Digital Superheroes Academy (DSHA)

Teaching critical thinking and life skills to vulnerable children in Thailand through a mobile application with an engaging superhero theme.

Many migrant and other disadvantaged children in Thailand lack sustainable access to education. Baan Dek Foundation’s solution to this challenge is the Digital Superheroes Academy (DSHA), an innovative app that teaches essential critical thinking, life skills, and soft skills to marginalized, migratory populations of children in Thailand, while also teaching them skillful and responsible use of technology. This project has the potential to reach children with essential knowledge and positive values that will greatly expand their opportunities to thrive socially, professionally, and economically in the future.

The DSHA app provides children with essential information pertinent to their environments through engaging, superhero-themed activities. Seven life skill modules have been completed (Fundamental Child Rights, Waste Management, Clean Energy, Electricity Safety, Internet Safety, Equality and Diversity, and Family Non-Violence) and are offered on the app. By analyzing children’s use of the app through embedded monitoring, Baan Dek Foundation (BDF) measures learning achievement outcomes and will determine possible needs for e-learning extensions, such as literacy and numeracy. Smartphone ownership is high among low-income communities in Thailand, so this platform will leverage existing technology to reach marginalized children with knowledge and skills that will greatly improve their quality of life and future opportunities.

By transforming life skills into an e-curriculum, BDF is able to use this scalable project to reach many disadvantaged children with information for their childhood development. Beneficiaries currently reached by the app are children that BDF supports in construction site camps in Thailand, and BDF aims to reach all of the estimated 60,000 children living in such communities. It will be possible to replicate and tailor for many different populations of marginalized children throughout Southeast Asia.

Due to its central geographic and economic situation in Southeast Asia, Thailand is a regional hub for migrants as a place of origin, transit, and destination. Migrant children are among the country’s most vulnerable groups: approximately 3.5 million migrant workers cross the borders to find opportunities in Thailand, and they often bring their children with them. These families and children face hardships such as poor living conditions, low income, and difficulties accessing public services upon arrival in Thailand.

Although the Thai government has declared the right to an education for all children living in Thailand (even non-Thai children) without exception, there are specific barriers to this inclusive access to education, especially for migrant children. Migrant children face many challenges during preparation for and integration into schools, including language and literacy barriers, the inability to start school with peers of the same age due to a lack of education, the cost of attending public schools, and discrimination from school staff and/or other students. Migrant children and those from poor economic backgrounds rank worse on indicators of learning. Non-formal education and related support is often necessary to prepare out-of-school children for integration into public schools, and to keep enrolled children in school.

This need has become even more pronounced due to the COVID-19 outbreak. As a result of the pandemic, Thai public schools closed for several months-long periods and children were kept at home with few opportunities for learning. The Royal Thai government arranged for the provision of educational programming on public television networks, but many children, especially those living in marginalized areas, did not have access to the technology needed for remote learning. According to a survey conducted by the 2020 National Statistical Office, nearly half the households in Thailand were not ready for online learning. 51 percent did not have access to devices for online learning and 26 percent did not have internet access for online learning.

In addition, many parents we work with have lost their jobs and families are facing economic hardship, which will likely result in an increase in debt bondage, domestic violence, early delinquency, and older children dropping out of school to earn income. According to UNICEF Thailand, the COVID-19 pandemic will have a negative impact on school attendance rates and drop-out rates, and amplify learning inequalities, especially for vulnerable children.

The current beneficiaries of the DSHA project are children living in construction site camps in Chiang Mai and Bangkok, Thailand from various backgrounds, including Burmese, Thai, Tai Yai, Cambodian and other ethnic minority groups. According to BDF’s joint UNICEF research report “Building Futures in Thailand: Support to Children Living in Construction Site Camps,” approximately 60,000 children are living in construction site camps within Thailand. These children are exposed to violence and various forms of abuse and move from one site to another, following their parents’ work. Oftentimes these children live in makeshift housing, with little access to formal education and vital information that is pertinent to their environments. Many DSHA beneficiaries had never attended school before coming into contact with BDF, and if they had, rarely received life skill education. In addition, most parents are unable or unavailable to provide their children with essential information. During the COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures, children living in construction site camps lacked educational opportunities and faced difficulties with accessing remote learning resources.

The DHSA platform offers these children essential information in five languages (English, Thai, Tai Yai, Burmese, and Khmer). Each life skill module was created to address a specific identified need and is designed based on beneficiary participation and feedback. For example, many BDF beneficiaries are from different ethnic groups, such as the Karen or Shan, but are often brought together in a single construction site camp. Cultural differences can often incite violence among children in the camps, so BDF designed the Equality and Diversity module to address these negative behaviors.

BDF has been working closely with construction site camp communities since 2012, and has supported marginalized children in Thailand for over 19 years. BDF is one of the only organizations in Thailand working with these communities, and is uniquely positioned to understand their needs. BDF field staff interact with beneficiaries on a daily basis and regularly conduct community and individual needs assessments to identify needs. All projects, including the DSHA, are designed with beneficiaries and are continuously updated based on beneficiary feedback to ensure solutions remain impactful.

As stated in the description of this challenge, an estimated 25.7% of people living in Southeast Asia fall within the school-age group, but access to quality education remains unevenly divided and limited, particularly to those from low-income families. With the onset of the pandemic, these inequalities have been further exacerbated. Approximately 150 million children were impacted by prolonged school closures in the region. BDF’s mandate supports children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds in Thailand, specifically those living within urban slums and construction site camps, to help them access both formal and non-formal education. 

The DSHA project aims to bridge gaps to accessing formal education by providing life skill content for vulnerable populations. Given the readily accessible nature of this app in multiple languages commonly spoken in Southeast Asia, DSHA platform is accessible for different ethinic and national groups and easy to download on low-grade phones, increasing its reach to low-income and disadvantaged families in the region. BDF is currently working to ensure the DSHA platform will become fully accessible and functionable without continuous internet connection, potentially accessing even more hard-to-reach areas.

Mrs. Magali du Parc Crosta, Executive Director

As mentioned previously, the DSHA application can be used on low-tech android smartphones and tablets and is easily downloadable. BDF’s experience has shown that almost all families, even those that exist on less than $5 per person a day, have access to at least one low-tech smartphone. BDF is working to make this application functional offline, improving the accessibility of content in environments that lack internet connectivity. The app will be made available to families at no cost, providing children with essential information without placing an undue burden on families. In addition, content on the application is already available in five languages common to the region (English, Thai, Tai Yai, Burmese, and Khmer). The accessibility of the DSHA app allows large numbers of vulnerable children in the region to learn about important topics while obtaining tech literacy skills, which they would also otherwise lack.

BDF has piloted the use of the application in 40+ communities in Chiang Mai, Thailand, reaching over 700 children. BDF trained 15 staff members on how to properly use and train others on the app, and formed partnerships with three schools and 40+ private sector stakeholders. BDF also delivered training to 25+ DSHA Coaches from local construction site communities to enable them to assist children in using the app.

Through DSHA sessions, BDF has seen improvements related to key life skills both in the children’s declarative knowledge (learning facts, e.g. children know that they have the right to attend school), and in their procedural knowledge (understanding how to do something, e.g. children understand how to get a birth certificate). The most vulnerable children in need therefore have the knowledge necessary to access education, health, and protection services, and have the skills necessary for educational and professional opportunities in the future.

The DSHA platform itself is accessed through a mobile application, which can be accessed on low-tech smartphones. Children can create an online profile and select which language they want to use for completing each life skill module. When accessing each life skill module, children are guided through 3-4 content lessons called “superpowers.” Superpowers are content topics designed to teach children various aspects of the life skill so that they may be better informed and prepared. Interactive games that test their learned knowledge are included at the end of each superpower lesson. Children can also replay the superhero-themed animated videos several times in case they misheard or misunderstood the content. Once the child has successfully completed the life skill, they can access the “Superhero Store,” where they can “purchase” clothing and accessories for their superhero using stars they earned throughout the lesson. This process is repeated for each life skill, with baseline and endline questions asked at the beginning and end of each in order to track individual performance and social impact.

BDF Goal - The DSHA will contribute to BDF’s longer-term objective of empowering communities and families living in construction site camps to enjoy their right to a decent living environment and equitable access to key public services. 

Child Development Goal - BDF’s programmatic work on child development seeks to create the conditions for equitable and effective access to public education as well as integration for migrant or ethnic minority children into Thai society. It achieves this through a combination of projects, including non-formal education and life skill development.

Life Skill Objective - With improved life skills, marginalized children will have greater awareness of their rights and improved confidence to access services in an equitable and effective way, particularly education. The project contributes to life skill education through its use of mobile technology to reach marginalized populations.

DSHA Outcome - The outcome of this project will be that over 700 children in 2022 will have increased their knowledge on child rights, as well as core life skills which are relevant to their living conditions in urban slums and construction site camps. 

Under the wider framework of child development and life skill education, BDF has used the superhero theme in offline settings, with BDF’s Social Advisors leading sessions in communities. The digitization of this approach builds on the success of the superhero approach, which saw improvements in awareness of life skills for hundreds of children.

DSHA Outputs - To achieve the above outcomes, the project will contribute the following outputs:

(1) BDF’s staff will empower Youth Peers in priority communities to become DSHA Coaches. BDF’s peer network is well established and has proven to be an effective method to scale up non-formal education initiatives as well as community empowerment.

(2) 700 children from BDF’s existing communities will access and use the app with the support and guidance of the DSHA Coaches who are known and trusted within the communities

(3) BDF will coordinate with the contracted developer to continuously improve the app and digitize new and existing offline content to expand DHSA’s curriculum, and complete translations of the content into Khmer language.

N/A

N/A

N/A

BDF will measure the impact of the solution based on the following indicators:

Outcome indicator:

• # children who increase their average score from baseline to endline for at least one of the DSHA life skill lessons on the app

Output indicators:

• # DSHA Coaches trained
• # children reached

  • # of children who completed a life skill x number of times

  • # of children who completed all life skills

  • # of children who have completed at least one life skill

• Qualitative summary of technological improvements made by developer
  • # of existing offline modules added
  • # of new modules developed and added
  • # of modules translated into Khmer

BDF monitors the impact of its programs on short and long term intervals in order to maintain consistent improvements, identify new issues to address, and highlight meaningful successes. BDF currently implements a digital on-site monitoring system via tablets and/or computers, which helps record individual data per household as well as community data. This is then uploaded onto the joint server for analysis.

BDF staff ask participants at least three baseline and endline questions for each life skill module to measure each user’s learning for each topic. Staff also tracks achievement per activity in a life skill module. Each life skill module includes three activities, which determine whether children have retained the knowledge gained through watching videos related to a specific sub-topic in that module. BDF staff can determine if a child has learned some of the content in the module by reviewing specific activity scores.

In 2022, at least 700 disadvantaged children will directly benefit through direct use of the app. The project will then be scaled to reach thousands of children within the next 3-5 years. In order to achieve in-depth impact, incrementally increasing targets will be planned based on M&E of the efforts in 2022. Thousands more children should benefit through the sharing of knowledge both in their current communities, and as the children move. In addition, users of the app will likely migrate, due to the nature of the work available in the construction sector. These individuals could help spread awareness of the app and how it is used. BDF aims to reach the estimated 60,000 children living in construction site camps by also providing this solution to construction companies, allowing them to introduce it to families in camps. In addition, BDF may expand this beneficiary base by working in partnership with various NGOs across the Southeast Asia region, to test the platform with children in different countries also from disadvantaged backgrounds.

N/A

In regards to barriers related to technology, the app needs to be well maintained, ensuring software glitches and any bugs are promptly addressed. Presently, the application also needs additional support in making it user-friendly with simple and easy-to-follow content for children of varying literacy levels. The DSHA platform is also currently not available offline and including such a feature will allow greater reach. To address these points, BDF would require additional developers and the opportunity to access better software maintenance packages. 

To support these enhancements and achieve the long term objective to scale, as part of BDF’s financial sustainability plan, the organization would support the development and maintenance of this platform through different types of funding. Once the DSHA application is further improved, BDF would offer the the app for a donation to construction companies, which would allow the application to reach tens of thousands of children. This model would cover administrative and maintenance related costs. 

Another barrier towards scalability is market entry. The DSHA platform is not as well known amongst the target population of migrant children. One solution is to increase visibility by promoting the app through migrant networks and informal channels. BDF could also leverage its existing network of public and private sector partners such as construction companies and the Ministry of Education to increase visibility. The Ministry of Education reaches an estimated 300,000-400,000 migrant children in Thailand and out of those, approximately 200,000 children remain out-of-school.

To support vulnerable children in Thailand, BDF was established in 2002. The organization was originally founded to provide direct support for a small number of vulnerable Lahu children living in the north of Thailand. By 2006, BDF supported 10 at-risk children through non-formal education support and BDF’s Individual Support Project (ISP), which offers tailored case management with the aim of supporting vulnerable families achieve financial sustainability. These projects gradually expanded to include activities that directly supported access to formal education for vulnerable children. Through community outreach, BDF staff identified an overlooked group - children living in construction site camps. To tailor projects to the needs of children living in these communities, BDF introduced the Community Empowerment Project in 2013 to holistically support and empower families on a range of topics from financial literacy to preventing violence. Through this field experience, BDF continued to cultivate its expertise in supporting migrant families, including supporting children’s access to education. 

To provide children with essential information, BDF launched the Superheroes Academy project in 2015. This project teaches essential life skills to children as “superpowers.”  BDF staff deliver a fun and engaging curriculum of 15 life skills, reaching many different populations of disadvantaged children with life-saving knowledge such as child protection and immunization. Once children successfully pass each life skill, they graduate as superheroes and earn life skill stamps in their Superheroes Academy Passports. Following the success of this project, BDF leveraged its expertise in life skill development to create the DSHA.

18

As mentioned previously, BDF is one of the only organizations in Thailand that supports children living in urban slums and construction site camps. BDF has been piloting innovative educational solutions to reach this underserved population for over 19 years, offering a diverse range of programs. In collaboration with UNICEF, BDF published “Building Futures in Thailand,” documenting projects that support migrant children, and outlined how to transform sector-wide standards.  

BDF’s strategy for fostering systemic change within the construction sector is based on a 12 year plan, begun in 2012. Launching the DSHA application is part of its educational strategy; the platform will overcome the lack of access to basic services, limited social development, and tech literacy gap for some of the most underserved children in Southeast Asia. BDF will be expanding its reach to children it is not able to meet with directly, scaling its impact.

Mrs. Magali du Parc Crosta is a social worker and anthropologist with over 25 years of experience working in Southeast Asia. She co-founded BDF in 2002, and now serves as Executive Director. Mrs. du Parc Crosta combines her field background with high-level partner networks in order to build bridges between funding partners and the children and families they can serve in Thailand. Mrs. du Parc also founded Dao Ethical Gifts in 2018, which focuses on empowering marginalized women through work readiness and life skills.

The DSHA application won the MIT Solve award in 2017, which led to funding from the Australian Government’s Department Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). This partnership allowed for the development of the improved version of the mobile app.

BDF partners with developers at Iglu, who created the improved version of the app, which was previously created by a different team. Located in Chiang Mai and Bangkok, Iglu is one of Thailand’s top providers of development and digital services. Iglu was established in 2010 and has over 260 employees from 37 countries that specialize in web, mobile, and software development, IT security, and graphic design.

BDF has also collaborated with a team of native-language translators to translate and adapt the finalized life skill script content from English to Thai, Tai Yai, Burmese, and Khmer; as well as both female and male native-language speakers for each language to record audio.

BDF previously won an award through an MIT challenge, which was incredibly beneficial to BDF and DSHA. The connection to MIT led to increased visibility for BDF and new opportunities to connect with other organizations, companies, and individuals interested in supporting these vulnerable children. BDF hopes to remain connected with the MIT network for potential partners. In terms of the aforementioned barriers to the success of this solution, through the challenge BDF hopes to form partnerships with funding organizations, organizations and individuals that can provide technological support, and organizations that can help boost the visibility of the app to target populations.

The funding provided to winners of the challenge would also significantly support BDF’s efforts to develop and scale the app in 2022, as would the strategic guidance offered during the 10-month program. The strategic support provided, specifically the training on improving solution business models and strategies for scale, would be extremely helpful to the DSHA team.

Partnerships are an integral part to achieving BDF’s mission to serve marginalized children access equal opportunities. These partnerships are fundamental towards the success and scalability of the DSHA application. BDF would greatly benefit from partnerships that can provide technical expertise in application development and business strategy, funding, legal advice (particularly in regards to data privacy), sales and marketing plans, and technical support on application maintenance and design.