Tigo’s e-library on wheels continues to provide digital inclusion for rural children

Tigo in April 2015 partnered with Street Library Ghana to outdoor its digital mobile library as a way of giving meaning to its digital lifestyle brand. The digital mobile library was beautifully furnished with tables and chairs, laptops and kindles to enable children in some rural areas of Ghana to be a part of the Digital age.

The project was aimed at digital inclusion for children in rural areas and the first of its kind to be introduced in Ghana, making it possible for children in rural communities to have access to educational materials in aid of their learning process via a digital platform.

Street Library Ghana in 2012 benefitted from Tigo’s Reach for Change Project, which converts libraries from their traditional and static role of a permanent building for books to a revolutionary and vibrant outdoor environment where books travel to the people who need them most -- especially children who otherwise would have no access to library resources.

Technology has become a central part of everyday life, driving development and simplifying every sphere of life -- of which education is not an exception.

Digital inclusion has become extremely valuable; not only to individuals, but also to businesses, the state, and society as a whole. In bridging the rural-urban educational gap for deprived communities, therefore, Tigo Ghana in partnership with Street Library Ghana has provided needed reading material to students in a soft-copy version. The Street Library van moves from community to community and from school to school, setting up at each location to enable students make use of the tablets, kindles and laptops aboard the van.

A total of 6,789 children have benefitted from the reach of E-Library on Wheels from May to December 2015. On 15th, May 2015, Anoff in the Eastern Region became the first community to benefit from the E-Library Van’s outreach. 4,360 children who had never seen or touched an e-reader were exposed to the digital device.

Besides Anoff, the van has since reached out to eight other (8) communities in the Eastern Region: namely Damang, Duayeden, Onoka, Kwesitenten, Adjeikrom, Ahwerase, Kwasi Nyarko and Obeng Yaw. Also, three (3) communities in the Greater Accra Region -- namely Sapeiman, Medie and Pokuase -- have benefitted.

In addition Seven (7) schools -- Bright Kids Academy, Kawsi Nyarko LA, Jann Royal School, Damang LA, Christ Care Scool, Nsawam Adventist and Child Care and Development Centre School -- have benefitted from the van’s services. The schools also have had an added advantage of using the van for ICT classes which ensure the students get hands-on practical experiences for, especially, those being prepared for the BECE examination.

The project also had the opportunity to host grantee partners from the Global Fund for Children who wanted to learn more about the E-Library on wheels Project. Participants came from Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Rwanda.

As a digital lifestyle brand, Tigo says it remains committed to making digital learning accessible to rural children across Ghana, an opportunity that they believe will open a world of possibilities for children. The E-Library on wheels van will continue travelling to rural communities -- expanding to twelve (12) additional communities in 2016 to give children an opportunity to access education in a new and digital environment.