Meet Newton Tanzania Collaborative

Newton Tanzania Collaborative, Inc. (NTC) (www.newtontanzania.org) is a Newton, Massachusetts based 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission of building mutual relationships between schools and communities in the United States and Tanzania. Since 2006, NTC has fostered a relationship between the communities of Newton, Massachusetts and Kwala, Tanzania, including three school-to-school cultural exchange partnerships, several exchange visits to and from Kwala, and the completion of several high impact projects to improve educational opportunities for children in Kwala. NTC’s current initiatives in Kwala include: a water development project, the creation of a community orchard, a girls education and housing program, an English program, and a program to establish a computer and Internet lab in Kwala Secondary School. NTC’s project director, Lisa Walker, is currently living in Kwala and teaching English at Kwala Secondary School.

Smallbean launched our Citizen Archivist Project pilot in conjunction with Newton-Tanzania Collaborative in February 2010 and continues to work with NTC in Kwala.

Meet Citizen Schools

Citizen Schools (www.citizenschools.org/) partners with middle schools to expand the learning day for low-income children across the country. Since 1995, students at Citizen Schools have developed the academic and leadership skills they need to succeed in high school, college, the workplace, and civic life. Citizen Schools has 37 campuses in seven states, serving 4,400 students and engaging 4,000 volunteers. Citizen Schools is at the forefront of a movement to educate children, strengthen communities, and increase access to the American Dream.

As of February 2010, Smallbean is running a Citizen Archivist Project at the Edison Middle School in Brighton, Massachusetts with Citizen Schools.

Meet the Boston Public Library

The Boston Public Library (www.bpl.org) has been providing Smallbean with fabulous advice and learned expertise as we prepare to create the Digital Archive housing the data collected by our Citizen Archivist Project pilots in Tanzania and Brighton.

Meet We Care Solar

We Care Solar (www.wecaresolar.com) is a California-based not for profit organization that designs and constructs solar power installations for hospitals in Africa. Thus far We Care has provided health workers in Nigeria and Rwanda with reliable lighting, blood bank refrigeration and mobile communication using solar electricity. One of We Care’s most exciting solar designs is the 'solar suitcase', a solar power system that is durable, powerful, highly portable and relatively maintenance free. Just as it sounds, the solar suitcase is literally a complete solar system that fits in an airplane carry-on. The suitcases can be easily installed and subsequently expanded with local solar supplies.

We Care Solar provided Smallbean with the solar suitcase design used with great success during our Citizen Archivist Project pilot in Kwala, Tanzania. 

Meet Everbright Solar

Everbright Solar (www.everbrightsolar.com/) is a vertically integrated manufacturer and factory direct seller of various solar cells and other solar technologies. Everbright provides finished and semi-finished solar components to DIY users like Smallbean.

Everbright provided the solar panels used by Smallbean to power the technology lab constructed in Kwala, Tanzania as part of the Citizen Archivist Project pilot.

Meet Voltaic Systems

Voltaic Systems (www.voltaicsystems.com) makes products that produce and store their own power to run electronics anywhere. Their solar backpacks were used to solar charge cameras, audio recording equipment and other batteries that helped power the Citizen Archivist Project in Kwala, Tanzania.