette

Irene is a graduate from Boston University with MSc. in Journalism. Currently based in Rotterdam, she is working as a freelance writer and web editor, focusing on culture and travel. Previous assignments include working with the UN Millennium Campaign in Rome and New York. She has been instrumental in starting the European operations of Children of Tomorrow. Irene works with CoT's various partners in Pakistan, Nepal, EU and the US to ensure proper communication is in place to work with the shareholders and media.

Taeka Haraguchi
Taeka is an assistant and coordinator for Children of Tomorrow. She has had experience in fundraising, as well as various humanitarian projects in India, the Philippines, and Thailand. As a recent college graduate with a degree in Political Science, she is interested in pursuing a career in the NGO and non-profit field. She has lived in Japan, New York City, Poland, and the UK.