May 20, 2019
The indigenous Wayuu children in the remote La Guajira region of northern Colombia now have a bright yellow, two-classroom, IT school — thanks to DXC Technology and hardworking employee volunteers in the North and Central Europe (NCE) region.
The school — a first for DXC — was inaugurated February 22 as the successful finale of the “DXC IT School in Colombia – Building Dreams” campaign. The project was conceived and brought to life by DXC’s NCE Employee Ambassador (EA) network, which plans and executes employee-driven initiatives across the region under the leadership and support of Paolo Testa, NCE HR director, and Pavel Stanev, NCE EA program leader.
In this case, the approximately 200 volunteer members decided to go beyond European boundaries and start a fundraising effort to bring education and opportunity to a South American area in need.
“We did something very special and rewarding,” says Paolo. “We gave the Wayuu children access to technology and knowledge in an enhanced learning environment to help them harness the power of their dreams.”
The journey brought together thousands of DXC employees in the NCE region starting in November 2018. Employee Ambassadors ran various local fund-raising events through January, including charity bazaars, concerts, auctions, bake days, and more.
The hard work and dedication paid off. The ambassadors raised 38% above the original target, which was then half-matched by DXC.
NCE EA also supplied sweat and hands onsite — after thorough consideration and interviews, the community selected two Employee Ambassadors to travel to La Guajira and help build the school. Evelyne Auer, from Austria, and Desislava “Desi” Nedyalkova, from Bulgaria, flew to Colombia in February. They picked up trowels and paint brushes to work side by side with volunteers from the Ankarstiftelsen charity organization, a Swedish NGO with strong traditions and experience in similar projects for communities in need. Evelyne recalls:
“I remember how shy the children were when we first arrived. They observed us curiously from a distance as we were starting our construction work. Noticing how fascinated we were by the cute goats and chickens right next to the school, the children came over on the second day to show them to us. This was the first contact and this openness was incredibly touching.”
Evelyne and Desi constantly updated the DXC community on their amazing experience. They used the internal corporate social media platform so that colleagues from around the world could follow their preparation, travel and on-the-ground work step by step.
The volunteers managed to finish construction before the deadline.
“At the school opening, we felt the happiness and gratefulness of the kids,” says Evelyne. “They were smiling and hugging us all the time, which meant a lot to Desi and me.”
For Desislava, the experience has had a huge personal impact:
“It’s already been a few weeks since we inaugurated the school, and I still need some time to fully realize what happened. We feel privileged and thankful to be part of this cause. I am very happy and proud that DXC sponsored this life-changing initiative!
“We not only built a school, but also a bond – a bond with the children, with the Ankarstiftelsen volunteers and with all the people that helped in constructing the school. This feeling of being part of something greater is so rewarding and will be with me forever.”
After their return, Evelyne and Desislava held a series of meet-ups across regions with other DXC employees interested in volunteering. They shared their experience in hopes of motivating their colleagues to take an active role in social responsibility.
“Doing good for others while running a private enterprise is not an easy task, but DXC is striving to have a positive influence by channelling the best of its talent to deliver and make an impact on local communities,” says Pavel. “Now the Wayuu children have a new IT school to go to for generations ahead. I’m very proud of the entire team!”