Phil Helliwell

Bringing digital education to refugee and host communities in remote regions of Africa

How do you deliver digital education with no internet? Learn how an offline-first platform, built with Elixir and modern CSS, is solving this challenge for refugee communities.

Bringing digital education to refugee and host communities in remote regions of Africa
#1about 6 minutes

Understanding the global refugee education crisis

Over 108 million forcibly displaced people exist worldwide, with refugee children facing significant barriers to education like remote, under-resourced schools.

#2about 3 minutes

A holistic approach to digital education for refugees

The Instant Network Schools program provides a complete solution including hardware, solar power, connectivity, curated content, and teacher training.

#3about 3 minutes

Designing rugged hardware for remote environments

The Instant Classroom kit evolved from a single-box design to a more flexible two-box system with an Intel NUC for greater power and adaptability.

#4about 2 minutes

Delivering offline educational content to schools

The school server hosts offline applications and content like Kolibri and a lesson planning app, ensuring lessons can run without a stable internet connection.

#5about 3 minutes

Using modern CSS for right-to-left language support

The browser can automatically handle right-to-left layouts for languages like Arabic by using CSS Grid, Flexbox, and logical properties.

#6about 3 minutes

Managing remote servers with Elixir and Ansible

An admin app built with Elixir and Phoenix LiveView allows program managers to run Ansible playbooks for updating remote school servers concurrently and reliably.

#7about 7 minutes

Measuring program impact and ways to get involved

The program has reached over 260,000 students, improving digital skills and exam results, and you can contribute by volunteering or donating.

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