Digital Tech for Rural Transformation

‘Digital Tech for Rural Transformation’ provides digital literacy trainings and access to the internet at a reduced cost to youth in rural communities in Africa. There is a digital gap that exists in rural/deprived communities. This project allows youth in such areas to champion community solutions using digital technology.

Digital Tech for Rural Transformation: Changing the narrative!

Have you ever wondered how you life would have been without your cell phone or your computer, and how limited you would have been in getting work done? Imagine this situation as the permanent case for youth living in rural and deprived communities. Through no fault of theirs they are left behind. Left behind the amazing opportunities digital technology offers in the 21st century. Very often the closest they come to relating to digital technology are drawings on blackboards, as teachers fervently attempt to guide them to imagine the possibilities of a digital world.

Now imagine an opportunity that will give youth in rural/ deprived communities access and the requisite skills needed to enjoy what technology has to offer. Through the Digital Tech for Rural Transformation program, youth in rural communities can have this as a reality and not a dream.

The program gives youth in rural/deprived communities the opportunity to discover and explore digital technology through the establishment of IT Hubs and Maker spaces. These hubs serve as facilities that house computers and other digital tools as well as internet provided via raspberry Pi technology.

Youth in the community access these hubs where they can discover the power of the internet alongside designing prototypes to solve community problems after running through modules supervised by a volunteer trainer.

Over the past 3 years, youth in our program have explored creating prototypes with recycled products, creating mobile mowers, designing mobile carts for transportation as well as creating bamboo torch lights to light up homes etc  using digital technology skills as enablers.

Bushra and Oko live in a rural community in Ghana. Though it is quite close to the capital, life there is very different from life in the city.

While their counterparts in the city actively utilize digital technology, many youth in rural communities like Bushra and Oko miss out on its power for purposes like communication, education, research and solving problems. This is largely due to digital illiteracy and the lack of access.

‘Digital Tech for Rural Transformation’ provides access to internet and digital technology learning opportunities for youth in rural and deprived areas in Africa.

We are set to empower a young generation of rural dwellers with requisite digital skills to transform communities.

Providing access to internet and training modules at established IT Hubs, youth have been trained in areas ranging from introduction to practical computing, business incubator with IT, Digital Art and Design Thinking Prototypes for Community Development and Coding through physical training and access to DIY sites and apps.

The latest addition, is a partnership with Creativity Group, which provides internet access at very low costs via raspberry pi devices so that youth can access DIY sites, apps, as well as offline resources.

‘Digital Tech for Rural Transformation’, changes the narrative of youth in rural communities from one of a disadvantaged generation, to an innovative generation.

Digital literacy modules are run from IT Hubs and Makers Spaces which comprise computers, internet access, tools and volunteer trainers. Engagements at ‘IT Hubs and Maker Spaces’ are designed to guide rural youth to connect and discover the possibilities of digital technology.

Youth in our program must be empowered to create prototypes using the internet as an enabling platform to build prototypes with recycled products and every day materials.

Conduct periodical surveys for youth in rural communities to track their views on their status, disadvantaged or innovative? - Changing the narrative of rural youth from disadvantaged to an innovative generation.

Conduct baseline tests to ascertain the knowledge and skill set levels of rural youth with regards to digital technology and conduct another test after impact in order to measure how much they have improved. - Guide rural youth to connect and discover the possibilities of digital technology.

Track the number of implementable prototypes developed by rural youth for community solutions. - Using the internet as an enabling platform to build prototypes with recycled products and every day materials.

‘Digital Tech for Rural Transformation’ taps into digital technology as a key to empowering youth in rural communities to be innovators.

The establishment of IT Hubs and Maker spaces allows for an accessible learning environment that allows youth to explore and discover the world of possibilities.

The use of raspberry technology to provide inexpensive access to internet functionalities is a groundbreaking option. It allows for the solution to scale out to reach more rural communities with the IT Hub and maker space modules enabling its users to access DIY sites, apps and offline resources.

‘Digital Tech for Rural Transformation’ is human centered, placing at its very center the need to empower rural youth to be digital innovators.

Modules run at IT Hubs and Maker Spaces are tailored to capture the needs and interests of the communities in which they are found. For example farming communities have modules tailored towards designing prototypes for improved farming. Communities which have a lot of waste production have more modules tailored towards recycling and communities with more youth in high school are guided to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics through our flagship app Ananse The Teacher.

As a show of interest and support for the program the communities
volunteer time and local resources to construct the hubs structures with
local materials making construction localized and very affordable.

IT Hubs and Maker Spaces are set up in partnership with donor organizations, the majority of which are organizations replacing old computers and laptops and so donate these to the hub for use. 

Raspberry pi technology provides a cheap often for internet access that is a shared cost for the community for as little as 50 cents a month per household and serves at least 20 people at a time.

Raspberry Pi technology when in full swing will charge at least 0.50 cents per month per household in communities where they are deployed. This will be a source of sustenance to the program.

Digital Literacy engagements fairs are run in urban communities where participants can afford to pay and these monies are collected to offset some of the costs associated to running IT Hub and Maker Spaces in rural communities.

Given our success in running digital literacy modules we are contracted by educational organizations to provide IT training sessions for teachers and educators with the aim of providing hands on experiences for the students they teach. And training sessions like these bring in revenue.

As a non profit we are also eligible to a number of funds from donor agencies. An example is the Digital Changemakers award that have previously funded our projects.

In order to set up an IT Hub we currently rely on organizations looking at replacing computers. Connection with donor agencies interested in promoting digital literacy would have been a more ideal, ensuring continuity and the freedom to set up as more hubs.

There are also some interested rural communities anxious to have our program yet cannot because they are not connected yet to the national power grid and Solar Technology is an expensive option our current monitory cannot accommodate.

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The Solve marketplace provides a resource filled network of enablers critical to sharing ideas and connections towards spiraling sustainable change. It is a network that provides the exposure necessary for the course of changing the narrative of youth in rural and deprived communities and we greatly cherish the opportunity to learn as well as share to further strengthen this amazing network.

Creativity Group

Reach for Change Africa

Tigo Ghana Limited

The Akaa Project

Our competitors include Varkey Foundation an organization championing distant learning initiatives.