Our solution's stage of development:
EarlyOur solution:
Enhancing STEAM skills of dropout secondary school girls living in deprived communities through digital resources to fill their gaps and open for them wider opportunities. We will provide them with our offline solution "T in a box" filled with relevant digital contents focusing on steam and 21st century skills.
Our pitch:
The problem:
In deprived communities, girls are disadvantaged and their dropout rate is high. This discrepancy is due to the common practice to take eldest girls out of school to help in family chores, get married or a common prejudice that portrays girls as less capable to perform in scientific domains. Access to schools is also problematic. Public transportation are considered unsafe for girls. Those girls dream of a challenging futur but often have to resign to a vocational restricted training. Digital resources can empower girls with 21st century STEAM skills if we solve the challenge of adapted content and internet connection.
Why our solution will solve the problem:
ICT can play a major role in girls' education and enhance their digital, scientific and reasoning skills. It offers a sustainable, easily scalable solution to cater for a large number of students and provide girls with tailor made education even at home.
Providing girls out of schools, through community centers or camps with an offline access to STEAM digital learning, adapted to their needs and culture, will empower them with skills allowing them to seek better life opportunities. Being computer literate, having mathematical skills, organizational competencies and critical thinking will widen their professional future and give them life skills.
Our target outcomes:
Hundreds of dropout girls in deprived communities or camps will get computer skills, organisational knowhow and problem solving methodology that will help them have a better management of their future household or get better carrier opportunities to be a productive member of their community.
They will also get communication and language skills: digital projects are linked with real life and end with a creative presentation.
LAL partners with community centers to provide challenged communities with an offline digital solution adapted to their needs, train to its usage and appoint leaders to follow up on training, assess the outcomes.
How we will measure our progress:
The populations we will benefit initially:
The regions we will benefit initially:
The technologies we employ:
Why our solution is unique:
Combining low cost offline server solution, using the Raspberry pie technology, with free relevant digital contents aligned with the assessed needs of the field is what makes the project unique.
The box is a low cost, pocket size offline server that hotspots up to 30 computers, tablets, phones and has been tested. It can be connected to a power bank and overcome the cut of electricity issue.
All the digital resources are stored on a micro SD card that is easily updated.
Content follows learning by doing methodology, project based learning and problem-solving approach and are applicable in life.
Why our solution is human-centered:
The STEAM approach is student centered. No grades, as many trials as needed, feedbacks, links to resources, documents, step by step explanations, related language activities help the student become an autonomous learner. The STEAM projects are related to life and could lead to real projects.
The platform is collaborative. Field actors and users can add activities to the platform. Those activities will go through a validation process and could be adapted by us and added to the platform if they meet our standards. Conceivers will receive fees.
Our developers will frequently meet the users, sharing knowhow and understanding needs.
How people will access our solution:
Tabshoura is an online free platform accessible by all.
For the deployment of Tabshoura offline, LAL partners with NGO, INGO, educational centers, private, semi-private and public schools, refugee camps, gives them "Tabshoura in a box", provides accelerated trainings, appoint a leader as a key reference in each institution, monitor and assess, and helps find refurbished computers if needed.
The boxes are very low cost and the content is free. For $200 an institution can get a box with all content for free. The micro SD card allow updating content with no extra cost.
Technology-Readiness Level:
4-5 (Prototyping)Our organization:
Non-ProfitHow we will sustain our team financially:
Answering grants proposals is our main source of funding. We currently have a two years Malala Fund for developing digital resources and a One year Olayan Fund to develop a Mobile App Solution. The boxes were funded by Rotaract Dubai.
We also provide digital services for institutions that need to develop an educational resources and do fundraising events related to education.
We partner with CERD, NGO, INGO, schools in order to pilot, test and scale our solution.
The factors limiting our success:
- Resistance to introduce ICT resources in learning.
By parents who does not like their girls to be connected to the internet
By centers due to the computer illiteracy of the directors or team.
- Commitment of developers: Working with a young team is challenging. They bring enthusiasm, innovation and technical knowhow but they need a close coaching for the pedagogical approach and unfortunately cannot commit for a long period of time.
How long we have been working on our solution:
1 yearHow long it will take to develop a pilot:
3-6 monthsHow long it will take to scale beyond our pilot:
12-18 monthsOur expected annual budget:
$200000
How much of our budget we've secured to date:
$125000
We're looking for partners in these fields:
Why we're applying to Solve:
LAL evolved quickly and is not up to the potential of its growth. 12 developers, 4 pedagogical coordinators, 4 technical experts are working on the Tabshoura development. We have the knowhow and the competencies to develop state of the arts contents and scalable digital platforms. We also have the technical know-how to develop offline solutions. We have the right partnerships to reach a big number of beneficiaries.
It is the right time to think forward and set the right organisation and strategy. We need expertise in conceiving a sustainable business plan, and a development and communication strategies.
Our current partners:
INGO: Their World/ World Vision/War Child Holland
NGO: Malaak/Kayani/Social Support Society/Basma and Zeytouna/DOT/ myschoolpulse/DOT/Thaki/Triumphant Mercy
Official partners: Center of Educational Research and Development/Ministry of education.
Digital development: I Builders.
Solution Team
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Mr. Walid Abu Saifan CTO, Lebanese Alternative Learning
-
MA
Muriel Albina Lebanese Alternative Learning -
M. Nagi Ghorra e-learning Director, Lebanese Alternative Learning
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Our Solution
Girls Can Count, STEAM Digital Project