by: Ruiqi Ma
Ruiqi Ma (TLM ’25) spent her summer in Namutumba, Uganda participating in the Team4Tech Internship. Here is her experience in her own words.
Team4Tech is a nonprofit impact accelerator bridging the digital equity gap in education to create inclusion and opportunities for learners in under-resourced communities around the world.
This summer, Team4Tech partnered with Middlebury College, Dartmouth College, and the African SOUP, which is a nonprofit organization in Uganda for an 8-week internship program for undergraduate students. As a Project Coordinator, I supported the partnership virtually and on-site. I ensured the smooth progress of the project by communicating with the Program Director from Team4Tech, the SOUP point person, and the undergraduate interns, as well as leading group discussions and reflections.
The African SOUP is a burgeoning educational organization that aims to empower communities through national primary education change. The village of its founder lacked formal education and his parents spent all their money to send him and his siblings away to school. He had to walk 12 kilometers every day to attend school. The hardships of pursuing his education and his love for his hometown inspired him to contribute to the educational development of his community. SOUP runs a nursery and primary school in Namutumba in rural eastern Uganda. SOUP hopes that both teachers and students can experience the convenience that technology brings to work, study, and life, but they are facing some challenges. Our work in providing Information and Community Technology (ICT) skills training to the school’s teachers sparked their interest in computer technology. This training aimed to simplify their daily tasks through the use of technology, and in turn, enabled them to teach these skills to their students.
Before going to Uganda, the undergraduate interns attended the leadership development curriculum course provided by Team4Tech. I led the group discussion on these topics, and this knowledge was very helpful in practical applications, on the ground.
During the on-site phrase, we learned about Ugandan history and culture to help us better understand the context. To better help the teachers develop ICT skills and integrate them into their classes, it was important to know their teaching styles and needs. We observed the classes in all grades, organized discussions, and designed and implemented daily training sessions. By the end of the project, we digitized the administrative work in the school, which highly enhanced teachers’ working efficiency. The teachers made impressive progress in Microsoft Suite, Google research, took advantage of online learning platforms to prepare lessons, used hardware, and improved email communications, all of which impacted 600+ students in the school.
The biggest challenge during the internship was decision-making amidst ambiguity, as there were no guidelines for us to follow. At the beginning of the project, we didn’t know where to start, since we were unfamiliar with Uganda’s education system, how the school operates, and the needs of the teachers. Therefore, we decided to observe first and have conversations with the teachers rather than imposing our ideas on them. On top of that, the team brainstormed and conducted discussions, we outlined the overall project plan and divided it into daily plans. Every week, we distributed surveys and revised the training plan based on feedback from the SOUP contact person and the teachers.
This experience took me to a new country I had never set foot in before, opening my eyes and changing my mindset. Here are the things I learned:
- When collaborating with NGOs, always prioritize their needs instead of imposing your own ideas. The conditions for computers and network hardware are vastly different between the U.S. and Uganda. Understanding the teachers’ expectations and maximizing the use of existing resources in Ugandan schools made our work much more efficient.
- Plan ahead but remain flexible. Unexpected situations always arise in work. For instance, one day we planned to teach the teachers how to use Gmail, but the Wi-Fi wasn’t working, so we moved the printer usage lesson scheduled for the next day to that day. Additionally, we adjusted the training plan for the following week based on the feedback from the teachers’ surveys each week.
- Working together as a team is essential. Our work could not have been done independently, and the smooth progress of the project relied on everyone’s cooperation. During this collaboration, we had differing opinions, but we conducted professional discussions and chose solutions that satisfied both parties.
- My coordination skills improved significantly through communication with various parties, allowing me to communicate effectively.
- Stay open and curious. During the project, we asked many questions about Ugandan culture, history, education system, teaching methods, and NGO operations to better assist the teachers. We also spent a lot of time playing volleyball and dancing with the students, getting to know their thoughts, which deepened our understanding of Uganda and made us more inclusive.
This was my first time working with an NGO, and I gained a lot from this internship. I can apply what I learned to my studies at MIIS next year and my future work, benefiting greatly. I believe our work will have a sustainable impact on SOUP. I hope my experience can inspire students interested in NGO work!