MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Zydii: Know More, Do More

One-line solution summary:

Digital learning culturally tailored for African girls and women

Pitch your solution.

Women are more active as economic agents in Africa. They perform the majority of agricultural activities, own a third of all firms and, in some countries, make up some 70% of employees. Yet across Africa women face an array of barriers including lack of educational opportunities, and lack of affordable access to learn skills that can help them improve all areas of lives in order for them to achieve their full potential.

We have developed Zydii, a digital learning platform that provides African women and girls with accessible, affordable and culturally relatable courses, to gain formal and informal learning and training. Digital courses are in audio, video and text formats. The courses are accessible online on our platform and offline via sms learning for communities with limited access to the internet. Through our digital learning platform, girls and women globally have equal access to learn and change their lives.

Film your elevator pitch.

What specific problem are you solving?

Girls’ education goes beyond getting girls into school. It is also about ensuring that girls complete all levels of education with the skills to effectively compete in the labor market; learn the socio-emotional and life skills necessary to navigate and adapt to a changing world; make decisions about their own lives; and contribute to their communities and the world. Yet access to this formal and informal education is a challenge for them, according to UNESCO estimates, 130 million girls between the age of 6 and 17 are out of school and 15 million girls of primary-school age—half of them in sub-Saharan Africa— will never enter a classroom. With these huge numbers the skills gap widens even greater especially when it comes to life & technical skills. Across the board, gender gaps in technical and vocational education and training enrollment are significant.

Every day, girls face barriers to education caused by poverty, cultural norms and practices, poor infrastructure, violence, and fragility. Our digital solution is increasing the number of girls and young women participating in formal and informal learning and training and is also strengthening practical skills, competencies for girls and young women to effectively transition from education to employment.

What is your solution?

Our solution, Zydii, is a digital learning platform contextualized for African women and girls. Our digital courses are in video, audio, text formats. Courses can be accessed on our online platform via desktop and mobile and offline via sms learning.

So far we have developed more than 100 courses across five key categories: Self Awareness, Business Growth, Career Growth, Parenting & Family and Technology. In response to Covid-19 we have also launched well organized and structured video lessons in line with the Kenya National syllabus that are helping students keep up while at home.

We are different because:

Learners can pay via mobile money from anywhere across Africa,an important payment channel not available on global platforms
Our courses have cultural context and relatability and are taught by experienced African instructors
Real world lessons: practical insights from other successful women and role models who are inspiring
Availability of offline channels using sms learning for communities with limited access to the internet

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

The primary target is African girls and women who want to improve their lives, careers, learn to use technology, build their business or build their families. They range from the ages of 18 to 35, they own a mobile phone, whether smartphone or old model.

Not only is Zydii founded by an African woman who understands the challenges facing African women every day, but we regularly send out surveys to understand the challenges women have and what they would like to learn to improve their lives. Every forum for women we attend is an opportunity to not only share but understand more.

Our solution is on demand access, which will allow them to learn even when they can’t leave home due to domestic responsibilities .

We provide formal skills on the formal education curriculum, business, career and digital literacy, as well as informal learning on skills to help make their lives easier such as parenting and family skills.

Through digital courses on our platform, girls and women are also learning skills that are helping them increase their income earning opportunities.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Increase the number of girls and young women participating in formal and informal learning and training

Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge and your selected dimension.

Our solution is helping to address three dimensions of this challenge:

Increase number of girls and young women in formal and informal learning and training; Thousands of African girls and women are learning on our platform from across Africa
Strengthen practical skills, competencies, and experiential learning opportunities for girls and young women to effectively transition from education to employment; We are providing digital courses that cover post education skills to grow their career and business skills
Reduce the barriers that prevent girls and young women from reaching key learning milestones; providing sms learning, for those with no access to internet.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Nairobi, Kenya

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growth

Who is the primary delegate for your solution?

Joyce Mbaya

More About Your Solution

If your solution has a website, provide a link here:

https://zydii.com/

If you have additional video content that explains your solution, provide a YouTube or Vimeo link here:

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Which of the following categories best describes your solution?

A new application of an existing technology

Describe what makes your solution innovative.

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Describe the core technology that powers your solution.

Our solution is a digital learning platform. It has been developed as an online solution that captures digital learning content in video, audio and text formats. The key difference is that we have built the platform ourselves so we can tailor the learning experience for our cultural context as well as integrating mobile money payment options that are more relevant for our market.

We also utilize sms technology to provide sms based learning. This is text driven such that lessons are delivered as a series of sms messages over a period of time until all the learning content for the particular course has been shared.

Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:

Audiovisual Media
Software and Mobile Applications

Select the key characteristics of your target population.

Women & Girls
Pregnant Women
Rural
Peri-Urban
Urban
Low-Income
Middle-Income

Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?

3. Good Health and Well-Being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
10. Reduced Inequalities

In which countries do you currently operate?

Kenya

In which countries will you be operating within the next year?

Kenya

How many people does your solution currently serve? How many will it serve in one year? In five years?

Our solution is currenbtly serving 12,000 people in 6 African countries. In one year our aim is to 5x this to 60,000 people and then to 100,000 people by 2022. In 5 years our big vision is to have surpassed more than 1 million people who are learning on our platform.

About Your Team

Your Business Model & Funding