Overview

LAIBU MKONONI Every child deserves the chance to learn. Laibu Mkononi loosely translates to “a library in the palm of my hand.” The objective of this initiative is to provide access to quality offline electronic educational content to enable children to log on to curriculum-based materials, read storybooks, view educational videos, and play games in a safe and controlled environment. We source for old or broken down devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops from families, friends, and social media, we refurbish and load them with this content before partner libraries (knls Kibera Community Library, Moyale community Library, Voi Community Library; and many more to come) lend them out—at no cost—for up to a month. Our focus is on digital access and inclusion for the remote, socio-economically deprived areas by the use of smartphones and tablets as an innovative way of engaging children aged between 6 and 13 years. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of the children especially candidates faced challenges with online learning due to a lack of access to internet or devices; therefore unable to attend virtual classes or access curriculum materials. We bridged this gap by providing some with devices to access specific offline curriculum-aligned subject content to enable them not only to be at par with their peers once school resume but also to have had an opportunity to learn about technology and pass their exams. The devices come secured with parental Control software to limit the applications’ accessibility and the time spent on the device, currently set to one and a half hours a day but unlimited access to revision materials and storybook reading, therefore creating a safe space for them. Our content is from free emerging mobile learning programs and curriculum-delivery platforms that seek to improve or expand access to learning content for children.