Good Sunday morning, dearest reader.
Today we're bringing a special weekend edition.
Not in the regular format, but I’ll try to make it as condensed as possible.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
Some background
Most of you know we went off to The Gambia for ten days. Some of you know that this was for a non-profit project called KUBO by Afrodidact. Little of you know that this trip took place with a crazy bunch of 10 people who can rock a karaoke night.
Now, before getting into details about this trip, let me give you some background.
The KUBO project aims to bring digital solutions to schools in deprived areas and their communities. This project takes part in a bigger mission by an organisation called Afrodidact to move towards quality education for all.
In short (repetition is good):
- Afrodidact → non-profit that aims to have quality education for all.
- KUBO → project that supports Afrodidact’s mission by bringing digital solutions to the table.
What we did for ten days (except for karaoke)
Install a new computer class (Albreda)
During this trip, we installed 26 KUBO X computers (with low energy consumption) in Albreda, our 3rd school already 🙌
Each school where we implement a KUBO X computer class is selected based on unique properties.
- The Swallow (our home base): This is our pilot school where we do R&D en test new functionalities & methodologies.
- Bakoteh: one of the largest public schools in The Gambia.
- Albreda: situated in a rural area with a strong community connection.
- Njaba Kunda (not yet implemented): located in a deeply remote area with limited resources and access to materials.
By implementing KUBO X in different environments, we learn from the situational differences and try to adapt our solution as much as possible.
Albreda already showed us some new challenges concerning solar energy but also taught us that the community wants to participate in further extracurricular activities.
In conclusion: new engineering opportunities are mixed with positive community participation! 👌
Installing new KUBO platform functionalities
Administration in schools is a big time-consuming & error-prone task. In several schools, it makes up more than 20% of a teacher’s job. This is time spent on filing student attendance, scorebooks, and term reports… and not on the student itself.Administration in schools is a big time-consuming & error-prone task. In several schools, it makes up more than 20% of a teacher’s job. This is time spent on filing student attendance, scorebooks, and term reports… and not on the student itself.
4 years ago, we addressed the most time-consuming task by automating the term report calculation & generation.(comparison before & after ⬇️)
During this trip, we implemented health administration functionalities to enable school personnel to identify & address students’ health issues as quick as possible.During this trip, we implemented health administration functionalities to enable school personnel to identify & address students’ health issues as quick as possible.
We'll follow up on improving the health functionalities in the coming months. In the meantime, we are paving the way to bringing the KUBO platform to our other 3 schools.We'll follow up on improving the health functionalities in the coming months. In the meantime, we are paving the way to bringing the KUBO platform to our other 3 schools.
Check-in on the next school (Njaba Kunda)
In Q1 2023, a new trip is planned to The Gambia. During this trip, a new KUBO X computer class will be installed in Njaba Kunda (The most remote location so far).
In preparation for the 2023 trip, we went to the school to have a look and deliver some necessary appliances.
One thing is for sure: children can give the warmest of welcomes that you can imagine ♥️
Check-in on current implementations (The Swallow & Bakoteh)
On each journey to The Gambia, we visit the schools where Afrodidact & the KUBO project is already present. We take our time for these moments because they are packed with feedback & valuable moments.
Moreover, it’s the perfect moment for Robby G (our operations wizard) to update the KUBO x computers & servers. And, last but not least, it's a moment to pick up on some computer skills training 😊
Create a docu vlog
Until now, we were not so vocal about what Afrodidact and KUBO do.
That's why we took a whole media circus with us on this trip. The team included:
- A professional cameraman & drone pilot by the name of Xandrone.
- A journalist, soon-to-be vlog star, by the name of Jeffe (but everyone calls him Jef).
- And, of course, our very own kaffie director, mister Simon Brond
They focused their efforts during this trip on creating a docu vlog that can be used to be vocal about our projects for many years to come. And they made sure to bring a big camera to show you how serious they are:
Where do we go from here?
On an educational level, we want to bring individual learning to the KUBO platform. The practical vision on this is already very clear: students get digital study materials & exercises based on their skill level using offline educational resources.
With the outcomes of the exercises, KUBO will provide statistics so that teachers can match quick learners with other students. By providing these tools, we would like to support self-paced learning & let teachers become coaches.
On a sustainability level, the subsequent years will be crucial. KUBO is now >5 years old. In those years, much experience came to the table and matured the project. With current implementations in 3 schools (soon to be 4), we want to start implementing our methodologies with governments, NGO’s & other non-profits. We believe this is crucial to guarantee future growth & make the project less dependent on individual effort.
A big thank you
To you, the reader, for reading up until this point.
To Afrodidact & all hands that have already put in so much work for over 15 years.
To all partners & supporters of our mission.
To the fantastic group that joined the KUBO team on this journey!
And last but not least, to Shanetje, the man who loves to bring in the pieces to complete the puzzle.
We’ll write to you next week with the regularly scheduled programme!
Enjoy your weekend.
Yentl
