Hello Hubs are  innovative, scalable  and  affordable.  Designed to be easily replicated and entirely built by the community.

Hello Hub illustration

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...

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Robust and modern hardware

8 rugged tablets and Hub infrastructure

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World-class educational software

in local languages for the whole community

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Free Internet

empowering knowledge, connection and communication

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Engineering training

enabling communities to build, maintain and replicate Hubs

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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.

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How the Hubs Work:

Each Hello Hub offers: eight screens, educational software, free high-speed WiFi, device charging, lighting and solar power.

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Children using ipad photo

Hello Hub 2.0

Like our very first Hello Hub but stepped up to the next level.

All Hubs are wi-fi enabled so everyone can use their own devices.

Waterproof, dust-proof and available 24 hours a day.

The classroom

Hello Hubs can be put into schools too. Here’s a classroom based Hub which supports teachers within-school learning

Need to charge another device? We provide a charging strip so you can always connect

iPad in the wall

An homage to our friend and advisor Sugata Mitra and his original hole in the wall experiments. These Hubs can drive people to health centres and libraries.

The Hubs are loaded with educational software, learning apps and games.

Crate

Every Hub arrives in one of these easy to transport crates and the community chooses the configuration.

The crate dimensions are 72” x 48” x 48” so it isn’t big! We could fit it in because we use solar tiles. The crate itself becomes part of the Hub.

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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.

Sugata Mitra giving a TED Talk

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.

Welcome to Uganda & Nigeria

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 hub structure

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.

abrdn x HW team photo
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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.

Two women sharing a book

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.

A young woman teaching an older woman how to use an ipad

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.

A local woman showing two others how to make something from raw materials

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!).

Fancoise, winner of the young journalism award

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.

A woman with a certificate of achievement

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.

An instructor teaching a group of young girls to code

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.

Mechanics and electronics being taught

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.

A young girl on a video call to her mentor
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Want to be part of it?

Become a partner and help us close the digital divide. Be part of the community!

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