Since 2011, Tololamos has been awarding laptop computers to secondary school students in Tololar. Laptops are awarded quarterly to high-performing students, and the effect on academic achievement has been dramatic.
Before we started the computer program, only 19% of students in Tololar were passing all of their classes. After the first semester of our computer program, that number jumped to 43%. It has risen every semester since, and currently sits around 60%.
A computer in the right hands is a powerful tool, and learning computer skills can deeply impact the futures of these students.
Our computer program is inexpensive to run – all repair & refurbishment is done by Tololamos – but it requires a lot of time and creativity to manage. We buy dozens of laptop bags from thrift stores, troll eBay for replacement parts, and send the finished laptops to Nicaragua via an improvised mix of medical students and mission trips.
If you have a used laptop, tablet or smartphone (in any condition) that you’d like to donate to Tololamos, please visit our computer donation page. It can have a great second life in the hands of a talented Nicaraguan student, and open new doors for their future.