Koen Timmers is an innovative teacher with a passion for technology enhanced learning. After 20 years of teaching, an itch appeared that needed to be scratched. Koen wanted to take teaching to a new level, to try and make a difference in this world. That's how Project Kakuma started.
Kakuma is a vast refugee camp in Kenya, with 55% of its 200,000 inhabitants being children.
As a firm believer that education is a human right, he made sure the camp received laptops, generators and internet. Through Skype, he and fellow educators trained both teachers and students. Not only have teachers across 45 countries been teaching the Kakuma refugees, the Kakuma refugees have been brought into classes all over the world to fight misinformation and polarisation.
At a certain moment, Koen's path intersected with Jane Goodall's.
Mrs. Goodall is a world-renowned primatologist and anthropologist and is best known for her over 55-year study of social interactions of wild chimpanzees. Together, Jane and Koen launched the Innovation Lab Schools.
The goal is to offer free quality education to local children in remote areas. By equipping the labs with internet connections, interactive whiteboards, dynamic chairs and educational resources that promote collaboration and learning by doing in spaces, the schools aim to innovate education. In addition to a local teacher, a teacher from a global community of 1000 educators across more than 90 countries, teaches the students via Skype.
We are very honoured to be given the chance to contribute to the Innovation Lab in Pugu, Tanzania. That's why there is an i3TOUCH display, and a bunch of iMO-LEARN cubes in the middle of the jungle!
Read all about these projects and others on Koen's website. If you want to make a donation, you will find the links here as well.