The project addresses two economic and social injustices; the education deficit and the national skills shortage. Both of these issues are exacerbated in the remote, predominantly rural communities with whom we work.
The project will begin with the construction of 5 Hello Hubs – solar powered, Wi-Fi enabled computer kiosks, fitted with eight tablet screens and loaded with educational software. Children and adults can use the hub to access the internet, learn, connect with the world, tell their stories and play. By providing world class, curriculum aligned software at our hubs we provide access to quality education that is denied to so many children, giving them the opportunity to equip themselves with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to build a bright future.
The hubs also boast 24hour, high speed WiFi, meaning that people with their own devices can log on for free and access information to help them achieve. Hubs already drive community journalism, agricultural best practice, the manufacture of saleable products (including hand soap), business skills, savings and loans initiatives and a great deal more. The transformational change brought about by access to the world’s body of knowledge, stored online is truly incredible to behold. 2020 has been the year when people have come to believe what we learned when we built our first hub in 2013; that a reliable internet connection is not a luxury but the key to bridging the education gap.
Crucially, we do not build Hello Hubs, rather we partner with communities and train them to build their own. This ensures that communities are able to maintain and repair their hubs should anything go wrong. Through the FCDO we will take this commitment to our partner communities further still. The project will establish a 2 year schedule of community engagement, hardware and software skills and advanced employability skills training for people who show aptitude. These sessions will enable people to make the most out of their time online, safely and effectively and ultimately boost the employment potential of people from the rural communities.
The education gap disproportionately affects women and girls. Through working with communities, we hope to overcome harmful norms while teaching people about the power of the internet. We prioritise women and girls and make a point of ensuring that everyone is welcome at the hub.
We are thrilled to be working with our extraordinary implementation partners Tech For All. A Nepalese not for profit group set up by Chehen Lama, founder of Everest Link our Internet Service Provider. By utilising Chehen’s significant local knowledge and expertise we can ensure that our solution reflects the people who will use it.
