
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.