Technology for Wayuu Education (TWE) Program is an education project designed by Wayuu Taya Foundation to use Computer Technology to improve Wayuu children’s writing, reading and speaking skills in Spanish as well as their native tribal language (Wayunaiki), strength their identity as Wayuu indigenes and encourage leadership for communities development.

The TWE Program was launched at Jesus Redentor elementary school and its objective is to reinforce the auto-learning capacity of children by interacting with specialized software multimedia tools, designed with elements from their own socio-cultural environment.

In a first phase, children start an introductory program named “Conociendo mi Laboratorio de Computación” (In english “Knowing my computer lab”). In this short program the students have their first contacts with a computer, understand how does it works, learn the lab rules and start developing the basic skills to use the mouse and the keyboard.

After finishing the introductory program, children learn how to use the word processor MS Office Word by following a “Write to express” learning strategy. This strategy stimulates children creativity, so they can express themselves by writing their own ideas.

Finally, children learn to use MS Encarta as a tool to search information about history, geography, science and general culture.

“Tepichi Talashi”, means “happy child”, and that is the name the foundation has chosen for the first preschool that is part of our Roof Project. With this, 100 children are guaranteed to have the minimum infrastructure needed to obtain the primary cycle of education. The school has bilingual professors teaching in both Spanish and wayuainiki (Wayuu dialect).

The children do not only study, sing, sew, or play, but are also provided with healthcare and nutrition. A medical group works with “Tepichi Talashi”, providing medical attention for the children and sanitation tools for their parents. Additionally, the school serves all 100 students with breakfast and lunch.

Every wayunaiki word selected by the foundation to name an aspect of the ‘Roof Project’, connects directly to the world of the Wayuu. “Shukumajaya”, which means Beginning, is the first roof that our organization provided for the indigenous women to meet and work, protected from the elements. We have constructed a “gran bohío” consistent with the traditions of the community, where the women of that community can come together and sew.

The Wayuu Taya foundation, did not simply create a place for the women to work, the material is also provided to make the traditional colorful bags. These bags, known as “susu’s”, are part of the artisan tradition of the wayuu taya. This is an art that utilizes a creative mix of colors, and requires patience and an attention to detail to make the finished product; it takes a woman 20 days to create on of these very special bags. The “Shukumajaya” as part of the Roof Project, is not only a place where wayuu women some to work, it also serves as a social environment where the foundation also provides discussions on family planning, nutrition, and hygiene.

In much of the developed world, in most cases, it is safe to say that parents are able to provide nearly everything that their children need. Children know of a Santa Clause who receives the letters detailing what they want most for Christmas. Our foundation also receives letters from children, however at times there will be one that stands out among the rest. A letter arrived from Sorimar Gutierrez from the Parroquia Tamare from Zulia, Venezuela. She was not writing to request candy or toys…

Sorimar Gutierrez described her experience in school and what she referred to as “Los Lechosos”. We learned that what she was referring to was a group of trees, under which many Wayuu children met for their school classes, as a means of shelter from stormy weather and the harsh rays of the tropic sun. The Wayuu Taya foundation knew that the problems that Sorimar was describing were a very small part of a much larger problem: there was no physical school for the children to attend.

Our NGO was able to raise the funds necessary to make the wishes of Sorimar a reality. The foundation inaugurated five classrooms, “Los Lechosos”, which are now open and accepting students. Today the school has 310 students, with such high demand that there are two sessions of classes each day. Now, thanks to the card from Sorimar, the Wayuu community of the zuliano municipality of Mara have a school building with a learning environment more conducive to the education and safety of every student.