Providing free offline educational tools to high school students in Kenya

For some students in Kenya, getting a quality education is difficult, especially when they are unable to access books, resources, or a stable internet connection. These are challenges that Mathew Bushuru, Shinina Muthiora, and Moses Kirathe know only too well, having faced them in high school.

The three are now studying at the University of British Columbia, where they can access free, online resources. This ease of access inspired the trio to develop SOMA, a social venture that provides free educational tools and resources to high school students in Kenya, using content servers and USB drivers instead of the internet.

“When we realized that most of the resources you need to succeed were free and available in Canada, we knew we could easily solve the problem of access we faced while in high school,” said Mathew. “We researched more and realized that the problem was not unique to Kenya: 90 percent of schools across the developing world have no access to the internet at all.”

Unlike in Kenya, Mathew explained, education in North America is transmitted through the use of learning management systems in classrooms, class discussion forums, and online assigned readings and research, a technology-based system that simplifies access to educational resources.

SOMA is a platform that hosts learning materials in places where the internet is unavailable. The trio look for online resources that have free licenses and are relevant to teaching and learning in Kenya. They compile and modify the resources, and make them available offline through SOMA servers.

For 15,000 Kenyan shillings (US$150), a school can purchase a server pre-loaded with online content of value to high school students. Similar to a Wi-Fi router but offline, SOMA provides a gateway to academic materials that help students prepare for national exams, including past exam papers and video lessons on math, physics, chemistry, and other subjects.

Teachers also benefit from SOMA, using its extensive library to prepare examinations and to post five- to 10-minute video tutorials on subjects that students find particularly difficult. According to Moses, SOMA has the potential to benefit many students in the developing world.

“In Kenya, for example, it might cost a school around Ksh180,000 (about US$1,800) just to install an internet connection. In addition, the school needs to set aside about Ksh25,000 (US$250) every school term just for the internet,” said Moses. “Most schools in Kenya don’t have this kind of money, so they just don’t have internet. This is where SOMA comes in.”

SOMA won the 2019 Resolution Social Venture Challenge, a competition that rewards compelling leadership and promising social ventures led by youth. These young leaders and change-makers earned a fellowship that includes seed funding, mentorship, and access to a network of young global change-makers to pursue impactful projects in their communities. A collaboration between the Mastercard Foundation and The Resolution Project, the Resolution Social Venture Challenge provides a pathway to action for socially responsible young leaders who want to create change that matters in their communities.

The team has finished the development of a SOMA content prototype, which is ready to be launched in a pilot program in April 2020 starting with schools in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

“Our main beneficiaries are high school students, but we will also have a version of our platform for young users between the ages of seven and 14,” said Shinina, adding that Kenya has about 9,000 high schools and 30,000 primary schools. In a few years, the trio plan to scale up to other nations in Africa.

The server provides students with lifetime access to the platform, including future content updates via a web application that will allow users to update the platform with newer versions by visiting the web. The team received a boost with a Mastercard Foundation grant in January 2019, and the seed funding from The Resolution Project awarded in August 2019 will enable them to sustain SOMA through product development until its launch.

Once SOMA launches, the trio hopes that the project will be self-sustaining through the revenue they earn from the sale of the servers.

“We will be using this revenue to scale up and impact more students,” said Moses.

By Pius Sawa Murefu