Our vision
- We recognise that Africa is a diverse continent, full of capable, vibrant people with the capacity to build sustainable communities that add value to the world.
- We work towards a world where high-quality educational content is affordable to all and widely available.
- Where off-grid communities and households can access information and educational apps using smartphones charged by home solar power.
What we’re doing
We’re developing a ‘product’ which is a 32GB microSD card full of educational apps, Textbooks and a searchable copy of Wikipedia. You insert it into an Android phone, install the apps from the SD card and access the learning materials at your own pace.
We’re building a network of local resellers to retail the cards.
Milestone 1 – 2021
- SD card libraries designed for Android are available for online order anywhere in the world & can be paid for using Mpay mobile transactions.
- Ecommerce site submitted to free basics program.
- Bulk discounts are available creating business opportunities for PAYG solar distributors, phone shops and other entrepreneurs. Higher priced SD cards sold in the Northern hemisphere support the work of the organisation.
Milestone 2 -2022
- localised content for at least two countries provided by local partners. SD card retail fulfilled in-country creating micro-enterprises.
- Prototype of Pico-server product ready for testing.
Background
There remain millions of people without access to education or training throughout Africa.
Smartphones are rapidly becoming commonplace, even for those living off-grid but internet access remains patchy and expensive.
There exist a broad range of Open Educational Resources, Wikipedia, Khan Academy, Project Gutenburg and a large range of open resources created by educators, schools & universities
There are a number of efforts to share these resources with offline communities, but most of these focus on institutional settings, mainly of course schools. These efforts (Library in a box, Internet in a box etc) are great at what they do, but to date there have been no efforts to target individuals and home users with content, using the Android computing device they already own.
We’re keen to hear from professional educators, French and Arabic speakers who can help refine our content selection.
The content reading system is developed by Kiwix
This year we’re planning to
Complete v1 content
Set up Open Collective page
Secure funding for upfront costs for 100 sample SD cards – (Crowdfunding? Grant funding? – Get in touch if you have ideas) The idea is to develop a social enterprise model, so the donation-based work should kickstart ongoing work.
Flash 500 cards with content
Set up an online shop with an order page for cards.
Package cards in retail packaging and post 2 cards to 50 phone shops in targetted African towns, with an online link for them to re-order.
Post 5 demo cards to 20 potential supporters, partners, influencers.
Volunteer!
Content Formatting
We need to create .Zim files, the format that Kiwix uses for a range of content. Please get in touch if you can help with this.
Social media help
Someone is needed to help plan a social strategy, identify influencers, manage a Facebook page
Organisational Sponsorship
If your University, Non-Profit, or company can sponsor the project then we’ll list you on the main introductory page of the content library. Sponsorship will enable us to devote more time to the project.
Grant funding
We’re keen to hear from grant funders who are interested in this work.
Individual donors
Any money donated by individuals through the Open Collective page will be used to buy, install & ship hardware to Africa or refugee camps. You can track how resources are used on the Open Collective page.