October 2012
CHOICE AMBASSADOR NEWSLETTER By: Hayley Golub [INTERNATIONAL] Update from the field: Garbanzo, Mexico A CHOICE Expedition just returned from a village in Mexico and through the partnership of CISCO and CHOICE, they partnered with the village of Garbanzo to help establish Technological Centers that provide training and access to technology in order to teach computer skills and provide leadership opportunities in the village. Yasmin Yepes Mondragon, one of the village residents, is 18 years old and is taking on the leadership position of managing the center. For many people in rural Mexican villages, these Technological Centers introduce the community to a technical education that fosters a world of global communication since access to information is a top priority for the development plan of Garbanzo through CHOICE’s village-centered approach. At this early stage in the development process, there are 15 trained people who are ‘community connecters’ that help train others in the community on how to use the computers and thus they are empowering others to feel confident with technology. These centers will allow hundreds of residents in Garbanzo and neighboring villages to utilize the resources of the technology center. Another type of technology that a CHOICE expedition was working with recently was a version of the lorena stove project. The in-country team worked together with the villagers to share knowledge and successfully implement more efficient and healthier stoves in a village. CHOICE is currently partnering with 12 Mexican villages on the lorena stove project! Partnerships are the key to success! (to check out an example of a lorena stove project click on this link:http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI-2xkBxqX0)
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This is Maria, a member of a village in Mexico where there was just a CHOICE Expedition. She is standing next to a version of the lorena stove model.