By Our Reporter
Roke Telkom, a Uganda-based telecommunications company and Hello World, a UK-based charity that provides access to digital education for remote and marginalized communities, have partnered to build free e-learning hubs around the country.
Dubbed “HelloWorld Hubs”, they are solar-powered, outdoor, Internet-connected computer kiosks designed to provide communities with access to educational software, games, video and communication platforms.
The hubs are setup to give people the opportunity to connect with the world, have a voice in their community, educate themselves, and begin their journey towards economic empowerment.
Speaking at the announcement, the Roke Telkom CEO, Roger Sekaziga remarked that Roke Telkom is honored to be partnering with Hello World on this project intended to improve the lives of the communities while providing digital access to online learning tools in remote areas. “We believe it is a brilliant project and Roke Telkom is happy to support initiatives as this intended to transform and improve the quality of life of people in our communities, especially children,” adding that, “Given our already existing presence in the areas that the Hello Hubs will be set up, especially Nakivale and Fort Portal, our hope is that everyone, everywhere in Uganda gets access to some level of education enabled by internet and technology. Roke Telkom will continue to stand side by side with our new partners to see this come to life.”
Katrin McMillan, Founder and CEO Hello World said, “We are in an education emergency. There are 69 million too-few teachers to hit current targets, and, shockingly, there are 263 million children who have no access to education at all. We know that education is the only way to give children a fair start in life and its time to ensure that this massive deficit is ended once and for all. We developed Hello Hubs using the latest in educational technology so that children can access integrated online learning in even the most isolated environments.”
“We are delighted to be working with the teams in Nakivale, Fort Portal and Kampala, alongside our Internet Service Provider partner Roke Telkom, and we can’t wait to work with more Ugandan communities to provide education where it is needed most,” McMillan added.
The Hello Hub build works in partnership with the community, training teams in how to install and maintain each Hub so that every community is invested in the success of the hub in the long term. Hubs for child-led digital education in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement, two new hubs in Kampala, and four in Fort Portal, all connected to the internet by Roke Telkom