Hello Hubs are innovative, scalable and affordable. Designed to be easily replicated and entirely built by the community.
Each Hello Hub provides five interrelated elements designed to bring communities online and provide access to world-class education, power and connection.
Meet the Hello Hubs...
Robust and modern hardware
8 rugged tablets and Hub infrastructure
World-class educational software
in local languages for the whole community
Free Internet
empowering knowledge, connection and communication
Engineering training
enabling communities to build, maintain and replicate Hubs
Solar power
often a community’s only power source
Built by the community, for the community.
We don’t build these Hubs. The communities do. Challenging traditional approaches to development, they learn to build, maintain and repair the Hubs themselves, becoming engineers who can go on to build future Hubs.
It’s a self-sustaining model that relies on mutual investment and radically challenges traditional thinking about development.
How the Hubs Work:
Each Hello Hub offers: eight screens, educational software, free high-speed WiFi, device charging, lighting and solar power.
The Story of Hello World
Hello World is born
In 2012 Katrin came across Sugata Mitra's TED talk on the power of child-initiated and child-led learning. She decided that a similar approach to his 'hole-in-the-wall' computers might be one way of remedying the lack of education suffered by many children in emerging economies. The concept of Hello World was born. Sugata became an advisor and valued colleague.
The Story of Hello World
Hello Nigeria, and Uganda!
Years of trial and error followed but, eventually, a workable Hello Hub design and a community-focussed plan meant that the first prototypes were launched in late 2013 in Nigeria and in 2015 in Uganda. At every stage communities were fully involved in the process, and ownership, of the hubs, and were responsible for their upkeep, with ongoing support from Hello World. This model has been a central precept of Hello World's philosophy: to empower communities and encourage autonomy.
The Story of Hello World
Introducing the
Hello World Dome
We spent 2018 back in the Lab with our partners from Avenues World School and the Tiger Works team from NASA. We needed an improved Hub design that was cheaper, easier to transport to the more remote places, possible for even the littlest community members to build, had more screens, was dust and monsoon proof, a good sunshade, and (we hoped) iconic. And so the Hello Dome was born!
The Story of Hello World
abrdn announces partnership with
Hello World
Since those early days Hello World has gone from strength to strength, supported by generous donors and the enthusiasm of communities and we expanded to Nepal in 2019. Then in 2020 abrdn became Hello Worlds first £1m donor funding 64 Hubs in Uganda and much more.
Hello Hub Projects
Core Projects at Hello Hubs
Hub Heroes Library
Our Hub Heroes Library provides a library of dedicated tablets programmed with early learning literacy and numeracy applications for the youngest learners in a Hub community.
Core Projects at Hello Hubs
Basic Computer Training
Training for all ages including typing, setting up an email, internet use, social media and Microsoft programmes.
Core Projects at Hello Hubs
Life Skills Training
This vital training teaches key life skills to youth with a focus on young women encouraging leadership, raising your voice, problem solving, creativity and confidence.
Additional Projects at Hello Hubs
Journalism Clubs
Training secondary age children in local news creation, sharing of ideas, debate and campaigns with focused projects throughout the year such as the Global Young Journalist awards with Children's newspaper The Day (which one of our Hub users from Nakivale Refugee Settlement won last year!).
Additional Projects at Hello Hubs
Vocational training
Led by community members, Hubs provide a safe and inclusive space as well as access to the internet for community members to start their own vocational training at the Hubs dependent on local skills, expertise and interest. Sessions for a variety of ages have included coding, hairdressing, photography, agriculture, tailoring, cooking and media.
Additional Projects at Hello Hubs
Advanced computer training
As a natural next step from the basic computer training, some Hub users progress onto complex computer training, increasing their employability within the digital space.
Additional Projects at Hello Hubs
Innovation clubs
This involves teaching next-level engineering skills and problem solving at the Hub. For example, if the community finds that their Hub batteries are producing more energy than is needed to power a Hub, the community will discuss potential options for redirecting the remaining energy and be trained in how to execute their solution.
Additional Projects at Hello Hubs
Hub Mentors
Two-way mentoring programme with our partners at abrdn, pairing community support officers with abrdn staff to share skills and ideas.
Want to be part of it?
Become a partner and help us close the digital divide. Be part of the community!
