Quite simply, Knapor needed it. Discova singles out communities who genuinely need infrastructural and/or educational support, which they may not be receiving from the local government.
In Knapor, we saw potential to improve the quality of life for the people of the community by providing tangible help during infrastructural projects and generating funds via educational travel. We also realised that an educational program here would ignite significant language exchanges and learning opportunities for local school-goers. In the community’s school setting, exposure to English is limited, and a class of over 50 only has access to about eight laptops.
The students who partake in the program therefore not only help to build up the community in a physical sense, but in an educational manner by communicating with local Knapor students who have a desire (and perhaps a need) to develop their English skills and broaden their world view.
A bonus is that we can guide the community in project and development management. A village fund is generated with the remuneration villagers receive from providing their services (accommodation, cooking, workshops, and the like) during the educational program.
Every year, Discova meets with local villagers and determines how best to implement the village fund, as well as the optional donations made by the student groups. During the meeting, villagers will present various project development ideas they have for Knapor. Together, we determine which has the greatest urgency and priority, and Discova then evaluates the costs and sets a budget and procedure system for each project. In this way, the community directly chooses what they need, with us to support and manage financial allocation along the way.
