Think locally, act globally

Laying the right foundation was extremely important, so such master trainers were chosen who could play an instrumental role in promoting the use of Information and Communication Technology in the schools and colleges in Orangi Town

Orangi Town is a small densely populated town in the northwestern part of the largest metropolitan city of Pakistan--Karachi. According to 1998 census, the population of Orangi Town was estimated to be more than 720,000. Inhabitants of Orangi Town comprise mainly of immigrants whose ancestors primarily hailed from the Indian state of Bihar. However, several other ethnic groups also reside in the area.

Orangi poverty alleviation project (Orangi Pilot Project, OPP) was initiated by Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan in 1980. The project was aimed at socio-economic development of the Orangi area. The project comprises a number of programs, including a people's financed and managed Low-Cost Sanitation Program; a Housing Program; a Basic Health and Family Planning Program; a Program of Supervised Credit for Small Family Enterprise Units; an Education Program and a Rural Development Program in the surrounding villages.

Thus, it is no wonder that when Intel Education introduced its Intel Teach to the Future Program way back in 2002, the residents of Orangi Town were the first ones to make the most of this opportunity.

Nisar Ahmed from the Faran Education Trust, decided to train 20 Master Teachers in the effective integration of Technology into the existing k-12 curriculum. The challenges faced were many, but the residents kept their morale high. They knew well that in order to keep pace with the rapidly changing world, they needed to create an effective workforce who could prepare today's generation to cope up with the challenges of the 21st century world.