A Worldwide Learning Community—Connecting Disadvantaged Schools in Developing Countries to the World
Johana Dunlop, Simone Crook · SPE International Conference on Health, Safety and Environment in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production · 2002
Abstract Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development (SEED) operates through a Connectivity Grant Program, offering financial and technical assistance to connect disadvantaged schools in developing countries to the Internet. In addition, an educational Web site shares the knowledge and expertise of the company's scientists and engineers with 10- to 18-year-olds around the world. In just over 3 years, the SEED program has made the Internet available to approximately 50 organizations educating more than 87,000 children in 15 developing countries. The development of this worldwide learning community offers young people a tangible opportunity to participate in the economic and social advantages afforded by access to new knowledge and technologies. Through the ReSEED initiative, the larger community also benefits, as these schools share what they have learned with the communities in which they live. We describe successful programs at Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and Faridabad, India, where SEED is making a positive impact on individual lives and the communities at large.