eCorps Traveler Visits Swaziland

WCE volunteer Dimitry Cherney traveled to Swaziland in June to speak with educators and organizations interested in becoming World Computer Exchange partners. "I got to meet with a lot of people," said Cherney. Among them were Peace Corps volunteers, Rotary Club members, representatives from the country's ministries of education and commerce and an organization that assists young people orphaned as a result of the AIDS epidemic.

He also visited a high school in the capital, Mbabane; the computer lab at that school might serve as a model for others who acquire equipment by working with WCE.

Cherney's trip was the result of conversations he had with WCE's president, Timothy Anderson. Cherney was interested in traveling to one of the places where WCE is working to expand its presence, and he and Anderson agreed that a visit to Swaziland would be helpful.

"We've had great success with trips like this one," said Anderson. "Once people in developing countries meet a WCE volunteer face to face, they feel reassured that we will assist them in improving opportunities for their young people. Dimitry's visit gives WCE enormous credibility in Swaziland, both among grassroots-level educators and government officials. I'm confident that we will be sending a first shipment to Swaziland in the near future."  

Cherney, who works as a litigation analyst in Washington, D.C., has been volunteering with WCE for about three years.

"Dimitry has pushed our Baltimore/Washington chapter ahead in many ways," said Anderson. "He has collected equipment, donated funds, organized fundraising drives and recruited people to devote time and talent to WCE.

"Many people spend their vacations relaxing and sightseeing. Those are fine things to do, but Dimitry has shown by example that it can also be rewarding to show people in faraway parts of the world that they can improve their community."

"It was an incredible experience to meet such friendly and happy people," said Cherney, who had not visited Africa before. "People were so welcoming," he said, both to him and his father, who accompanied him on the trip. "And I know they will make good use of any equipment that we're able to send to them."