Update September 2011
(Written by Pamela) Fola is a teacher and an "Internet evangelist" who has been sharing his knowledge widely, Originally he used a smart phone (which was a big investment - paid for with the help of a loan) but that is no longer usable. He has been using his wife's PC and a modem to access the Internet and to teach people about its use, but the power situation in Ago-Are makes this very difficult. He has recently taken out a loan to buy a laptop and inverter, so we look forward to increased contact from him and the Dadamac outpost in Ago-Are.
You'll find more updates about him via Nikki's blogs if you type "Fola" in the search box
Original introduction
Fola is a teacher in rural Nigeria. He is innovative, interested in ICT, and a self directed learner. He was an early adopter of smart phones - despite his meagre salary. He bought it wiht the help of a loan which he repaid over three yours.
He is the kind of contact who could be seen as a wonderful resource and potential collaborator for anyone who really wants to see the Internet change the face of education, and for any project that wants to work with local people to explore possibilities for change. Sadly, I have yet to find any projects that seem to be looking for that kind of collaboration.
Fola and I met face to face during two of my visits to Ago-Are (in rural South West Nigeria) through Pastor David and his work at the information centre at Ago-Are.
During a subsequent visit to Nigeria, when I was presenting a course for self-directed leaarners at the Knowledge Resource Centre at Fantsuam, I arranged for Fola to come up and join the course. That's when he learned to blog. We keep in touch via the Internet through the phone network. When Minciu Sodas was active Fola was a contributor to the group LearningFromEachOther and also joined in discussions in the chat room.
My blog entry on Hand Held Learning and Ago-Are, rural Nigeria gives more background on Fola
We both share the dream of the late Peter Adetunji Oyawale, that one day Ago-Are (and places like it) will have full access to the Internet and related learning and development opportunities.
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