New KHouse Opens in Bolivia

This morning, two blue, mobile containers, filled with computers and connected to the Internet, opened their doors to street kids and schools of La Paz, Bolivia . Estimates claim the city has 50.000 street kids.

A KHouse is a community 'telecenter' offering Kidlink contents. Kidlink is a global social network acting to empower kids and youth using educational programs freely available through the Internet.

"The KHouse concept will help us give less fortunate children a better opportunity," says Claudia Gonzales of Alalay, the La Paz non-governmental organization operating the KHouse.

"Using Kidlink's Who-Am-I? educational program, we will help street kids improve their self-esteem, prevent and reduce excessive use of drugs and juventile delinquency. We want to reduce social and racial discrimination, and promote equality of genders and opportunities."  

Specifically, Claudia wants to motivate 80 street kids and youth to return to school next year. She wants to serve one thousand students at La Paz' public schools.

"We applaud Alalay's selection of a mobile KHouse solution," says Odd de Presno, Kidlink's Executive Director. "We are very happy for their decision to translate the Who-am-I? program into Aymara, an indigenous langauge spoken by around 2 million people in Bolivia."

The KHouse Alalay was made possible thanks to donation and support from Stromme Foundation (Norway) and Datacom-Entel (Bolivia).

[The highest KHouse in the world
"travels" at 3,600 metres above sea level!]

Photos
Who-Am-I? contributions by children at KHouse Alalay in early 2003 (Click at Go! to view).

Next page: How did it go? (progress reports)

What is a KHouse? About Kidlink | Sobre Kidlink Who-Am-I? | ¿Quién-Soy-Yo? Kidlink's model for partnerships (Español)

The World Bank's infoDev about Kidlink's model Odd de Presno Press center | Press contact Stromme Foundation Datacom-Entel