Our approach puts learning directly into the hands of children, leapfrogging traditional educational structures.. In our model, children are empowered to become literate and numerate using software on a portable device, without connectivity, and charged by simple solar power. Adults play facilitative roles to support children. The solution not only enables us to deliver high-quality learning but it is affordable at scale -- costs are $20 USD / child / year and declining.
Imagine Worldwide’s innovative learning solution is more vitally needed now than ever. UNESCO estimates that 1.5 billion children have had their schooling disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the COVID-19 emergency, over 260M children and youth worldwide did not have access to school.
We are empowering these children to learn. Positive new results demonstrate the effectiveness of child-directed, tech-enabled learning programs. To date, we have put our learning solution into the hands of children in diverse contexts (in-school, out-of-school, and in stable and emergency refugee contexts) in Malawi and Cox’s Bazar Refugee Camp, Bangladesh. Over the next two years, we plan to double the number of countries in which we operate, expanding to Tanzania and Ghana.
As we test and improve our model, we are orchestrating partnerships needed to scale. COVID-19 increases the urgency behind flexible learning solutions. When schools reopen, these models can be brought into the classroom to continue to support student learning. Imagine is marshaling the support needed to improve quality, distributing toolkits to empower replication, and planning to scale the innovation globally to reach millions of children around the world. With foundational numeracy and literacy skills, every child will have the opportunity to transform their lives, and those of their families and communities.
Imagine Worldwide was founded by Susan Colby and Joe Wolf, who bring rich combined experience in innovation.. Susan brings 20 years of experience in education, working across private, public, and social sectors to improve outcomes for all. Joe has worked across the education technology sector for the last decade, co-founding The Learning Accelerator and OpenUp Resources, two successful education non-profits.
