Solar Powered Access to Raspberry Computing

Powering Potential's SPARC program provides solar powered computers, offline digital libraries, and training to teachers and students in developing countries.

In the past two decades, computer technology has gone from being an interesting and useful novelty to a fundamental aspect of daily life. Because of this, computer education has become a core component of a modern education, with many desirable jobs requiring an understanding of basic computer use.

Unfortunately, advances in computer technology have not come cheaply, and public education systems in developing countries around the world have found themselves incapable of providing even the most basic level of computer education. Many of these schools don't even have access to a national electric grid, much less a laptop or tablet. Students attending these schools graduate without the skills necessary to perform in an international job market.

Powering Potential Inc. (PPI) works to address this disparity through its SPARC (Solar Powered Access to Raspberry Computing) program. By utilizing the affordable Raspberry Pi motherboard, PPI can feasibly install a fully functional solar powered computer lab in a rural public school without access to electricity, thereby enabling both students and teachers to achieve levels of tech competence that would be otherwise unimaginable. SPARC labs also come equipped with offline digital libraries and other educational resources, including videos and training programs, which have proven invaluable in public schools that often do not even have the resources to provide textbooks, chalk, or other basic learning supplies.

For socioeconomic reasons, international tech disparity is widening, and as technology becomes a greater part of our lives this disparity will continue to contribute toward poor educational outcomes in poorer countries, putting additional strain on wages and living standards. Powering Potential works to address this disparity by harnessing local environmental and human power, providing access to solar powered computers, offline digital libraries, and training to teachers and educators. In doing so, PPI seeks to empower lower-socioeconomic countries and communities with the basic educational infrastructure necessary for them to take control of their country's development.

Powering Potential’s Solution provides employment opportunities to aspiring engineers, such as Neema Lyimo, a single mother of a one year old daughter. She has been working for PPI for three years. “This is my dream,” she says. “I want all of Tanzania’s students, especially young girls, to know that they can be an engineer like me, and I believe Powering Potential’s work will do this by introducing young people to technology earlier.” Through Powering Potential's SPARC Lab program, students attending remote public schools in areas without access to electricity can still enjoy the improved educational outcomes provided by computer access.

Powering Potential pairs solar infrastructure with low-watt, open source Raspberry Pi motherboards to install fully-functional computer labs where students can learn basic computer operation, word processing skills, and simple programming — modern staples that many people living in more developed nations take for granted. Additionally, the included RACHEL offline digital library is a comprehensive educational resource that includes up-to-date information on a wide variety of subjects, including biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

Powering Potential's current 12-month goals include upgrading seven existing SPARC labs in Tanzanian public schools with expanded solar infrastructure and additional computers to accommodate increased class sizes. In the next year, PPI will also install the TZ digitized national curriculum, and provide training and Scratch programming workshops for educators in nine schools. Additionally, PPI is working to provide capacity-building support for its Tanzanian-run sister organization, the Potential Enhancement Foundation (PEF), which PPI helped found in 2016 to ensure future development is guided by Tanzanian citizens.

Powering Potential strongly believes in empowering local communities to drive development themselves. With this philosophy in mind, one of PPI's primary goals is to improve the capacity of its Tanzanian-run sister organization, the Potential Enhancement Foundation (PEF). By allowing Tanzanians to make important development decisions, PPI believes its Tanzanian work will scale up with a higher level of efficiency and sustainability. Additionally, PPI wants to spread its program to other countries, and is currently coordinating with a Fulbrighter to expand the program into rural communities along the Amazon River in Peru.

Powering Potential coordinates with its Tanzanian sister organization to identify schools that would benefit from its solar powered SPARC labs. By working through local channels, PPI is better equipped to find the schools that are most likely to properly protect and maintain the lab while also committing to provide funding to hire a Computer Teacher. After identifying a recipient school, PPI purchases the materials in-country and transports them by car to the site. On-site, PPI's Tanzanian installation team completes the install over the course of three days and provides training to the teachers.

PPI has impacted the lives of 23,000+ teachers and students by providing: 

• 29 solar power systems and 172 computers and servers installed in 29 schools in 11 districts
• 23,000+ teachers and students have a world of knowledge at their fingertips through Rachel's offline digital libraries
• 1,500+ teachers and students completed a technology training course delivering 2,000+ hours of technology training
• 700+ students enrolled in Tanzanian National Information and Communication Science (ICS) Curriculum courses for secondary schools
• 60% of respondents report continuing their education
• 57% of respondents report securing employment because of their technology skills

In 12 months, PPI expects to serve 4,000+ teachers and students with its solar powered digital learning aids, offline digital libraries, and training. PPI will install the digitized Tanzanian National Curriculum in all SPARC labs, provide teacher training immediately after installation, and continue to work closely with teachers to solve problems and answer questions. Potential Enhancement Foundation (PEF) will provide support over the telephone and during visits made to each school on a regular basis. In three years PPI sees itself serving a support role for PEF while expanding its SPARC program into other developing countries.

Powering Potential is a mature organization with a well-developed roster of professionals on the board of directors and in management and staff positions in both America and Tanzania. Its resources include a tech entrepreneur, a Computer Science PhD, other technology professionals, a Certified Public Accountant, investment advisors, and a public school teacher. Additionally, PPI has several Tanzanian associates holding high-level tech and rural developmental positions.

Powering Potential's programs are financed by individual donations and foundation grants. PPI organizes fundraisers and annual fund drives, maintains a grants calendar and has a stable and well-developed list of regular contributors. 

PPI understands that Solve can assist with partnerships, and seeks to establish partnerships that can provide capacity building support to the Potential Enhancement Foundation (PEF), PPI's local sister organization in Tanzania. PEF intends to be an independent, self-sustaining organization, but it needs support in leveraging partnerships, program development, grant writing, marketing, and financial management.

Funding is a major hurdle. Powering Potential's capacity is good, but it struggles to raise the funds to install labs on a reliable schedule. Additionally, the Potential Enhancement Foundation (PEF) needs additional capacity-building support before it can operate on its own.