Little Davey Project 2019: Sustaining Growth
Rod and Sherry Boyd

David and Deborah Kaiser and nine other Little Davey Project team members returned to Panama in July, blessing six Good Shepherd Schools with a total of 75 computers. Our daughter Stephanie and our grandkids Tate and Cal joined the team this year!

Little Davey continues to transition from larger desktop computer assembly to bringing in “mini” computers. This year the team brought in motherboard/processor, memory and hard drive sets for 41 desktop computers and more than 35 mini computers. We purchased locally the desktop cases, monitors, keyboards/mice and battery backups. By the end of “production day,” the team had 30 desktops assembled and ready, plus another 6 in process, and all but about 5 of the minis fully configured.

On Monday, the team installed 15 computers at the Chepo Good Shepherd School and 17 at the Tocumen School. Upon returning to the Center, the team finished configuring the remaining computers. On Tuesday, the team installed 10 computers at the Soldiers of Jesus Good Shepherd School and another 15 at the Canaan School. On Wednesday, the team packed up for the long trip to Santiago and installed 10 computers at the Monte de Sion Good Shepherd School.

Part of the team visited classrooms at each of the schools, sharing with children and youth about life in Portland, OR, while encouraging them with God’s Word and praying for them. Tate led several of these sharing sessions, talking about life in Connecticut. proud Grandma and Grandpa handled the translating! Nike also donated 5 soccer balls to each school.

Thursday morning we traveled to the Duima Good Shepherd School, located in a mountain region in the western part of Panama. We set up a new computer lab with 8 mini computers. For now, they’ll be powered by a small generator. But power poles and cable have been run to the community and very soon Duima will be connected to the power grid!

Little Davey Project also purchased 50 Sawyer water filters that are used with 5-gallon plastic buckets. The community gets their generally unhealthy water from springs, streams and runoff. The 11th grade class, two science teachers and the nurse from the David Good Shepherd School met our team at the trailhead and helped carry the buckets, filters and computer equipment. The students helped assemble the buckets and filters. The teachers and nurse shared about the importance of clean water. David Kaiser shared about the Water of Life! The school received 4 buckets and filters. The combined team distributed the remaining buckets and filters to different school families and nearby homes.

As a special treat, the team stopped by the Aguadulce Good Shepherd on the way back to Panama City.  Aguadulce is where the Little Davey Project vision was born!  (See Aldo's Story.) Our experience with Aldo back in 2005 continues to inspire Little Davey Project to continue to bring technology to Latin American children and youth.

Each Little Davey Project team and experience leaves a unique impression. For us, this year’s lesson was “growth.” In each of the schools we visited, we can see how Little Davey’s small “computer” seed has grown, producing complete computer labs. Those first three or four computers have been multiplied into large labs with 25, 30, or more computers!  On average, each computer placed ina a school lab empowers 10 or more children or youth at that school to reach their full potential.  Technology is just one of the tools that the Lord uses in transformational Christian education.

Little Davey has been a key to producing and sustaining growth. Thank you Little Davey Project Team, especially David and Deborah for your heart and vision for children and youth throughout Latin America.