Jarai IT Learning Hub

The indigenous Jarai people of Cambodia run and oversee a community-based information technology education center that enables them to thrive and subscribe to the empowerment of marginalized communities.

Social exclusion and poverty hinder the access of Cambodia’s indigenous peoples to information technology. Government policies and strategies on information technology seem useless for ensuring digital literacy because computer education is insufficient in the provinces. Teachers give minimal instruction in this subject matter without hands-on practice. In the case of schools with limited units, students have to vie for use with numerous learners. With this condition, indigenous peoples are mostly left behind. 

Indigenous students must navigate their way to learning these skills for future employment hunting to secure a living for their families. But, most of them cannot afford private IT learning facilities due to high fees and costs.

The Jarai IT Learning Hub was established in August 2021. It is the only local initiative that provides free computer basics for Microsoft Office, the internet, and social media courses. The learning center is managed by a local organization named, Indigenous Peoples Residence Project (IPR) in La Pou Village 5 kilometers from schools and boarding houses.  It has six units of donated laptops for practicum. Learners attend computer instruction after school for five days weekly. This solution supplies higher IT courses to indigenous students comparatively than the government should provide.   

Instrumental to the sustainability of this solution is to work on organizational and project development. Thus, the following objectives are planned to be implemented: 

1. Conduct intensive project evaluation and strategic planning 
2. Increase the number of enrollees from 16 to 32 indigenous youth with supplemental boarding assistance to continue secondary education
3. Enhancing curriculum and developing learning materials
4. Set up peer-to-peer catch-up sessions and develop IT tutors from the learners
5. To establish a functional organizational structure, set up policies and procedures, process local government accreditation, and
6. Strengthening fundraising mobilization

For indigenous youth, attaining education has been a challenge. Parents pursue supplemental income to pay for supplies and boarding costs in the town proper, 54 kilometers away, along with their struggle for human rights and ancestral domain recognition.

Finishing university is an elusive dream for most indigenous families. Nonetheless, it is the only legacy they could leave for their children to find a better future. 

We envisioned improving the lives of 32 targeted indigenous youth among the 109 youth population in Chrong Village, where the Jarai Tribe settled. Placing the learning hub in La Pou Village near their schools and boarding houses benefits their study routines.

Providing them with computer education will increase their employability skills and confidence in entering the workforce to participate in developing their family and society at large. 

THE TEAM

The team consists of:

Team Leader 

• I am a continuing student in the hub and targeted as one of the future IT mentors; 20 years of age 
• Finished secondary education in 2022
• Youth Representative and Volunteer with Adolescent and Youth Reference Group
• Volunteered with Save Vulnerable Cambodians at the College of Agriculture Food Science 
• Participated in Cambodia Youth Network

Hub Manager

• Founder and the only IT instructor at the hub
• Currently working as an Information Management Officer with Mines Advisory Group in Ratanakiri since 2019
• Finished diploma course in Social Communication and Journalism at Don Bosco Technical School in Kep province
• Active Member of the Cambodia Indigenous Youth Association

Fundraising Volunteer

• Is a national of the Philippines and has been working remotely as an international volunteer.  His designation is to support fund generation and facilitate organizational and capacity development. 
• Formerly worked as National Youth Volunteering Advisor with VSO Cambodia and Cambodia Indigenous Youth Association in Ratanakiri from 2012-2014 and as Leadership and Management Advisor with VSO Nepal's Sister for Sister's Education Program II from 2017-2018.

The founder has been in a situation where indigenous peoples struggle to access quality education due to poverty. He is grateful for the current education he attained and still dreams big for the indigenous youth from his community. This led him to take the initiative of establishing an IT hub for indigenous youth with the hope of them acquiring life security and enabling them to participate in empowering minorities.

He was also able to solicit funds and acquire 6 units of laptops from German nationals to start the project

There are several local NGOs and INGOs working with indigenous peoples for livelihood, health, and education in the province of Ratanakiri. But there was no intervention related to building capacity in information technology, particularly for indigenous stakeholders.

According to Jane Hunter, capacitating indigenous people in information technology will empower them to capture, manage, and disseminate endangered cultures. It improves economic independence and sustainability and increases community-based involvement in development.[1]

This solution will open opportunities for partnering with government agencies, INGOs, and private entities or individuals to invest in the computer education of indigenous peoples and see a potential business venture.

[1] Jane Hunter (2005). The Role of Information Technologies in Indigenous Knowledge Management, Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 36:2, 109-124, DOI: 10.1080/00048623.2005.10721252

These are the impact goals:

• 29% of the 109 indigenous Jarai youth student populations in Chrong village are actively engaged in the project and IT literate. 
• The Jarai IT Learning Hub located in La Pou village is recognized as an alternative facility for IT education for indigenous peoples in the province
• A mutual understanding is achieved between parties (public, private, and nonprofit) for an intended course of action for project expansion or development

To achieve these impact goals, the following actions will be implemented:

• community scanning to acquire baseline data
• accepts expressions of interest and conducts onboarding processes for projected new learners
• improve the visibility of the project in the community and social media
• Intensify networking and linkage

This solution utilizes the process of equipping indigenous peoples with the IT competencies essential for further education and joining the workforce whether in the corporate or nonprofit. It is hardware and software based to achieve the set goals.

Completers of the course will continue to be students and have the opportunity to use the hub to continue practicing and mentoring peer learners.

Learners who are interested in becoming IT instructors will be capacitated in teaching and mentoring skills.

The solution started with 16 Jarai youths in August 2021. Four completed the course and are now studying IT and Commerce in Phnom Penh. Currently, there are 12 learners (5 females and 7 males). 

The solution is targeting a total of 32 Jarai youth students for 2023-2024 including current learners.

We see the following as challenges and risks:

• Recurrence of COVID 19
• Fund depletion
• Depreciation of learning equipment
• Youth Migration
• Drop out to focus on family livelihood activities due to poverty

None

The project provides IT education. This is being delivered to Jarai youths through skills capacity development in the community hub five days weekly after school. This service is being given to increase the competency and qualification of the Jarai youth to join nonprofits or other industries.

Initially, the project relies on sustained donations and grants. Although, the team is projecting to establish a social enterprise making it a cooperative business model that transitioned from a free-for-service and low-income client model.