Dear Friends,

Twenty twenty-three is coming to a close. It's a time to celebrate your generosity and perhaps pat ourselves on the back a bit for what we've been able to accomplish with what you've given us. It's also a time to reflect on the fact that fewer than 5% of Guatemala's public schools have computers. We haven't gotten a computer to every student in Guatemala, but with your help we've made a big impact on those we have reached, which, since we've shipped more that 200 computers, must approach or surpass 1000. We're counting on your donation to keep moving forward!

Last time, I asked you to look through the "baby pictures" of our new space in Tactic and the younger kids who were learning some computer basics. Class is over, and I'll share an update and a few pictures later on. But first I'm going to share some ideas we have for 2024.

We have a special offer for new donors! We have a limited supply of coffee from Guatemala Director Byron Cap's family's crop and an unlimited supply of coffee mugs for new donors over $50.

You can donate securely now by PayPal at https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=DDDY62ESJT938 , and there are several other donation options at the end.

It's true ... it's a long list ... and maybe we can't do them all ... but we have a lot of ideas. Feel free to weigh in on the relative merits or offer suggestions.

With $5:

We could create a thumb drive loaded with Biblioteca Chaptops, our library of 55 Gb of educational materials, for use where internet access is non-existent or unreliable.

With $10:

We could ship one donated laptop to Guatemala in a carton of 20. This covers shipping costs, and the laptop enters Guatemala duty free.

With $15:

We could remove a hard disk drive and install a solid-state drive to super-charge an older computer.

With $100:

We could pay vocational school tuition for a student to receive 260 hours of training in Python application development.

With $150:

We could buy a proper portable projection screen to make presentations in neighboring villages and towns.

With $300:

We could pay vocation school tuition for a student to receive 1540 hours of training to become a network infrastructure technician.

With $400:

We could buy and ship a small 3D printer and filiament, something which not even our staff in Tactic has ever seen up close. We can use it to excite curiosity and draw kids into the center.  

With $500:

We could fly in a Spanish-speaking female computer science student to teach short courses and be a role model to girls.

With $1500:

We could buy and ship five 3D printers and conduct short courses for middle- and high-school students and teachers.

With $2500:

We could buy and ship ten Raspberry Pi kits with Sense HATs to Tactic and teach short courses to students and teachers about basic programming and how computers can interact with their physical environment.

With $3000:

We could spin up a facility in another town, and expect it to be nearly self-supporting in six months. 

With $6000:

We could buy a brand-new tuktuk mototaxi and begin the Raspberry Pi Roadshow!

To recap, the Center just moved to a larger, more visible location in November. And on Cyber Monday, ten disadvantaged elementary-school children sat down to turn on a computer for the first time in their lives with the assistance of Chaptops Director of Facilities Oscar Buc.

There were 10 children ranging from 7 to 11, plus a committed sixteen-year-old. The fee for twelve hours of instruction was Q35 or about $9 in purchasing partty, certainly a bargain but all that was affordable for needy families.

Oscar reports that the students were enthusiastic and attentive -- in lieu of verbal testimonials, we present their happy faces! Some of the skills mastered were:

• turning on the computer and shutting it down.
• files and folders, minimizing and maximizing windows, and starting programs with the Windows key.
• basic Microsoft Word, including changing text font, color, and size.
• browsing the World Wide Web with Google Chrome and Firefox.
• searching with Google.
• copying and pasting text and images from the brower to a Word document.
• using WordArt.
• printing their work to take home!

It's a lot! With no computer at home, will they remember how to do it all? Probably not, but they went home knowing what a computer can do, and what they can do with a computer when they get their next chance.

"What I learned at Chaptops"

❤, ❤, ❤, ❤, ❤...

Ho Ho Ho!

Learning to search

Practicing with WordArt

First prize!

An unexpected enrollee.

Here's a before and after -- the old center opened in April and new center. The glass door was installed a few days ago, supplementing a rolling security door that couldn't be closed while the center was open. (The canine visitor was well behaved, but his cousins might not be.)

We feel proud of what we've been able to accomplish in 2023, and we are looking forward to tackling new projects in 2024. With a classroom space, opportunties are unlimited!

Don't forget our offer for new donors of $50 or more: Exceptional coffee from the Cap Family while supplies last, and a Chaptops mug thereafter. Every donor will receive a discount code to buy coffee on line.

Ways to donate securely:🔒

• PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=DDDY62ESJT938
• Venmo: @chaptops
• Zelle: chaptops@gmail.com
• Check: Chaptops, Inc., 117 Sherman Rd, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526

THANK YOU!

We wish you happy holidays and a wonderful 2024!

Rex, Byron, the Team in Tactic, and the Board

Chaptops Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit, EIN 88-241636. Donations are typically tax-deductible.