BluPoint technology for healthier, happier children.

Inadequate handwashing is a key contributor to diarrhoeal diseases, which remain a major cause of death and illness among children, and poor menstrual hygiene management continues to disadvantage girls.[1] This solution will transform hygiene education by providing sustainable access to digital learning, without the need for internet connection or constant power supply.

BluPoint technology delivers remotely managed education to children and their parents. The offline internet solution delivers digital content anytime, anywhere and to any mobile device (including non-smart phones and FM radio) with zero cost to the user. By reviving dormant IT infrastructure, it transforms the learning experience for students in deprived communities, where learning potential is inhibited by student-to-teacher ratios[2] and scarce resources.

Independent learning, through engaging formats and safe digital environments, is particularly important for improving access to deprioritised and taboo subjects surrounding hygiene.

[1] Muhammad et al. (2017) ‘Public Health Problems in Bangladesh: Issues and Challenges’

[2] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.ENRL.TC.ZS

This project will improve access to quality, sustainable hygiene education in schools and beyond.

Surveys have found hygiene practices in schools are poor, with only 28% of students washing their hands with soap[1]. 40% of girls report missing school during menstruation, resulting in low attendance and achievement[2]. 64% don’t receive menstruation education before menarche and only 20% get information from their teachers[3]. Yet studies have shown that providing early knowledge and management methods, and a positive social environment around menstrual issues can reduce school absence.[4]

Inadequate education leaves children vulnerable to preventable health dangers and poor menstrual hygiene awareness means this lack of information hits women and girls hardest. It’s a stark example of information poverty leading to poor health and low socioeconomic mobility[5].

Current approaches to hygiene education are often piece-meal, heavily reliant busy teachers and rarely extend to parents or communities. The impact is difficult to measure, and finite physical learning materials have poor reach in the context of information poverty. Consequently, behaviour change practices are not institutionalised or sustained.

[1] WaterAid Bangladesh (2014) ‘National Hygiene Baseline Survey: Bangladesh’ Available at: https://www.coursehero.com/fil...

[2] UNICEF (Accessed on 08/05/2019) ‘Safer sanitation and hygiene’, Available at: https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/en/better-access-safe-drinking-water/safer-sanitation-and-hygiene

[3] https://wedc-knowledge.lboro.ac.uk/resources/conference/40/Mondal-2578.pdf

[4] https://bmjopen-bmj-com.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/content/7/7/e015508

[5] https://blogs.ifla.org/lpa/2018/10/16/break-the-cycle-tackling-information-poverty-as-a-means-of-eradicating-income-poverty/

Initially, the project will improve learning opportunities for 6,000 primary school children, most from informal settlements, in Rangpur.

Conventional hygiene education lacks audience consultation and adequate focus on sustainable reach and impact monitoring. Teachers have limited capacity and must navigate the prioritised core curriculum and cultural sensitivity around hygiene topics. It’s crucial that they are consulted in the creation and delivery of content.

A consultation process will bring teachers and parents on board with the proposed curriculum early. We’ll introduce teaching staff to the technology and empower them to decide how, where and when students are given access. We may also be able to co-create some of the materials, allowing students creative input. Once deployed, BluPoint’s in-built analytics will offer user behaviour data and feedback so we can identify the most popular content and how it’s improving student knowledge.

The technology could drastically improve reach, sustainability and measurability. Digital formats also allow for greater engagement, habit formation, and behaviour change through interactivity and real-time learner feedback. 

Most excitingly, deployment in schools is just the beginning. Learnings from this pilot will inform a wider roll-out, seeing BluPoint technology deployed in the community with adapted content, covering more topics for more audiences. 

Using BluPoint, an innovative offline technology solution, we will pilot a new and engaging hygiene curriculum in Bangladeshi schools. The solution empowers students (especially girls) through access to a safe, self-directed digital learning environment designed to tackle poor menstrual hygiene education and general health-information poverty.  

BluPoint Technology:

• A small physical hub (BluHub) transmitting WIFI, 2G, 3G, Bluetooth and FM radio signals to permitted devices.
  • Connected devices can view and download content without an existing internet connection.
  • Any device (within a 40-meter radius) can connect including laptops, computers, mobile phones (basic analogue through to high-end smartphones) and radios. 
  • Mobile users can access content without any cost.
  • It has up to 10 hours of battery life and can be charged by power socket or solar panel.
• A cloud-based content-management platform (BluCloud) where directorate of education or teachers can manage content (e.g. videos, games, PDFs, webpages).
  • The platform communicates with the hubs to keep content up to date.
  • It also collects usage data for monitoring and reporting impact.
  • Content can be controlled with permissions via the BluCloud.
• Together the BluHub and BluCloud can convert content into a format suitable for the user’s device. For instance, if a phone cannot view the video it will simply play the video’s audio.

WSUP has extensive experience in leading hygiene and behaviour change interventions. Our hygiene experts will work in partnership with Directorate of Primary Education, academic institutions, human-centred-designers and behaviour change consultants to develop the content. Through co-creation with parents, teachers and students a range of content formats will be developed, leveraging the opportunities presented by the BluPoint platform and addressing the information needs of every crucial audience. 

Sensitisation and onboarding of District Primary Education Officers, Upzila education officers and teachers will take place at the outsets and conclude with dedicated BluPoint training. This will ensure key stakeholders to feel sufficient ownership and that there are individuals able to take over content management after the pilot.

Successful demonstration of BluPoint’s effectiveness in Bangladesh will enable the Directorate of Primary Education, NGOs and other schools to deliver similar IT-enabled educational programmes. There are several institutions and academia developing digital learning content for schools and communities. WSUP will work closely with these stakeholders to showcase capabilities of BluPoint throughout the pilot, to inspire them to consider and contribute to this exciting new environment for teaching and information sharing.  

Bangladesh experiences some of the lowest internet penetration levels in the region with only 20% Bangladeshis subscribed to mobile internet[1] and only 6.3 broadband internet connection per 100 households[2]. This is partly due to country-wide infrastructure, smartphone ownership and affordability. The same factors impact the adoption of technology in education. The Bangladesh Digital Programme has distributed computers and accessories to the schools to assist teaching however much of the technology quickly becomes dormant. 

BluPoint provides a unique, catalytic platform that overcomes these barriers and could revolutionise the distribution of vital public health information including hygiene education in schools.  

• Total Solution– BluPoint is an end-to-end solution to deliver content and services where the internet is unavailable or unaffordable
• Reach– It uniquely reaches all devices via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM radio
• Quality– Its proprietary software automatically adapts and optimizes content for quick and easy consumption
• Literacy– It supports low literacy levels, by converting text content into video and audio through its patent-pending technology
• Relevance– It delivers only the content and services the community needs
• Reliable– Locally stored information eliminates reliance on the availability of electricity or Internet
• Affordable– Content is shared without data costs to the user
• Focussed– The solution is only deployed where it is needed and can be extended through a mesh network of hubs

[1] GSMA – Country overview Bangladesh 2018 – Mobile industry driving growth and enabling digital inclusion

[2] ITU.INT statistics 2018

Our goal is to improve access to quality, sustainable education in schools and beyond, to improve handwashing and menstrual hygiene management that will ultimately contribute to reducing diarrhoeal diseases and school dropouts.

To achieve this, WSUP aims to set up an offline internet solution for delivery of hygiene education in a select number of schools. The proposed solution provides independent learning in an engaging format, that has proved to be successful in several projects across 13 countries including Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia and India. The aim of the pilot is to demonstrate the effectiveness and sustainability of the solution to the Bangladesh Government and other stakeholders to drive replication and scale-up. WSUP has a successful track record piloting innovative WASH (water, sanitation & hygiene) solutions in Bangladesh that have driven uptake by wider sector actors. A clear example of this is WSUP’s hygiene manual for schools that was developed in 2014 and later taken up by the government and distributed to 70,000 schools in Bangladesh.

Key outputs to achieve the overall goal of the project include:

• Successful deployment of the offline internet solution with schools trained in its operation.
• Engaging digital hygiene education content developed in local languages.
• A local gatekeeping, coordination platform to plan for uptake, scale-up and new applications of the platform in future.
• Documented results of the pilot disseminated within the education and WASH sector.

WSUP has reached over 20million people with access to water, sanitation and hygiene services across 7 countries since 2005. A total of 8.8 million people have been impacted with hygiene education and services and in June 2018 to June 2019, WSUP delivered hygiene education to 235,622 people across its programmes. By 2030, WSUP’s goal is to drive systems to change in towns and cities inhabited by over 100 million people, increasing access to water, sanitation and hygiene services for all. Developing catalytic solutions such as the proposed solution will be key driver of systemic change to help achieve WSUP’s 2030 goal.

In terms of BluPoint technology, distributing digital information is extremely cost efficient and fast. It’s possible for over 12,000 users per week to access 50MB of data on a BluHub within school operating hours. These materials can then be shared with other users that do not have access to the BluHub directly. BluPoint is unique as it empowers the devices people own, even if they are sub-smart devices, to have access to the locally stored digital materials.

WSUP, through its school WASH interventions in Bangladesh, is seeking to improve the water, sanitation and hygiene status of 87,500 primary school children and 25,000 parents in the next 3 years. This programme will enable WSUP to achieve this target and demonstrate a cost-effective medium for more innovative and efficient education curriculums, delivered consistently across the country.

WSUP has wider objectives to improve access to water and sanitation for urban low-income communities. The introduction of BluPoint in schools will pave the way to explore applications by utilities and other health and public service providers across Bangladesh.

BluPoint’s 5-year ambitions include positioning BluHubs as a communications medium to reach low-income communities. These communications could expand in future to include advertising, news and entertainment funded via a media-buying fee. To achieve this, BluPoint aims to expand to new markets with local offices, build stronger media relationships, drive down cost of manufacturing equipment and reach economies of scale. WSUP is excited to be working with partners like BluPoint to tackle the drivers of information poverty and explore new revenue models  to power this delivery of life-changing information and services, to populations previously denied access to knowledge, products and skills to improve their lives.

Furthermore, BluPoint intends to build a library of content that is increasingly relevant to new audiences and easy to deploy, increasing the value, incurring no additional cost, for the poorest and most vulnerable societies. The goal as a business is to have 3 million BluHubs deployed globally by 2024.

Risk type: Financial

Risk: Ongoing management and maintenance of BluPoint technology requires an annual BluCloud licence fee and a recommended remote technical support contract. This cost is likely to be too high for individual schools to fund.

Risk type: Technical

Risk: Although designed to be user-intuitive, there is always the risk that staff trained to use BluPoint technology may leave the schools and move on over time.

Risk type: Cultural

Risk: Cultural sensitivity around menstrual hygiene content may lead to disapproval from teachers and parents. 

Risk type: Cultural

Risk: Access to digital devices and internet connectivity is lower for females in Bangladesh than males. Often females will have access to lower end devices and less money for internet connectivity, making it tricky to ensure complete gender inclusivity for future roll-out.

Risk type: Technical / Legal

Risk: Presently there are some unknowns regarding regulatory requirements for importing BluPoint hardware to Bangladesh. 

Financial Risk Mitigation: We have several ideas for how to source funding and hand-over management of the BluCloud license, ranging from relationships with the ministry of education and partnering with other NGOs , to market-based solutions with commercial actors. These will be explored and nurtured throughout the project timeline.

Technical Risk Mitigation: Training manuals will be provided in addition to in-person training for future reference. Training is provided in a train-the-trainer format to maximise knowledge being passed on and requires no prior technical experience. The technical support contract offers ongoing user support via Whatsapp, Skype and email for any new teachers who may have queries. 

Cultural Risk Mitigation: Risk of content disapproval is perceived to be low risk as the importance of education for menstrual hygiene management is now widely understood. However, co-creation and consultation throughout content creation will miminise likelihood further. Regarding gender inclusion, it’s important that future iterations targeting women, consider the necessary enabling environment and dedicate time to sensitise women in the community perhaps via local leaders and female-only training opportunities. We will include such recommendations in project reporting.

Technical/Legal Risk Mitigation: Sufficient time to understand and comply to all regulatory and import requirements will be factored into the project timeline and dedicated experienced staff within Blupoint and WSUP will be set this task.  

The market potential in Bangladesh is vast in education and health in particular. Internet penetration has been slow but this solution provides access to a safe and focused library of digital materials, at no cost to the end user, even in areas of low income, poor internet coverage and sporadic electrical supply.

In schools this will accelerate access to information, without additional teaching staff, whilst aligning well with the Government of Bangladesh’s Digital Bangladesh Programme. This programme aims to invest in ICT across the country including infrastructure in schools. Showcasing the effectiveness of offline internet technology as a valuable step towards sector-wide digitisation, that’s both cost-effective and easy to control, will maximise likelihood of government uptake and countrywide scale. This technology has already achieved success in schools in South Africa but will be new to Bangladesh. The specific application in delivering and monitoring hygiene education is an exciting chance to clearly demonstrate effectiveness.

Additionally, there are many other stakeholders such as UNICEF, who are developing digital learning content for the school and communities who can utilise BluPoint technology as a delivery platform. The introduction and piloting in Bangladesh will enable these stakeholders to adopt the technology and help drive sustainability.

WSUP is also working with small and medium enterprises that deliver hygiene services in Bangladesh, such as pit emptying. These service providers could also leverage BluPoint technology in managing operations and delivering marketing campaigns to communities that lack access to reliable and affordable digital tools and marketplaces.

WSUP is the lead partner proposing the solution and will partner with BluPoint as technology partner. 

WSUP has 129 permanent staff,  with 42 based in the UK and 97 based across our six core countries including Bangladesh. Staff have professional backgrounds spanning  private, public and academic sectors.

The BluPoint team and partners number over 80 people, including:the technical team in Southampton,the commercial team in London and partners overseas in South East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The solution team will comprise of WSUP, BluPoint, Bangladesh Department of Education Hygiene Officers and selected number of teachers and students. This provides a unique and skilled team to pilot the solution in Bangladesh by bringing education, hygiene, WASH, programme design and delivery and most importantly target audience as integral part of the solution team. 

The overall management of the development and delivery of the solution will rest with:

WSUP Task Force Director with over 10 years of experience in water, sanitation and hygiene programming.

BluPoint’ Chief Technology Officer and Foundar, Adj. Professor Mike Santer: an experienced entrepreneur with business development skills and extensive experience working on the appropriate use of ICT for development projects in Africa.

The development and delivery of the project will be supported by:

WSUP’s marketing specialist, Annie Hall, who comes with an agency background in brand and communications strategy.

BluPoints, Lead Technologist , Dr Martin Hall-May, a computer science PhD graduate with several years’ experience of leading ICT projects. 

BluPoints content development unit that brings extensive technical expertise and skills in developing digital content.

In country, WSUP has permanent staff with over 10 years of experience in School WASH and hygiene education, including project management and behaviour change specialists. The hygiene officers of the department of education, hygiene teachers and selected number of students will be integral part of content development and adaptation. 

WSUP has strong partnerships with Department of Education in each of its target cities and has a live project that is currently active across 125 schools in Bangladesh. Additionally, WSUP has long-term presence and partnership with water, sanitation and hygiene stakeholders in the country including government institutions such as city corporations, department of public health, water and sanitation authorities and development agencies such as UNICEF and other NGOs.

BluPoint has strong partnerships with Canon, International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), The University of Southhampton and ZayoHub who are utilising buyers of BluPoint Technology. In addition, BluPoint benefits from strong partnership with deployment partners including Cee Express, Dixons Carphone, Novel Technologies, C&E Bookshop, EY, and KICD in collaboration with Kenyan Ministry of Education; Manufacturer: Surface Technology International (STI).

The solution includes minimal ongoing operating expenses as we intend for it to be integrated within the existing operations and teaching structure in the schools. If awarded, the Tiger Challenge Prize will be used to cover the initial capital investment in IT infrastructure (2 hubs and 20 devices where required, per school), content development and training of teachers and department of education staff. There is an annual subscription fee for the cloud-based CMS platform which is optional but highly recommended. We hope that this can be taken up by the schools or the Directorate of Education.

The long term financing for scale-up options include a variety of sources such as: government investment in education, corporate donors and other NGOs, philanthropy bodies and implementing agencies who can accommodate the technology investment as part of their existing school programmes. This is further complemented by:

• BluPoint actively seeking to bring down the cost of technology through innovation in manufacturing and sourcing.
• Wider adoption of technology across Bangladesh resulting in economies of scale.
• WSUP and BluPoint seeking corporate donations towards IT infrastructure in schools such as computers, laptops and other equipment.
• Possible cross-subsidy via future BluPoint revenue models such media buying fees. 

The proposed solution speaks directly to Tiger IT Foundation’s ambition to lower barriers to global participation and inclusion, including expanding access to information, internet, and digital literacy. Working with primary schools in some of Bangladesh’s most deprived communities, offline internet technology has the potential to catalyse innovative teaching opportunities.

By launching BluPoint with a learning curriculum focused on menstrual hygiene and hand washing education, we are able the leverage the respective strengths and relationships of both WSUP and BluPoint, whilst also fulfilling further objectives of Tiger Challenge around improving education and health in Bangladesh.

Working with MIT Solve and Tiger IT Foundation could also unlock potential partnerships and collaboration that will be vital for this technology enabled solution to scale. We too want to enable Bangladeshi society to adapt and thrive in an environment of changing technology and demands. Starting with young children and particularly vulnerable young girls, we believe this project has the potential to impact entire generations amongst low income communities and accelerate digitisation of an education system currently held back by resource contrainsts and slow moving infrastructure. 

Beyond the core partnership between WSUP and BluPoint, engaging content designers with specific expertise in behavior change will result in delivery of optimum education content. BluPoint technology provides the opportunity to trial a variety of interactive learning formats that encourage habit formation, reward progress and allow students to choose content best suited for their needs and interests. A content series that draws on different recommendations for learning and behaviour change best practice would allow us to learn more about what works best for influencing lasting change in hygiene knowledge and practice, above and beyond confirming successful adoption of the technology as an addition to classroom routines.

We would engage with a specialist to help design the content co-creation process in schools, including consultation with parents and teachers. We would then work with them to develop creative concepts and content for final learning formats which could include any of the following: videos, interactive PDFs, e-bboks, webpages, quizzes and surveys.