Enabling access to digital literacy for rural children

Enabling access to digital literacy for rural children, aimed at closing gap in digital skills between urban and rural children.

Children will need to be well equipped with digital skills to handle the challenges and demands of the digital age. However, most Vietnamese children, especially in the rural and low-income communities, lack basic access to basic computer and coding skills that would prepare them for the future world of work. 

Dariu recognizes the importance of providing basic computer and digital skills training for the rural children in Vietnam, and is aimed at closing gap in digital skills between urban and rural children via Digital Literacy Initiative.

Our solutions are: (1) providing free-of-charge rental of laptops to schools to create access to computers for children at schools that don't have any computers yet; (2) providing up-to-date coding curriculums and offering teacher training programs to enhance their teaching competencies; (3) providing basic computing and coding skills training sessions for students at local schools; (4) organizing code-club to attract talented students to further develop their talents and skills, as well as promote girls in STEM.

Our solutions exercise positive changes for the beneficiaries because it creates access for rural children to digital literacy, contributing to close the gap in computer skills between kids in the urban and rural areas, equipping children - mostly in the low-income communities who are at high risk of being excluded from the social and economic opportunities of the future - with skills that would enable them to participate in the digital economy, handle the challenges and demands of the digital age. We help improve teachers' training capacity, too. 

In Vietnam, computer literacy is still an unaffordable luxury for most children, especially in the rural, mountainous areas. The gap in computer skills between kids in the urban and rural areas is widening while poverty is driving rural poor kids out of schools, thus making their future more vulnerable. According to local educational departments' reports, by 2020, there is a lack of 8,347 computer labs (equivalent to 208,669 devices) for primary schools, and about 3,031 computer labs (equivalent to 75,773 devices) for secondary schools, in Vietnam. Source: 

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In discussing with the provinces where we work, it is estimated that 50% of computers at schools are unusable (not working).

Schools are not ready to change, renovate and improve its methodology, competencies to provide their students with future ready skills to enable them to join the workforce. To meet demand for IT workers, which is increasing by 47% per year, Vietnam will need an estimated one million more workers in the information and communications technology sector by 2020.

With our interventions, we has provided laptops for free of charge to 150 schools that don't have any computers, networking with another 350 schools that already have computers but lack training capacity (or a total of 500 schools impacted), enabling training access to digital literacy for about 1,500,000 students 2011-2021, half is female students, and now about 400,000 students per year, We helped to train 6,000 teachers on delivering coding lessons, online tools..., helping to establish 145 code clubs for STEM.   

Our target population is children, aged 5 to 18, who live in the rural and mountainous areas, mostly in the rural making Delta and norther mountainous provinces, in Vietnam. Although Vietnam has achieved remarkably inclusive growth over the last 30 years, it has been expressed increasing concerns about inequality due to divergent educational and life outcomes between urban and rural populations, and between different ethnic groups. In term of provincial ICT index, expect big cities as Danang, HCMC and Hanoi, social human capital index (measured by the percentage of schools delivered computer trainings) of other provinces is still low.  Meanwhile, ratio of trained employee in rural is 13.7% compared to the urban ration is 37.9%.  It is obvious that the city/urban students often take more advantage of computer skills and internet access than the rural ones. Nowadays, internet access has been provided to all most all schools throughout the country, but the problem lies in the fact that there is no access to computers and users facing serious lack of computer skills, especially at the primary schools and among the rural youth. So there is an urgent need for basic computer education and code literacy among the rural youth.

We have consulted with local educators, schools to evaluate their needs, piloting the program and then scale it up. Our intervention enables children with immediate access to computers/laptops, improve their interest in learning future-ready skills and confidence, especially female students, and to shape their future job orientation. 

First, the problem we are addressing is well-fitted with the Challenge. We solve the problem of access to quality learning opportunities, specifically digital literacy. Our solutions also help to strengthen delivery of STEM and and 21st century skills for the young people, as well we to enable them to build work readiness. We equip teachers with capacity building, too.

We provide a solution: we rent (not donate) free of charge laptops to schools that don’t have any computers yet. Each district we rent to several schools, and other schools that already have computers but whose teachers lack training capacity in coding, will join our network. By doing so, we scale up our network to 500 schools, without incurring further costs. In addition, we help the local partners to train their local IT teachers via online and offline programs, with free and open curriculums. After TOT workshops are conducted, the partners will use the best/most outstanding capable teachers to train their peers, so Dariu do not have to cover the training costs, but they use their local budget to do so. Therefore, our solution is reasonably affordable and sustainable. Due to COVID-19, digital divide in widening, digital skills for the young is all the more important as highlighted by the Challenge. Again, what we are doing is will matched with the Challenge.  

Tel: +84.905348823

Email: hanh@dariu.com

We are innovative because: first we conduct this program via what we call mobile schools - we rent the laptops to schools, not donating laptops to schools. In most cases, after the donors donate laptops/computers to schools, these equipment would not be well protected, maintained and used. We rent laptops with conditions, schools have to send teachers to join our TOT training program, and organize training for their students. Not only renting laptops to the schools that don't have laptops, we engage also schools that have laptops/computers, but lack training capacity among teachers, and we train the trainers. By doing so, we have a vast network of schools joining the initiative, meaning that a large number of students benefited. 

Second, we use the best local teachers who were trained by us to train their local peers, thus reducing the costs of training, and combining both funder's and local budget to scale up the efforts. 

Third, code club is added to help develop interest and grow talents among the students, and especially among female students in STEM.  

From what we have been doing, several provinces are keen on scaling up coding to even kindergartens, and to most of their public schools with our little help, support. 

We have expanded our solution to Myanmar and it has worked very well. In Myanmar we are now supporting local NGO, providing them with 500 laptops and training more than 100 local IT teachers, enabling training program for more them 30,000 students since 2018. 

We are trying to replicate our models into Laos, Cambodia and other countries in the Southeast Asia.

We use curriculums available world-wide, and also using Qualcomm's laptops enabled with 4G SIM cards, so that students, especially at the code clubs, could take home for out-side classroom learning. 

We also use micro:bit and raspberry pi and other devices for training students. 

We use laptops for easier mobility, moving and rotating between schools to schools.  

First, we find that the project has positive impacts on students’ confidence and interest in learning to code but does not have impacts on students’ confidence and interest in applying coding further. Second, we find that the project successfully changes students’ self-learning behavior as well as their perception of the usefulness of coding in practical issues.

• More than 90% of students in our sample express some level of interest in learning coding and working with computers, in which one-third have very strong interest. 

• Surprisingly, female students show stronger interest in learning coding than male students

• > 80% of students expressing some levels of confidence in their ability to understand coding concepts

• About 50% of students when we ask about their confidence in applying their coding knowledge to solve practical problems. 

• By related courses: among 4 subjects of Mathematics, Literature, Science and Technology, students strongly believe learning to code will enhance their learning achievement in Mathematics. 

• 75% of students want to work in ICT industries in the future, about 96.35% of them think that they will need computing and coding skills for their jobs ==> after participating in the project, students are well aware of the necessity of digital skills in their future jobs. 

• By gender: Male students (76.45%) are more likely than female (63.6%) ones to pursue ITC-required jobs.

• 83.61% of students consider people who are good at coding to be very intelligent and they think their friends also share similar views. 

• Nearly 50% of parents do not think coding is important, most teachers (85%) assert strong influence on students about the need for learning coding ==> CS education policies need to pay more attention to parents in their awareness-raising activities. 

• Nearly 70% of students have computational thinking ranging from “fair” to “excellent”. 

• The ratio is slightly higher for female students (71.59%) than male students although the ratio of male students (66.08%) who have the “excellent” result is higher than that of female students.

In terms of creating access, we have created access for more than 1,000,000 children, by lending laptops to 150 schools and networking with other 350 local schools, totaling 500 schools impacted. Digital competencies: 90% of students trained have mastery in ICT. Improved engagement and interest of students in STEM, including coding, computer science, and cyber robotics. More than 90% of students in our sample express some level of interest in learning coding and working with computers, in which one-third have very strong interest. 

We have helped to train nearly 6,000 local IT teachers, and they are able to perform their training lessons to their students, and evidenced by more than 1,000,000 students trained. Of teachers that complete training and feedback, 80% report improved confidence in teaching coding skills.

In 2022, we have plan to target 560,000 students, training 4,000 local teachers and assisting 200 code clubs, expanding to Laos ( currently Vietnam and Myanmar).

Between 2022-2024, Dariu will expand its program to Laos and Cambodia, targeting 740,000 students, 5,000 teachers trained in 2023, 890,000 students and 6,000 teachers trained in 2024.  

Between 2022-2026, Dariu has a a plan to assist 4.5 million children and youth with digital literacy, training around 20,000 local teachers, expanding our model into other countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. 

Our solution requires a large funding for hardwares. Because as we mentioned, in many rural schools, especially at the primary schools, there are no computers for students to learn basic computer skills, and that the government could not afford at the same time. However, in order to expand our model, we combine with the state schools that already have computers so we can realize the program without having to wait till we have computers. We are working with partners, domestic and international, to mobilize their redundant used laptops/computers to donate to schools. 

We also organize online training workshops instead of only offline training workshops to create access for more and more teachers to be trained, thus enabling us to reduce the costs. 

And finally, once our model is provided and the government see the impacts, we want the government to replicate our model with its own budget, to make our program become more sustainable in the long run.   

The Dariu Foundation (TDF) was established in 2002 in Switzerland with its mission to empower the low-income families with microfinance and education, operating in Vietnam since 2003, focusing on access to microfinance services for the unbanked, education support for the disadvantaged children among the poorest families, through projects of microfinance, digital literacy, vocational training, scholarships, and kindergartens.

Over the past 18 years, we have advanced the mission objectives by providing access to affordable and readily available microfinance services to hundreds of thousands of rural low-income women, who are considered as un-bankable, in Vietnam and Myanmar. Since 2007, we have provided +20,000 scholarships to the disadvantaged and neediest students among the poorest families in the rural areas to prevent them from dropping out of schools at the early age. So far, there have been over 1,000,000 students trained with computingand coding skills via our +140 mobile schools in Vietnam and 12 mobile schools in Myanmar. Since 2008, we have helped to build 33kindergartens across the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. In addition, the vocational training program has been launched since 2019, training nearly one thousand disadvantaged youths in coding, technology, graphic design, ecommerce and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in Vietnam, at least 85% of the graduates placed at jobs.  Our donors include: Qualcomm, Intel, Google, Microsoft, Toyota, Citi Foundation, HSBC, UBS Optimus Foundation, Ringier, Wietlisbach Foundation, Fontana Foundation, Accenture, Man Truck…

Our team has 15 staff members, based in Ho Chi Minh city.

Hanh Nguyen, General Manager, has 15+ years experience working for well known international organizations, including Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and has been with the Dariu Foundation (TDF) since 2007. Awarded with a Master in Economics of Finance and Banking by Paris Dauphine & ESCP universities in 2011, Hanh has extensive experience and skills in microfinance and management of multi-agency funded projects.

Thuong Nguyen has been Deputy Manager of The Dariu Foundation (TDF) since August 2017 after an earlier 5-year stint as Project Manager from 2012 to 2017. He is currently overseeing all charitable and education projects as well as admin work at TDF. Prior to becoming Project Manager in November 2012, Thuong had spent two years as CIO and the previous two years as IT-Officer. Thuong has a vast experience in IT and project management and monitoring, as well as in office administration. He graduated from HCM University of Technology with a BA degree in 2007.

Hai Tran, project manager, graduated from Ho Chi Minh city University of Technology & Education in 2010 with a Bachelor degree in mechanical engineering major. He joined TDF since 2014 with a starting position of project assistant of Mobile School program. After dedicating more than 5 years, Hai has been promoted to be Project Manager of Digital Literacy Initiatives in 2018.

Our initiative started as a project called Mobile School in 2011, a container-based classroom equipped with laptops and traveling from schools to schools to provide just basic computer skills training. Initially we rented a local training center to provide training IT skills for rural kids, but we can serve only a small number of students. Therefore, we thought in stead of bringing children to computers, let bring computers to students, that's why mobile schools were born. From container mobile schools, we developed other model such as floating school (boat), foldable house, and then when the facility at local schools are better, we don't use those models any more, but only renting laptops to schools, which helped to to reduce the costs. 

In 2017, recognizing the importance of digital skills, especially coding skill, for the rural children, we decided to add coding as another topics that we would want to provide for the poor and rural children, because we believed that these are the skills they would need for their future. 

Due to COVID 19, we moved from offline to online training for teachers, and adding new topics such as AI, blockchain, NFT, crypto-currency in our 2021-2022 agenda...

Our current donors include Qualcomm, Intel, Google, Microsoft, UBS Optimus Foundation, Ringier, Wietlisbach Foundation, Fontana Foundation. 

Each donors has different approaches, providing funding, hardwares, licenses, solutions. 

The barriers that we are facing today is lack of funding for expansion of our program in the countries we are operating and the countries that we are going to operate. In order to achieve our mission and vision, we need strong support from varied donors, governments' agencies and stakeholders.

Our curriculums are voluntary, although they are align with the ministries and the knowledge and skills set for the young people. They need too e institutionalized and become compulsory in the schools. With the common voice from organisations, including  Octava and MIT Solve, you will contribute your voices to this cause so that the governments will listen and adapt it accordingly. 

We would like to be connected to more corperates, and funders who are interested in our proposal and program that we are implementing. In addition, we would like to replicate our program into other countries, so we would like to be introduced to relevant partners in such countries so that we can establish cooperation and support for the targeted countries.

We also need support for external impact assessment to measure the outcomes, and impact of the program. It can be helping us to design the measurement/evaluation tools, how guiding us on how to monitor on a larger scale, especially when we scale up to many countries. How to evaluate and measure the impact in different countries with different background and history of operation.