In my previous entry I wrote about how business intelligence is used by our client organizations to realize two of our core values at iBusiness Solutions:

          Influence…“Shaping a Positive Future”

          Impact…“Effecting Change and Transformation”

As a company, we seek to influence and impact people in ways other than just through business intelligence.  Due to a personal connection my family has with Guatemala, iBusiness Solutions has created and continues to build a network of individuals, businesses, and organizations to provide children in several rural villages of Guatemala learning opportunities that would not otherwise be available.  These children are preparing for lives of service by having the opportunity to explore, experiment, and express themselves through computer technology.

This has been a work-in-progress for two years now and this past February we equipped the first two schools with donated computers, software, a printer and a basic network.   We received a donation of 25 laptops from a local health care system and iBusiness Solutions donated the software, peripherals, and networking supplies.  With these donations, we were able to equip two Guatemalan schools, transforming unused rooms into computer centers that are now reaching students throughout these two villages.

During our trip in February, we were able to see an immediate impact by using Skype to connect the two Guatemalan schools with Spanish classes at my children’s school here in Minnesota. 

This provided the opportunity for the Guatemalan students to practice their English and for the American students to practice their Spanish while impressing on both sets of students the connectedness and interdependence of people in today’s world.

The long-term, lasting impacts of this project are yet to be fully understood, but the influence of knowledge about the world outside Guatemala has the potential to shape an extremely positive future for these children in a country where more than half of the population remains illiterate.  Just completing two years of keyboarding classes allows 10th grade students to receive a special diploma from the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, making them eligible for a higher level of education and additional careers they otherwise would not have access to.

I could go on for pages with stories we are already hearing from these first two Guatemalan schools and maybe at a later date I will share some of those stories.  However, we are already planning for February, 2010.  Those plans include equipping four more schools with a similar setup.  We are searching for companies willing to donate laptop computers meeting minimum technical specifications.  If you work for an organization that is upgrading laptops or willing to make a cash donation to purchase software and peripherals, please email me or call me at 612-730-7404.  If you are interested in personally participating in this project, let me know and I can share with you how to get involved and possibly join us on the trip next winter.

We all have opportunities to use our resources to influence the future of those around us and to impact people by transforming their lives.  I ask that you consider this specific opportunity to use technology we would consider at the end of its life to open up the world to students in Guatemala.