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Thaki

Thaki unlocks potential

Millions of children in low-resource and crisis settings lack meaningful access to digital learning. Thaki transforms donated laptops into offline learning systems, combining curated content, teacher training, and wellbeing support to enable engaging, continuous learning without relying on connectivity.

Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Updated April 2026
Created by

Thaki

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Thaki challenges the assumption that digital education requires connectivity. Today, millions of children are excluded not because solutions don’t exist, but because they depend on infrastructure that is often unavailable in crisis and low-resource settings. We believe education must work where children are, not only where conditions are ideal. We envision a shift toward more resilient and inclusive learning systems that can function with or without connectivity. In this future, access to quality education is not limited by geography, displacement, or resources, but is consistently available to all learners. Through Thaki, we aim to support classrooms that are more learner-centered, where children actively explore, create, and build skills using technology. At the same time, we seek to empower teachers as facilitators of learning, equipped with practical tools and training to integrate technology effectively. We also believe education must address the whole child. By integrating social-emotional learning, we aim to ensure that wellbeing and resilience are recognized as essential components of education, particularly for children affected by crisis. Ultimately, Thaki contributes to a more equitable, adaptable, and future-ready education system; one that works in all contexts, not just the most connected ones.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Thaki was created in response to a growing gap in access to education for children affected by crisis and poverty. Across the Middle East and beyond, millions of children, particularly refugees and displaced learners, are unable to access meaningful digital learning. In the last two years alone, over 12 million children in the region have been displaced, and half of its 220 million children live in war-affected contexts (UNICEF, 2025).

Schools, both formal and non-formal, serving these communities are often overstretched and under-resourced, with limited access to reliable electricity, connectivity, trained teachers, and modern learning tools. As a result, high-quality digital education remains accessible only to the most privileged learners, deepening both the digital and educational divide. At the same time, millions of still usable computers are discarded each year, contributing to environmental damage and wasted resources. Thaki connects these challenges; bringing together discarded hardware and unmet educational needs to expand access to learning in contexts where traditional solutions do not reach.

At its core, Thaki is built on a simple premise: education should work wherever children are, not only where infrastructure allows.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

In practice, Thaki transforms classrooms and learning spaces into offline digital learning environments. Schools and learning centers receive refurbished laptops preloaded with a curated platform of interactive educational content in Arabic and English, covering digital literacy, core subjects, life skills, and creativity tools. All content works fully offline, enabling consistent access in low-connectivity settings.

Learning is flexible and user-driven. Students can engage in self-paced learning, exploring topics independently based on their level and interests, while teachers integrate the platform into lessons to reinforce concepts, assign activities, and foster more interactive, learner-centered classrooms.

Teachers are supported through the Teacher Digital Toolkit, Thaki’s proprietary training solution with over 80 modules, also available as a mobile app, enabling educators to effectively integrate technology into teaching practices.

Thaki also integrates wellbeing through Nour’s World, a social-emotional learning program that supports children’s emotional development and resilience in crisis-affected contexts.

Evidence shows strong impact: over 85% of teachers and students rate the content as effective, with documented improvements in digital literacy, engagement, and classroom participation. Pre- and post-assessments and external evaluations further demonstrate gains in children’s social-emotional wellbeing and behavior.

How has it been spreading?

Thaki has scaled across the Middle East and North Africa, expanding from Lebanon to Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and more recently Syria and Palestine, while also supporting Syrian refugee communities in the Netherlands. This reflects the model’s adaptability across crisis-affected and higher-income contexts.

In the past 1–2 years, Thaki has expanded its reach through partnerships with schools, NGOs, and corporate actors, onboarding over 76 new organizations and increasing deployment across underserved communities. This includes collaborations with partners such as Big Bad Boo, Deloitte, and UNRWA, alongside programs supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Thaki’s work has gained international recognition, including the Schwab Foundation Social Innovator of the Year award at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the TRT World Citizen Award (Education), and Frost & Sullivan’s Visionary Leadership recognition. It has also engaged with global platforms such as the World Economic Forum, UNESCO, and WIPO.

To date, Thaki has reached over 60,000 learners, distributed more than 6,500 devices, and partnered with over 220 organizations, with strong adoption by teachers and students.

Over the next 2–3 years, Thaki aims to scale its offline learning system to new geographies while deepening impact within existing ones, expanding teacher training, strengthening localized content, and increasing the reach of its platform and mobile tools.

How have you modified or added to your innovation?

Over the past 1–2 years, Thaki has strengthened its innovation by improving usability, accessibility, and relevance based on continuous feedback from teachers and learners. The platform has been refined with a more intuitive interface and expanded curated content, including new resources on AI literacy and inclusive education.

A key development has been the launch of the Teacher Digital Toolkit mobile app, increasing access to professional development and enabling more flexible, on-demand learning for educators.

Thaki has also introduced Nour’s World, a social-emotional learning program designed to support children’s wellbeing in crisis-affected contexts. Integrated into the platform and available as an app, it expands the solution beyond academic learning to address the needs of the whole child. This has also been launched as a mobile app.

These enhancements reflect Thaki’s ongoing, user-driven approach to innovation, ensuring the solution evolves in response to real classroom needs while remaining practical and scalable.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

To try Thaki, contact our team at info@thaki.org to explore a partnership or request a demonstration of the platform. We work with schools, NGOs, and education partners to assess local needs and define the most suitable implementation approach.

Thaki provides an end-to-end solution: we source and refurbish laptops, equip them with a curated offline learning platform in Arabic and English, and deploy them in learning environments. Partners receive ready-to-use devices, along with onboarding and access to the Teacher Digital Toolkit (web and app) to support educators in integrating technology into teaching.

Implementation typically involves introducing the devices into classrooms or learning spaces, activating teachers through onboarding and training, and using the platform in structured or self-directed learning. Thaki provides ongoing technical guidance and gathers feedback through surveys and field engagement to continuously improve the solution.

The model is flexible and adaptable across contexts, functioning without internet connectivity and supporting both formal and non-formal education settings.

In parallel, key components of Thaki’s model—Nour’s World and the Teacher Digital Toolkit—are freely accessible as self-guided tools, allowing teachers, learners, and parents to use them independently, on-demand, wherever learning is happening.

Media

#thaki #unrwaxthaki #refugeesupport #digitallearning #socialimpact #empowerment | Thaki. Unlock their potential
Meet the Cohort: Tech Pathways MENA | Thaki. Unlock their potential
TRT World Citizen on Instagram: "Educator Award – Rudayna Abdo A life shaped by displacement, transformed into a mission for education. Rudayna Abdo is the founder of Thaki, a social enterprise expanding access to digital learning for forcibly displ
"We turn discarded laptops into learning devices for refugee and vulnerable children"
Teacher Digital Toolkit Quick Demo
Thaki’s Founder Rudayna Abdo Receives Prestigious Schwab Foundation Award In Davos
17 reactions · 6 comments | Thaki at WEF24 | Last week marked a significant milestone for all of us at Thaki. After nine years dedicated to educating the Middle East’s most vulnerable children,... | By Thaki. Unlock their potential | Facebook
Thaki’s Founder Rudayna Abdo Receives Prestigious Schwab Foundation Award In Davos - World
2024 Social Innovation Awards
Is Education Ready for AI?
Nour's World
#sdg4 #empoweryouth #digitalinclusion #sustainablefuture #edtech | UN Global Compact Network Lebanon
#digital #refugees #socialenterprise | World Economic Forum | 11 comments
Join us live on 29 October! The World Intellectual Property Organization… | Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship | 44 comments
"Mich hat die Ungerechtigkeit bewegt, die Kinder durch Krieg und Vertreibung erleiden müssen“ - Interview mit Rudayna Abdo – GOOD – Die Suchmaschine für eine bessere Welt
Computer Education in Jordan: Thaki is supporting the Future of Palestinian Youth - Anera
#believeininjaz #youth #education | INJAZ Al-Arab/JA MENA
لمحة عن برنامج "ذكي" - Thaki
When Resilience Creates Innovation: Lessons for Entrepreneurs | Entrepreneur
Association calls on companies to donate used laptops - GloballyToday
Anera and Unicef launch nationwide e-learning program for vulnerable communities - Perla Kantarjian
Technology as a Development Tool - Anera
Thaki App Tour - March 2020
Using Thaki Content to Promote Gender Equality
LS- EP071 — LIBERTY
From refugee to benefactor, a mother in Abu Dhabi brings much-sought education to Syrian children
Educating refugee children by using e-learning tools. | Rudayna Abdo | TEDxAmsterdamED
Show more

Implementation steps

Contact Thaki & Define Your Context
Contact Thaki at info@thaki.org. Together, define an approach based on local needs and the logistics of device sourcing and delivery. When contacting Thaki, please be prepared to provide demographics of your target beneficiaries, estimate of beneficiary numbers, and a description of the existing learning environment (formal/non-formal).
Receive & Set Up the Devices
Receive the laptops prepared by Thaki and install them in your school or learning space. Before implementation, complete due diligence by formally agreeing to responsible use, child safeguarding, and data privacy requirements, including signing the agreement and waiver. Ensure devices are securely stored, used in supervised settings, and ready for classroom or group use.
Onboard & Activate Teachers
Participate in onboarding sessions provided by Thaki’s education team to introduce the platform and teaching approach. Educators then create accounts on the Teacher Digital Toolkit (web or app) and continue with guided and self-paced training.
Use the Solution in Learning Settings
Use the devices in classrooms or informal settings through structured lessons or self-directed activities, enabling interactive, offline learning for students.
Share Feedback & Request Support
Share feedback with Thaki through surveys or direct communication, and reach out for technical guidance or support to improve implementation and usage.
Continue Use & Adapt Locally
Continue using the solution in your context, adapting how it is used over time based on your learners’ needs. Integrate it regularly into lessons and activities to reinforce learning. Thaki offers periodic platform updates, ensuring access to improved content and features over time.

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