By Vanya Saksena, Year 12
Founded in 2019 by Eden Chung, now Year 13, Reboot2Kids is a non-profit organization dedicated to giving children in developing countries access to clean water, technology and sport. Interested in STEM and football from a young age, Eden found a way to use her passions to make an impact in a remote area. We sat down with her to ask a few questions and learn more about this initiative.
Reboot2Kids works with a few main schools, two in Sierra Leone and one in Papua New Guinea. In the early stages of this project, Eden reached out to Martine Coppens, a retired primary school teacher, who, after leaving LGB, had opened two schools in Sierra Leone. “We reasoned that working with her would be the best way to directly monitor our progress, and allow us to adjust our focus based on the needs of the individual schools,” she explained. “We also helped another school, in Papua New Guinea. My dad had worked there for a few years, and through some of his contacts, we found a school that was trying to form a computer lab.” As this directly aligned with Reboot2Kids’s main objectives, it was a great opportunity for the organization.
Over the years, Reboot2Kids has undertaken three main projects, starting with the donation of used football boots to the schools in Sierra Leone. “The students in the community love playing football, but often have to play barefoot,” Eden continued. “Personally, I had loads of old football boots sitting around at home, and this got me thinking that maybe others did too.” Eden set up collection boxes around Geneva, inviting people to donate their used football boots. These boots were then sent off to the schools, where they were distributed amongst the children.
Her next project focused on collecting used devices to create computer labs and help students in the communities develop digital skills. “We were looking for any devices that could facilitate learning: iPads, Macbooks, PCs, etc. Lots of people donated and we managed to collect quite a few devices. We also applied for a grant from a local association, which gave us enough money to add brand new tablets and internet access, and even hire a fully trained ICT teacher for the school.”
For a long time, Eden’s interests have been geared toward STEM; after conducting research as a part of the WinSTEAM club at school (Women in STEAM), she learned the importance of digital literacy in today’s world. She said that, “Especially in lower income countries, students who develop digital literacy skills will hopefully be much more able to escape the poverty cycle.” To accompany the devices sent, members of the WinSTEAM club worked to create a manual outlining the basics of each device: the functions of each button, how to access control centers, etc. The goal was to ease the transition for students at the school, who were unfamiliar with this kind of technology. The manual, titled “Boot It Up”, was sent to the schools along with the devices this past summer.
Although the initial focuses of the organization were to improve access to sports and technology, after talking to the leaders of the schools and learning more about the situation, Eden found that there was more she could do to help.
“We quickly realized that a lot of the kids were suffering from diarrhea and were even sent to the hospital because of it,” she explained. “As a result, we have decided to extend our focus and are currently helping to improve their water supply and hygiene. Over the last year, grants and donations received from organizations like SIG have gone towards the development of a water pump, filtration system, and hand wash station in the school in Sierra Leone.”
(see picture to the right)
To expand their impact globally, Reboot2Kids created an app called “Water Well” (accessible online and in book format) which is available worldwide. “Water Well” informs readers on ways to combat water scarcity in communities and households, and highlights the importance of having clean water accessible to all.
Overall, Eden is proud of what she has accomplished with this organization and seeing pictures of her progress has made everything worth it. “It was really great to see the photos of the kids who were holding up the shoes,” she said. “I also received some videos of students using the devices and it was great to see how easily they learned it and how much fun they were having!”
If you have any old devices sitting around, please contact Eden (eden.chung@learning.ecolint.ch) to donate them. Monetary donations are also greatly appreciated, as there are still many students in Sierra Leone looking for scholarships. Donate at https://www.reboot2kids.org/!
Don’t forget to follow @reboot2kids on Instagram to see their progress.
Finally, if you’re interested, the WinSTEAM club meets on Tuesdays from 12:40 to 13:25 at the STEM center. Contact Eden for more information!
