Virtual Training Just for the Rich?

This week I was talking with a non-profit Healing Water International an organization that focuses on water treatment, micro-business plus health and hygiene education in developing countries. I want to help them develop educational material to support their goals. One thing they are doing is writing curriculum on paper. I thought “PAPER”. This is so costly. Plus there are so many other ways of developing training that are cheaper and “better.”

I love virtual training – give me e-learning, social learning, virtual classrooms and gamification, and my blood starts pumping. But in many third world countries they you do not have internet or in internet café the download speeds are slow and expensive. People do not have computers, or even electricity. One of my friends said they took a computer to a rural village and people were more interested in the computer than learning about water treatment, micro-business and health and hygiene.

My other experience this week as I was packing my shoebox for Operation Christmas Child - a ministry that seeks to give needy children around the world a present at Christmas.   I read children wanted school supplies like pens, pencils & sharpeners, writing pads or paper, solar calculators and picture books. Hygiene items like mild soap, combs, wash clothes and possibly a photo of you. I realized that we each want to learn and desire something simple like to be clean.

This makes me realize that virtual training might be more focused on developing countries that have things like the internet, computers and technology, but people wanting to learn is universal. I need to not lose sight of “what” I want to do, which is to teach verses “how” I do it.

But I want to see it there is such a thing as a solar powered portable DVD player. I might need that for a few of my short videos that teach them how to do water treatment, health and hygiene and micro-business.

If you know people who are doing training in developing countries using technology let me know or is virtual training only for the rich?