Enabling refugee children across Africa to learn
More than half of the world’s 25.9 million refugees are children and many are born and raised in refugee camps. Recognising that these young people have limited access to quality education, the Vodafone Foundation set up Instant Network Schools (INS) – a digital ‘classroom in a box’. It provides power and internet connectivity to classrooms in refugee camps as well as tablets, a projector, a speaker and online educational content.
There are currently 36 Instant Network Schools in eight refugee camps in Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, benefitting 86,000+ refugee students and 1,000 teachers. 70 trained Vodafone employees are on standby to set up the schools and work with the UNHCR to provide teacher training.
Using mobile technology to provide quality education is giving refugee children the possibility of a successful future. As Aminata, a coach in Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania, says, “Education is important for the children here because it will broaden their minds… The Instant Network Schools classes have taught students to dream bigger.”
