Kolibri, an educational platform for the disconnected
Photo credit: Funsepa
We recently launched our new platform, Kolibri, an open-source software platform that runs on low-cost hardware to make a library of diverse educational materials and engaging tools available to be used completely offline. We’ve been piloting with some of our global partners, particularly in India, Mexico, and Uganda, and now it’s time to take it to the next level.
The learners we serve face huge barriers in accessing the content, tools, and support they need to succeed with their educational goals. One key barrier is connectivity, which our solutions are specifically designed to overcome. Another common barrier is lack of hardware, and so we provide seed grants to organizations around the world to purchase the hardware they need to get off the ground. Scarcity of free and open content in relevant languages can also be a critical barrier, and so we have begun investing in the production and localization of educational content to meet the needs of more learners. We also continue to invest in ongoing product development and training materials to ensure they support successful implementation in a diverse range of contexts, both inside and outside of classrooms.
We started this work because we weren’t willing to wait for the playing field to level itself -- instead, we’re aiming to force a tectonic shift, so that we’re not leaving generations even further behind. We hope you’ll join us in pushing hard for a more equitable and inclusive future, where everyone can flourish!
We talk about the "online learning revolution", with the idea that we can finally achieve the dream of universal education, where anyone can learn anything they want. Unfortunately, to quote William Gibson, "the future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed". The reality is that a full half of the world's population still isn't on the internet, and hence isn't benefiting from these new opportunities. And the same places with limited Internet access are home to many of the hundreds of millions of children either out of school or in school but not even learning the basics, which means we're leaving generations of learners even further behind.