The SolarSPELL initiative at ASU

I am applying to the Elevate Prize because SolarSPELL is at a tipping point. Having proven our approach in-the-field, we are ready to scale our impact globally. As a first-time founder, I am seeking an opportunity for mentorship, networking, and leadership development to take my initiative to the next level. Furthermore, I believe it is important to amplify my story and the story of SolarSPELL to inspire more female innovators, particularly within the tech sector. With this funding, a lecturer could lead my university classes for a year (I am also an associate professor), which would allow me to make the most of the opportunities provided as an Elevate Prize winner. In addition, this would allow me the space to do more thought leadership in the arena of global technology and development, the advantages of offline vs. online, and the critical role libraries play in addressing information and skill-building needs. This funding would also support the manufacturing setup costs and a small initial run of the new SolarSPELL hardware, which is a critical next step for our scaling journey. Finally, I could hire a Chief Operating Officer to take care of daily operations and the standardization of procedures.

After meeting teachers in remote, rural locations around the world who were repeatedly handed technology to transform their teaching, yet were not given any training or support so continually failed at this endeavor, I knew I had to act. Following a field-first approach to discover what truly worked, I founded SolarSPELL: an offline digital library initiative at Arizona State University that prioritizes locally-relevant educational content and building information literacy skills in low-resource locations globally. Our solar-powered technology is rugged and ultra-portable (fits into a backpack) so that it can go anywhere and reach the hardest-to-reach--which we're currently doing, across eight countries in the Pacific and East Africa (and growing). My vision is for SolarSPELL to become the go-to approach--through an offline, localized, educational library--for building information literacy and digital skills globally while simultaneously improving educational opportunities. I want learners everywhere to have access to the information they need, skills to turn that information into knowledge, and agency to transform that knowledge into solutions. While we already engage 60+ ASU students every semester, I envision a rapid response task force comprising ASU faculty, staff, and students, to move quickly and effectively create a SolarSPELL digital library to meet any information need.

According to the ITU, half of the world is still unconnected and nearly 90% of schools across the developing world lack internet access. While these statistics are staggering, the focus on access alone is misplaced: simple solutions will never address complex social challenges or sustain quality of life improvements. Internet access only truly becomes empowering once information literacy and digital literacy are built. Skills to navigate, identify, evaluate, effectively use, and create information must be developed through education and training. The SolarSPELL initiative works to build these crucial skills while improving educational opportunities globally through a three-pronged approach--appropriate technology, relevant content, and local capacity building. Appropriate technology is our ultra-portable, rugged, solar-powered, open-access, and entirely offline digital library. Relevant content means our comprehensive digital library collections, each targeted for its users and filled with locally requested, created, and approved content. Local capacity building is achieved through a train-the-trainer model and long-term partnerships with in-field organizations dedicated to building locally-empowering skills. SolarSPELL has a small core team with an outsized reach, thanks to our home at one of the largest public universities in the US, with faculty, staff and hundreds of students contributing to every aspect of our work.

The SolarSPELL initiative offers a comprehensive solution to individuals and organizations facing significant, systemic barriers to accessing quality, relevant educational content and building information and digital literacy. SolarSPELL is unique in that it 1) is partnering with established development organizations, like Peace Corps, which provides a pathway to scale and sustain SolarSPELL digital library use around the world; 2) provides train-the-trainer training to maximize adoption and integration of SolarSPELL digital libraries, as well as to reduce the need for frequent trips to implementation sites for ongoing training and support; 3) does not require external electricity or internet connectivity because of its solar-powered design, which eliminates infrastructural investments as well as ongoing costs such as internet services, electricity to power the device, or building materials for a physical library; 4) bears no costs to the end user, nor ongoing subscription fees for the distributor; 5) is localized to each region to ensure relevance to the library users; 6) is adaptable to multiple sectors and languages, providing the potential to scale 7) is supported by ongoing impact evaluation to assess efficacy and facilitate improvements.

Launched in 2015, SolarSPELL has proven impact with 365 digital libraries implemented across 8 countries, 633 in-field trainers trained, and 96,497 learners reached. Our impact begins with a commitment to understanding our audience--learners within unconnected schools and communities--and their unique circumstances. Our technology and implementation model are designed specifically for these novice users. SolarSPELL utilizes a train-the-trainer model to foster greater adoption of SolarSPELL digital libraries and sustainable, scalable use. As part of this model, we partner with in-field organizations to ensure long-term support and capacity-building for SolarSPELL users. To this end, in May 2020, ASU-SolarSPELL and Peace Corps signed a Global Strategic Partnership that will enable rapid expansion of SolarSPELL digital libraries in Peace Corps countries globally. To ensure efficacy, impact evaluation is central to our work, and we continually improve all aspects of SolarSPELL based on feedback from the field. Long-term, as SolarSPELL library users gain access to relevant educational information and increase digital- and information-literacy skills, they are empowered to make positive changes in their lives. With our six digital library collections and growing, better educational outcomes, greater crop yields, healthier lives, and other quality of life improvements are possible--even in the most remote, rural locations.