:: Digital Divide Data -- December 2007 Newsletter ::

We just returned from a trip to Laos and Cambodia with members of the DDD New York staff and wish that you could see what we saw. In Phnom Penh we visited DDD’s first office - a five-story office building in which we've expanded upward, floor by floor, over the past five years, as our expanding workforce necessitated. There are well-lit classrooms, workrooms of computers, and a wonderful work force of 150 young men and women that is providing expert data digitization services to our clients.

Our business operations generated more than $2.5 million to date in income from an international list of clients. Your support enables us to provide the best training available so that our employees will graduate to skilled positions and earn six times the average income in Cambodia and Laos. This completely alters the cycle of poverty not only for the individual, but also for his or her entire extended family.

Your contribution of $240 or $20 per month enables us to offer more educational scholarships to DDD operators. Each contribution will allow DDD operators, such as Vannida, to attend university classes, to strengthen their skills, and to provide for their families. You can donate online at donation.digitaldividedata.org.

We look forward to your support and to another year of working to bridge the divide that separates young people from opportunity. We wish you and your family a year of health, happiness and hope.

My name is Vannida. I was born in very poor family. My family does farming for a living. There are eight people in my family. I have one older sister and four younger brothers and sisters. My father’s left eye is blind and my mother’s health is not good.

Since my family does farming, we ate food only when there was something to eat, if there was none, we did not eat. Although our life was very difficult, I never gave up my study because I loved it and I wished to get a degree. My mother wanted me to stop going to school and instead work to earn money to buy rice. Those words made me sad and cry. Fortunately, my father understood and let me study. I was very happy that I could continue. I thought that my mother didn’t love me because she kept telling me to stop studying but I was wrong. My family had meal only one time a day until I studied in the last year of high school. During that time, I needed more money for my studies so I planted watermelons and cucumbers to sell. I earned some money from that garden to finish high school. I really wanted to study computers. However, I followed my father’s advice to apply to Teacher’s school.

My cousin in Vientiane told me about DDD, so I applied to DDD. DDD has given me a great chance to use the computer and study English. After I passed the test, I became an operator at DDD. DDD has given me many experiences such as speaking English and using computer and I can also help my family financially.

I am very proud to work at DDD because everything is a new and good to me. After I work here, I can see a bright light in my life. Before I worked with DDD, I was just a student who lived in a rural area but now I can live in a big city like Vientiane and work in an airconditioned place. I feel very impressive and proud to spell the word DDD, because DDD has changed my whole life. In the past, I thought that computer is just a machine which merchants use to do calculations, but nowadays I have a clearer understanding of computers. Moreover, DDD also gives me the opportunity to continue my study. I have a scholarship from DDD to study. I am thinking to study business administration and English. Now I am taking an English course.

DDD is not only the place that gives a good opportunity to disadvantaged group of people but also a warm place to be. DDD employees always give each other encouragement and a helping hand whenever we face problems in both work and home. Therefore, I am confident to say that DDD is my second family. I would like to say big thanks to DDD and all of the employees in DDD. DDD helps me to have a new life on this earth with warmth and opportunity which can make my dream come true in the future. I wish the entire DDD family—operators, managers, donors, and volunteers— good health and a happy new year. I hope they continue to help each other to make DDD successful and give this great opportunity to many disadvantaged people like me.

• We extend a heartfelt thank you to Michael Chertok as he steps down from his post as board chair this month. We are excited that Michael will remain on the board as Dina Bitton takes on the role of Board Chair.
Ten DDD staff, managers, and board members attended the Global Knowledge Partnership Conference in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. A more detailed article will come in our next newsletter.

Digital Divide Data Newsletter – December 2007