Imagine the 600 Million illiterate people living in the poorest, off-grid rural villages and neighborhoods in need of major change. While change began years ago with the proliferation of small home solar systems that provide energy access, today Kumbaya has laid the ground work for accessibility to not only the much-needed power and light, but also to “network connectivity’ that ensures access to the basic necessities to transform illiteracy in to knowledge. At Kumbaya, our focus is developing the technologies to ensure we have a platform that allows our user to acquire the necessary skills and basic education.
Why education? Despite great progress in the last few years, millions of children are still denied their right to education. Restricted access to education is one of the surest ways of transmitting poverty from generation to generation. Education is a vital human right. Every girl and every boy should have the right to a quality education so that they can have more opportunities in life, including employment, better health and the possibility to participate in the political process. At Kumbaya, we believe the most important period to acquire the basics are the first years. This is when we must ensure that children learn to read, count, and acquire the necessary life skills to form the basic fundaments for continued learning throughout their lives.
Children who have access to quality early childhood programs do better in primary school and will have better academic outcomes later. It is vital that low and lower middle-income nations invest more in affordable early childhood programs.
Our Kumbaya connected platform was designed for the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, those who are most likely living in rural off grid communities and affected because of a lack of electrification and connectivity. In most of these areas, the high illiteracy rates are due to non-existent or unsuitable education infrastructure, lack of trained teachers and inadequate learning materials.
We are often asked, “Why is educating girls in rural Africa your emphasis?”
Educated girls and women tend to be healthier, have fewer children, earn more income and provide better health care for themselves and their future children. These benefits also are transmitted from generation to generation and across communities at large, making girls’ education one of the best investments a country can make.
Any form of support is welcome.
Read Full Post »
As we prepare to celebrate this holiday season with family and friends, we customarily take stock of those things in our lives for which we are grateful. As we count our blessings, we must also take note of what is happening beyond our borders.
Stop saying “should have,” after you lose your job . Start saying “next time.” The former is backward-facing and the latter is forward-facing.
Embraceable Mind 