Acronis Foundation: schools are already built in 8 countries. Are you with us
The Acronis Foundation helps spread knowledge around the world, and building and supporting schools is one of the key areas of volunteer work. Read about how this is happening today, and what contribution each of us can make in this process, read under the cat.
Sooner or later, many successful organizations come to a new stage of social growth - they begin to organize charitable activities. And each has its own path for implementation. In particular, in 2018 Acronis established the Acronis Foundation , an international charitable foundation that is committed to increasing knowledge worldwide. We are sure that it is knowledge that helps people achieve their goals and realize themselves, and society, through the availability of knowledge, improves the standard of living.
Among the projects that we are developing, there are such areas as the construction of schools and the organization of infrastructure for teaching children, the development of educational programs and the publication of educational books. Also in Singapore, where the judicial system is very harsh, and many prisoners are serving sentences for crimes insignificant by European standards, we help those released to gain new knowledge, master the modern profession and adapt to the modern digital world. In addition, today there is a development of training programs for children of prisoners who should not lose their opportunities due to the misconduct of their parents. Acronis Foundation publishes books for children, where we talk in simple terms about scientific discoveries, modern technologies, and automobile sports. A new book on quantum computing is being prepared,
Recently, with the support of the Acronis Foundation, a school was built and opened in Nuevo Chimbote (Peru). This is a region in which the level of education is one of the lowest in the country. The school was built in partnership with the Italian charitable organization Don Bosco 3A, and the Institución Educativa Virgen de las Gracias school will provide free education, training materials, uniforms and lunches for about 230 children from the most needy families of the local community in the coming school year.
School in Peru
Acronis is an international company with Headquarters in Singapore and Switzerland. The organization’s 27 offices are located in 18 countries, including the USA, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Great Britain, Belgium, Russia, Japan, etc., and the company's products are used in more than 170 countries. The Acronis Foundation also works across the globe and helps children in different regions, because according to UNESCO, more than 387 million children of primary school age (56%) and 230 million adolescents in primary school (61%) do not reach the minimum level of proficiency reading and math skills. We strive to make education more accessible for children around the world, given the differences in needs of different countries.
There is compulsory secondary education in Russia, and children are taught basic disciplines in any corner of the country, and educational organizations offer children distance learning programs of additional education in a variety of subjects, we help to develop advanced education. For example, last year in Ulyanovsk and Novorossiysk, with the support of the Acronis Foundation, two centers of further education were opened along with the Unium franchise, where children can delve deeper into the natural sciences and humanitarian disciplines.
Other regions require different approaches, since in a number of countries a significant number of children have no opportunity to attend school. And since we are confident that the situation with the level of knowledge around the world directly affects the quality of our lives, the global economy, the level of awareness of environmental policy, the fight against crime, and so on. For this, we have been helping to build schools in the regions with the lowest educational penetration for several years. You can agree or disagree with this position, but we are always glad to see the support of this project from the IT community, which, like no one else, understands the value of a general level of literacy among specialists.
Although education is available to everyone in Russia and Europe, in the modern world, there are not so few places in the world where children not only have no one to learn from, but also nowhere to learn. The complete absence of schools is a common practice in many African and Asian regions, and the Acronis Foundation is working to help these children get their chance to show their intellectual potential and create their own contribution to the development of society.
To build the school building itself, it is necessary to attract partners, find a regional specialist in construction, enlist the support of the government and the municipality. We have built 6 schools - in Myanmar, Tanzania, Cambodia, Senegal, Lebanon and Peru. For example, in Senegal, volunteers were able to take a direct part in the construction - 20 Acronis employees from different countries spent several weeks in the village involved in building a school - laying the foundation, casting concrete blocks, assembling metal frames and other tasks at all stages of construction. We already talked about this in more detail in a separate article on BigPikcha. Two schools are currently in the final stages of construction - in Guatemala and Laos. But we do not stop there, and agreements have already been reached on the construction of another school, and other regions with a lack of access to education are constantly being examined.
School in Lebanon
School in Senegal
Construction in Guatemala
School in Myanmar
School in Cambodia
Training class in Laos
Funds for the construction of schools are allocated by the Acronis Foundation charitable foundation, as well as its partners - companies and corporations from different countries. Funds received to Acronis Foundation accounts are 100% spent only on fund projects. For example, volunteers from the company go to help with the construction only at the expense of the company Acronis, which also incurs the cost of tickets, all legal and accounting costs. The same applies to book printing and curriculum preparation - funding for these projects is provided separately, since Acronis Foundation finances are exclusively intended.
In a number of countries, we cooperate with existing educational institutions. For example, in Bhutan, active processes are currently underway to improve the education system, and we invited three specialists to Singapore to learn from and study the Singaporean education system. We see support for education at the level of the country's Ministry of Education, and our foundation also seeks cooperation. Although we did not build new schools in Bhutan, we can help existing ones with the organization of additional conditions. For example, some schools in the region are in dire need of the construction of plumbing facilities, the organization of water supply, and the installation of solar panels.
Our task is not just to build a building, but to create a sustainable project in which regional funds, government and society are also interested so that it continues its development as an independent unit. Therefore, working on each school, we do not just start construction. Volunteers come to personally get acquainted with the living conditions of children, to see what they lack for effective study and to formulate further stages of support for each school.
Everywhere has its own nuances, for example, a recently built school in Senegal is in dire need of office supplies. In addition, the school lacks teachers, as a result, teachers come to children from Dakar - the capital of the state. Some schools are built closer to cities, and it is easier with teachers, but the poverty level in some African, Asian and Latin American countries is very different from region to region. Some children are familiar with computers, others don’t have electricity, others don’t have anything to wear and nothing to write on ... well, there’s nothing to write on either.
For example, when Graham Hackland, IT Director of Williams Racing Team , came with us to build, he brought with him branded notebooks that we handed out to all students in the new school. Other partners help with office supplies - pens and pencils that children simply don’t have. Arsenal Football Club transferred its club t-shirts and balls to Senegal, Lebanon and Cambodia, and now children can play football, participate in competitions in their football uniforms - like a real professional team. Many schools need small solar generators and laptops, the delivery of which we agree today.
Intensive work with schools that we have already opened brings results. And, for example, one of the first schools opened in Myanmar 5 months after our departure moved to a new level of work. The guys take basic computer courses there, although before they had no access to modern technology. A good level of digitalization has also been achieved in Cambodia, where teachers themselves use computers to upgrade their skills and download new teaching materials.
In Tanzania and Senegal, everything is much more complicated, since the infrastructure and society itself are further from the modern "digital" era. There you have to go a whole series of steps so that the guys can use the computer, like their peers from other countries.
But the most interesting thing is that the mere presence of a school with infrastructure and teachers does not always reveal the full potential of knowledge for children. We are specially developing a computer literacy course that will help children who have never seen a mobile phone explain why the Internet is needed, how it can be used.
Today we are working on a teacher education program, which is planned to be launched along with Acronis-friendly universities. Educational institutions have a sufficient base for organizing retraining of teachers in full-time and part-time form. We also want to attract university staff and students to develop special educational programs for children living in areas with a lack of access to knowledge.
Our goal is to make clear the scope of the opportunities that digital learning offers. Help children see the potential for global growth through online software. And everyone can work on this course. If you read this post to the end, you probably have ideas on how best to teach children from Africa and Asia the basics of computer literacy or other important subjects. And we will be glad to see you among the co-authors or reviewers of the new courses, which have to be specially adapted to each individual country taken. If you wish to take part in the initiative, write to Foundation@acronis.org .
Sooner or later, many successful organizations come to a new stage of social growth - they begin to organize charitable activities. And each has its own path for implementation. In particular, in 2018 Acronis established the Acronis Foundation , an international charitable foundation that is committed to increasing knowledge worldwide. We are sure that it is knowledge that helps people achieve their goals and realize themselves, and society, through the availability of knowledge, improves the standard of living.
Among the projects that we are developing, there are such areas as the construction of schools and the organization of infrastructure for teaching children, the development of educational programs and the publication of educational books. Also in Singapore, where the judicial system is very harsh, and many prisoners are serving sentences for crimes insignificant by European standards, we help those released to gain new knowledge, master the modern profession and adapt to the modern digital world. In addition, today there is a development of training programs for children of prisoners who should not lose their opportunities due to the misconduct of their parents. Acronis Foundation publishes books for children, where we talk in simple terms about scientific discoveries, modern technologies, and automobile sports. A new book on quantum computing is being prepared,
Recently, with the support of the Acronis Foundation, a school was built and opened in Nuevo Chimbote (Peru). This is a region in which the level of education is one of the lowest in the country. The school was built in partnership with the Italian charitable organization Don Bosco 3A, and the Institución Educativa Virgen de las Gracias school will provide free education, training materials, uniforms and lunches for about 230 children from the most needy families of the local community in the coming school year.
School in Peru
More educational opportunities in different countries.
Acronis is an international company with Headquarters in Singapore and Switzerland. The organization’s 27 offices are located in 18 countries, including the USA, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Great Britain, Belgium, Russia, Japan, etc., and the company's products are used in more than 170 countries. The Acronis Foundation also works across the globe and helps children in different regions, because according to UNESCO, more than 387 million children of primary school age (56%) and 230 million adolescents in primary school (61%) do not reach the minimum level of proficiency reading and math skills. We strive to make education more accessible for children around the world, given the differences in needs of different countries.
There is compulsory secondary education in Russia, and children are taught basic disciplines in any corner of the country, and educational organizations offer children distance learning programs of additional education in a variety of subjects, we help to develop advanced education. For example, last year in Ulyanovsk and Novorossiysk, with the support of the Acronis Foundation, two centers of further education were opened along with the Unium franchise, where children can delve deeper into the natural sciences and humanitarian disciplines.
Other regions require different approaches, since in a number of countries a significant number of children have no opportunity to attend school. And since we are confident that the situation with the level of knowledge around the world directly affects the quality of our lives, the global economy, the level of awareness of environmental policy, the fight against crime, and so on. For this, we have been helping to build schools in the regions with the lowest educational penetration for several years. You can agree or disagree with this position, but we are always glad to see the support of this project from the IT community, which, like no one else, understands the value of a general level of literacy among specialists.
Build a building. Organize infrastructure. Prepare teachers.
Although education is available to everyone in Russia and Europe, in the modern world, there are not so few places in the world where children not only have no one to learn from, but also nowhere to learn. The complete absence of schools is a common practice in many African and Asian regions, and the Acronis Foundation is working to help these children get their chance to show their intellectual potential and create their own contribution to the development of society.
To build the school building itself, it is necessary to attract partners, find a regional specialist in construction, enlist the support of the government and the municipality. We have built 6 schools - in Myanmar, Tanzania, Cambodia, Senegal, Lebanon and Peru. For example, in Senegal, volunteers were able to take a direct part in the construction - 20 Acronis employees from different countries spent several weeks in the village involved in building a school - laying the foundation, casting concrete blocks, assembling metal frames and other tasks at all stages of construction. We already talked about this in more detail in a separate article on BigPikcha. Two schools are currently in the final stages of construction - in Guatemala and Laos. But we do not stop there, and agreements have already been reached on the construction of another school, and other regions with a lack of access to education are constantly being examined.
School in Lebanon
School in Senegal
Construction in Guatemala
School in Myanmar
School in Cambodia
Training class in Laos
Funds for the construction of schools are allocated by the Acronis Foundation charitable foundation, as well as its partners - companies and corporations from different countries. Funds received to Acronis Foundation accounts are 100% spent only on fund projects. For example, volunteers from the company go to help with the construction only at the expense of the company Acronis, which also incurs the cost of tickets, all legal and accounting costs. The same applies to book printing and curriculum preparation - funding for these projects is provided separately, since Acronis Foundation finances are exclusively intended.
In a number of countries, we cooperate with existing educational institutions. For example, in Bhutan, active processes are currently underway to improve the education system, and we invited three specialists to Singapore to learn from and study the Singaporean education system. We see support for education at the level of the country's Ministry of Education, and our foundation also seeks cooperation. Although we did not build new schools in Bhutan, we can help existing ones with the organization of additional conditions. For example, some schools in the region are in dire need of the construction of plumbing facilities, the organization of water supply, and the installation of solar panels.
Studying proccess
Our task is not just to build a building, but to create a sustainable project in which regional funds, government and society are also interested so that it continues its development as an independent unit. Therefore, working on each school, we do not just start construction. Volunteers come to personally get acquainted with the living conditions of children, to see what they lack for effective study and to formulate further stages of support for each school.
Everywhere has its own nuances, for example, a recently built school in Senegal is in dire need of office supplies. In addition, the school lacks teachers, as a result, teachers come to children from Dakar - the capital of the state. Some schools are built closer to cities, and it is easier with teachers, but the poverty level in some African, Asian and Latin American countries is very different from region to region. Some children are familiar with computers, others don’t have electricity, others don’t have anything to wear and nothing to write on ... well, there’s nothing to write on either.
For example, when Graham Hackland, IT Director of Williams Racing Team , came with us to build, he brought with him branded notebooks that we handed out to all students in the new school. Other partners help with office supplies - pens and pencils that children simply don’t have. Arsenal Football Club transferred its club t-shirts and balls to Senegal, Lebanon and Cambodia, and now children can play football, participate in competitions in their football uniforms - like a real professional team. Many schools need small solar generators and laptops, the delivery of which we agree today.
Intensive work with schools that we have already opened brings results. And, for example, one of the first schools opened in Myanmar 5 months after our departure moved to a new level of work. The guys take basic computer courses there, although before they had no access to modern technology. A good level of digitalization has also been achieved in Cambodia, where teachers themselves use computers to upgrade their skills and download new teaching materials.
In Tanzania and Senegal, everything is much more complicated, since the infrastructure and society itself are further from the modern "digital" era. There you have to go a whole series of steps so that the guys can use the computer, like their peers from other countries.
Educational program
But the most interesting thing is that the mere presence of a school with infrastructure and teachers does not always reveal the full potential of knowledge for children. We are specially developing a computer literacy course that will help children who have never seen a mobile phone explain why the Internet is needed, how it can be used.
Today we are working on a teacher education program, which is planned to be launched along with Acronis-friendly universities. Educational institutions have a sufficient base for organizing retraining of teachers in full-time and part-time form. We also want to attract university staff and students to develop special educational programs for children living in areas with a lack of access to knowledge.
Our goal is to make clear the scope of the opportunities that digital learning offers. Help children see the potential for global growth through online software. And everyone can work on this course. If you read this post to the end, you probably have ideas on how best to teach children from Africa and Asia the basics of computer literacy or other important subjects. And we will be glad to see you among the co-authors or reviewers of the new courses, which have to be specially adapted to each individual country taken. If you wish to take part in the initiative, write to Foundation@acronis.org .