Kiwix: offline digital classrooms

4 billion people lack reliable Internet access - because of costs, lack of infrastructure or outright censorship. This issue has become even more pressing during the COVID-19 epidemic; many schoolchildren have not been able to learn effectively from home simply because they do not have an Internet connection.

Kiwix is a universal platform bringing Internet content to people without Internet access. Entire websites are copied and compressed into single files. These can then be shared and browsed offline with the exact same user experience. Kiwix runs on computers, mobile phones, or can even run on a $100 hotspot that can feed a whole classroom with gigabytes of content.

Through Kiwix the entire Wikipedia but also videos, thousands of books, and more can fit on a single microSD card. In any language, accessible anywhere.

A lack of Internet connection means a whole world of digital tools become inaccessible to students; a digital classroom becomes an impossibility.

As many young learners are still unable to return to their classrooms because of the COVID-19 epidemic, or struggling to catch up on lost time from this period, or even in a position where formal schooling is not possible (e.g. in refugee camps), more adaptable tools are needed to bring educational resources to these vulnerable, offline communities. While Internet resources are growing and diversifying in the developed world, a lack of basic digital education continues to plague underserved environments across the globe. Without quality education for offline environments, cycles of poverty are set to continue as opportunities for social advancement remain out of reach.

We currently have around 4 million users (this is a conservative estimate, as the nature of offline means that we do not track our users after their initial download, which is the reason why many use Kiwix) in over 216 countries and territories. We are continuing to scale and are on track to achieve 100 million users by 2025.

Kiwix provides a solution for this as it is made to adapt to any environment and any device. It provides an offline library of contents for learning that can be browsed at ease, without data limitations. It can support young learners who are unable to engage in online teaching, allowing them to be as equally equipped as possible compared with their online counterparts.

Content can be selected from a library of online resources, (including Wikipedia, MOOCs, TED Talks, the Gutenburg Project library, etc.) without the need for any Internet connection. We are always looking to expand our content to better serve our users needs and remain up-to-date.

Kiwix relies on the openZIM technology - a copy of a website is made using this open-source compression format, which allows the creation of an archived version of the website as a unique .ZIM file. It can then by copied, stored, and shared completely offline. The end result is a reader which is as interactive as the original website, rather than a static image or PDF file. All the content is refreshed on a monthly basis thanks to the technology of our ZIM farm; the library which contains all our content.

Kiwix serves everyone and anyone in an offline environment seeking educational material. In the past, this has included universities in Sub-Saharan Africa, refugee camps in the Middle East, libraries in South-East Asia, schools in rural South America, and even prison education programmes in Europe and the U.S. to name but a few examples.

While the global need for Internet access is being increasingly recognised, it is not a short-term project. While many countries state that Internet use is available, there are many cultural and social barriers prohibiting it from being freely available to all. For example, although the Cuban government has been working over the last decade to improve Internet distribution (with 35 government WiFi zones opened in main cities), many can still not afford the data packages on offer. Thus, the preferred option for many is to purchase software packages at national Computer Clubs and locally distribute these among their communities. For this reason the name “Kiwix” is widely known across the island of Cuba as one of the most popular packages.

We are able to break into such underserved environments mainly through partnering with on-the-ground organisations. They offer the advantage of truly understanding the local community and their needs, while acting as a go-between for us and in-country individuals for whom Kiwix would be life-changing. This means that deployment can be scaled while still being suited to the needs of individual populations. Therefore, we can focus on making Kiwix the best it can be, while knowing that work to distribute it well is ongoing and effective. 

In short, we know that Kiwix can offer long-term and effective change, as we have already seen this with our current userbase of over 4 million. This being said, we are constantly working with feedback from individuals, our partner organisations, and our own internal processes to make sure that we remain relevant and that Kiwix is always looking to be the best it can.

The problem: our current Internet is not inclusive for education. Any improvements to multiply Internet resources still leave out 4 billion people for whom an Internet-based education is still inaccessible. Teachers and students alike are missing out on building a technology-savvy classroom. 

Our solution: we provide a digital platform which gives access online information through offline technology. Kiwix is free and adaptable to any device or educational content. 

The population we serve: anyone who is lacking educational, economic, or social opportunities because of their lack of access to online learning. 

Since being founded in 2017, Kiwix quickly built to 1 million users worldwide on the initial Android and Desktop formats.

By 2019, we had founded our partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation, been selected for the Global Good 100, and as a Top 100 Innovator by HundrEd, as well as winning the Mozilla Open Source Support award. We rolled out the Kiwix installer for Raspberry hotspot and reached 3 million users worldwide. 

Building on lessons learned from the last 4 years, we are now focusing on a wider deployment of Kiwix with more specialised technology and content. One of our goals for 2021 is to build a scraper to bring MIT's Scratch offline for more creative STEM engagement, engaging younger learners especially.

We are aiming to reach 100 million users worldwide by 2025, with 60% via hotspots/server distribution, 20% on Android, 10% on Desktop, and 10% through other means.

Kiwix takes a problem of lacking (Internet resources), and the tools already at the community's disposal (any smartphone, computer, or tablet) to provide a solution. It uses a streamlined "scraper" process to compress large amounts of data into packages. The result is access to information which is easy to share and consume in low connectivity settings.

Kiwix thus creates an expanding opportunity for a variety of communities, as it is easily replicable and scalable. For example, for Kiwix Hostpot, each low-cost single-board computer that is used can serve up to 30 people at no additional cost than the initial 100 USD purchase. This means whole classrooms can participate together in a digital learning experience, bringing the community together to share in a resource which ultimately results in large-scale economic advancement; as better learning resources increase, so do employment and advanced education opportunities. Similarly, for Kiwix desktop, content is often distributed locally (through USB or other storage devices) for a small fee. Therefore, Kiwix not only provides the opportunity for the free distribution of information, but also for an entrepreneurial spirit to be fostered through doing so. 

Moreover, this project offers a self-sustaining, long-term, inclusive solution; the community learns how to use and choose the tools it needs to help itself, rather than depending on passively receiving external assistance.

Kiwix is currently serving circa 4 million users in 216 countries and territories. This is most likely a conservative estimate, as we cannot track users after their initial point of download, and, in fact, this is the very reason why some users find Kiwix so helpful; they do not need to sustain an Internet connection to access our content. 

We predict that we will reach 6-8 million users by the end of 2021, and our current model shows us as being on track to achieve 100 million users by 2025.

Our impact is measured through the SMART framework:

- Specific: We have identified key areas of need for improvement in the Kiwix platform and are actively searching for funding from sources who specifically target these topics (e.g education-related content).

- Measurable: We look at numbers of downloads and contents hosted, where these are most prevalent, and who this leaves out in the global offline figures.

- Achievable: Kiwix is easily scaled, adaptable, and has already impacted the lives of millions worldwide. We know that it is within our capabilities to continue to provide online information to offline communities.

- Relevant: Technology is advancing at an unprecedented rate, and while developed countries are continuing to get better tech, many are still missing out on basic access to resources. This has come to light more than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic when many children have had to be homeschooled with the limited digital resources accessible without an Internet connection. 

- Time-bound: As mentioned above, we have a plan of projects and user expansion for the next 1-5 years.
We also align with SDG 4, to deliver on the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, in line with our user expansion goals.

3 FTEs, 2 part-time, ad-hoc contractors as required for software development projects.

As a technology, Kiwix is really the only content-agnostic solution to bringing Internet content to people without connectivity.

On the team side, just under half of Kiwix’s coders are located in the Global South (Mali, Ghana, India) and have hands-on experience with connectivity issues. Kiwix’s advisory committee is also comprised of five members representing its main areas of deployment (US, Africa, Middle-East, South-East Asia, South America) and are tasked with providing user and deployment input.

The very purpose of Kiwix is for diversity and inclusion, and we are particularly working on developing more content available in more indigenous languages. We follow the Wikimedia Foundation’s non-discrimination practices, but do not devise our own. We pledge the contributor's covenant for all projects. 

Our reasons for applying are simple: we believe that we are compatible partners, and that Solve could help us further our cause greatly.

Kiwix fits squarely within the aims for the Equitable Classrooms challenge; our mission is to address education inequalities. We are a technology solution which endeavours to include all knowledge-seekers, whether in formal or informal classroom settings. However, without good quality educational tools, the most underserved students have no hope of being able to compete with their connected peers. We created Kiwix for education, and it will always have at its core a focus on improving resources for learning environments.

Furthermore, the supportive community of Solvers would be a huge benefit to the deployment and development of Kiwix. As a non-profit, our ultimate aim is to connect the unconnected and to ensure that our software satisfies the needs of those who are most lacking in Internet resources. To have expert advice (whether technical, administrative, communicative, or other) and greater funding opportunities would help us to streamline our processes and get our software where it needs to be more effectively, and sooner. 

Legal support would help us hugely in day-to-day operations between Kiwix and our prospective distributors across the globe. Public relations should be easy considering that Kiwix presents a compelling story with large-scale impact; However, this reputation takes time to build. As the saying goes we can either talk about things we do, or do them.

We also need support reaching out to potential field partners with connectivity issues who are probably not aware of our solution. Being able to work with Solve to combine our connections and contacts would help us to identify who Kiwix can serve and what they need Kiwix to do.

With people on board who understand the technology behind Kiwix, and why this is so significant, will help us to improve the scale, deployment, and user experience of Kiwix. Looking particularly at existing partners and projects, Solver Code Nation's project to equip students in under-resourced schools with the skills needed to launch a career in tech is exactly the kind of initiative we would like to see Kiwix used in, but in an offline context.

Kiwix Hotspot and Mobile are already being used in refugee camps all over the world, particularly the Zataari refugee camp in Jordan where teaching is informal and resources are limited. As a self-effecting solution, Kiwix allows refugees to take ownership over their own education while in a situation which otherwise offers little in opportunities for self-actualisation. Becoming formally entered into the schooling system in their receiving country is by no means a quick process, and refugee students miss out on key learning milestones in the meantime. As a mobile tool where no Internet connection is needed to browse thousands of content articles in over 100 languages means that, through Kiwix, students can truly take charge of their own education. We are currently seeking funding to create a specific content package of information which would be specifically targeted for our most prevalent refugee users. With the help of the Andan Foundation, we could ensure that essential online information is being deployed in the offline environments where it is most needed; Kiwix truly has the potential to be a tool for the social and economic inclusion of refugee learners.

At its core, the purpose of Kiwix is digital inclusion. We do not believe that an individual's access to resources (and by extension, education) should be limited by their lack of an Internet connection. Therefore, we created Kiwix: an adaptable, easy to implement solution to a lack of connectivity. Kiwix requires no maintenance on the user's part, and can run through any smartphone, computer, or tablet.

We offer content such as Wikipedia, MOOCs, TED talks and others which would otherwise be exclusively available online; in doing so, we are helping to bridge the digital divide for the 4 billion people globally who still live without Internet access. Having already helped a diverse range of communities (such as inhabitants of remote villages in the Andes mountains, library users in Indonesia, and university students in West Africa) making use of the variety of languages available on Kiwix, we pride ourselves on offering a resource which strives to bring equity to education. Kiwix has been most notably used as a STEM resource in some truly challenging environments: in U.S. prisons to teach computer programming and for medical students in unconnected communities in India, among others.  

By providing Internet content for an offline environment we can ensure that solutions to accessing a digital education can be implemented without waiting for macro changes which could be a long way off; therefore, we believe that Kiwix is a sustainable and essential tool for a world that is developing an increasing dependence on technology for social advancement.