Mission - Hello World

Our Mission

1-in-5 children is not in school and this needs to change. Education is the only way to level the playing field for all children, no matter where they were born.

Remote locations, rundown schools, lack of funding, not enough locally-based teachers and transport issues are all contributing factors that mean education is difficult to come by. We have a solution, tried and tested…

Hello World is helping solve the global education deficit by working with the most marginalised communities to build state-of-the-art, outdoor Internet Hubs and bridge the digital divide. Each Hub provides free internet access and world-class educational software to over 1,000 people, giving underprivileged children and adults an education and a voice in the global community.

It’s called the world-wide-web and it’s about time that was true.

Tech For Good

We’ve developed state-of-the-art, solar-powered, outdoor Internet kiosks called Hello Hubs…

1 Hello Hub = 1,000 people

An average of 1,000 children have access to the world’s educational resources via 1 hub. In comparison to 1 teacher with 30 children in a classroom.

Built by the community, not for

What’s more, we don’t build these Hubs, the communities do. With our help, they learn to build, maintain and repair the Hubs 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.

A Shared Curriculum

The Hello Hub is pre-loaded with quality educational software that’s up-to-date with the rest of the world. That means every Hello World child can follow a curriculum, get qualified and keep up with children anywhere in the world, no matter where they live.

What We Do/The Benefits

Self-Directed Learning

Education isn’t just kids in a classroom, nor is it a teacher or book. It’s all of these things, driven by a sense of autonomy. We know that if a child doesn’t have the tools to take charge of their own future, they’ll never be able to change it.

The World Is Yours

We don’t build our Hello Hubs for communities. With our help, they build them themselves and also learn how to maintain and repair them. It’s a self-sustaining model that relies on mutual investment and radically challenges traditional thinking about development.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Aretha had it right. We firmly believe in listening to the people we partner with. It’s the base level of respect we all expect and marginalised communities are no different. If there’s an issue, we take feedback on board and pivot when necessary.

Sky's The Limit

Hello Hubs change lives. We have watched nursing students undertake entire degrees using Hub WiFi, out-of-school children learn to read and write, parents start online businesses to support their families, musicians create demos, the list goes on!

Stay On-Trend

Our Hello Hubs run world-class educational software that’s up-to-date with the rest of the world. That means our kids can follow a curriculum, get qualified and keep up with children anywhere in the world, no matter where they live. Time to close that gap for good.

Growth Potential

Look no further, we’re the best-unlimited plan in the World. One Hub provides unlimited internet access for over 1000 people. They’re WiFi enabled, solar powered and have touch screens for multi-person access at the same time.

A Human Right

Access to the internet is recognised as a human right! Yet 40% of the world still is unable to access internet technology. The digital divide only serves to amplify inequality.

Self-Directed Learning

The World Is Yours

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Sky's The Limit

Stay On-Trend

Growth Potential

A Human Right

Access to the internet is recognised as a human right! Yet 40% of the world still is unable to access internet technology. The digital divide only serves to amplify inequality.

“Do you know what you have done for these girls' future? You have connected them to the world and hence opened up opportunities for them - there is so much that they can know.”
Esther Omongele, Uganda.

The Journey So Far

Soap and Plastic

While living in Nigeria, Hello World founder Katrin works on a number of social enterprise projects. Two standouts include the Bwari Soap Co and a house built entirely from recycled plastic bottles! A key lesson for Katrin (which will later inform Hello World) is that the projects that work are down to the leadership role that local communities played in their success. An interest in the power of communities to drive their own development was sparked.

Forgotten Classrooms

In a visit to one of the world’s most remote tribes, the Hamar Tribe of South Omo, Ethiopia, Katrin becomes interested in the idea of providing education in places where it’s difficult to retain teachers. After seeing yet another derelict school building that can’t be maintained and a community to which no teachers would go, she starts thinking about possible solutions.

An Electric Idea

Katrin sees Sugata Mitra’s TED Talk on the power of child-led learning. This could be the answer she has been looking for. She becomes excited that this approach could solve the widespread lack of teachers and schools.

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DIY

Hello World is born. We took lessons from Sugata's initial experiment - involving communities in the design and building of their computer kiosks. "The Ikea effect": building something for yourself significantly increases the value you place on it.

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A plan is hatched

Katrin drops Sugata a cold-call (remember him from the TED talk?) to tell him about what she’s been up to. Weeks later they’re sharing ideas on how to partner up and take Hello World even further.

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Hello Nigeria

In late 2013, the first Hello World pilot is launched in Suleja, Nigeria. The first computer terminals can survive dust storms, monsoon rain and children tapping away day and night, and we’re pretty darn excited about them.

Hello Uganda

With support from our first major backers, Hello World builds four Hubs in Uganda.

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Sugata's Support

Sugata Mitra inspired Hello World and has been a crucial advisor and mentor. Whilst speaking about Hello World, Sugata said, "Hello Hub, to me, is like the grandchild of the Hole in the Wall, 16 years later…."

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Tweet and they will come

A tweet about Hello World leads to link-up with the phenomenal design team at Avenues: The World School in NYC. Avenues have now taken on the improved design of Hello World 2.0.

A New Adventure

After a break for Katrin to have her third child and support Tom through cancer treatment, the Hello World team is back together for a new adventure. This time: Nepal.

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A New Hub

A new hub configuration comes together, as the prototype of the Dome Hub is built in under 2 hours!

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Hello Dome launches in Nepal and Uganda!

Hello World comes to Nepal and Uganda! The Hello Hub design 2.0 is launched in Nepal in January. Over the year, with our local team, 9 hubs were built in the Nepalese mountains. In the Autumn, we took the Hubs to our first refugee settlement, in Uganda to build 8 more.

A difficult but exciting year

2020 was a difficult year for so many reasons. The effects of the digital divide have been felt the world over and in many ways 2020 has showed the world what we already knew; proper access to the internet is not a luxury, but a necessity and online learning and internet access is the key to bridging the equality gap.

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Increasing the Impact at each Hub, and scaling to reach more communities.

After building 4 hubs in the Toro region of Uganda, early in the year, Hello World teams in Uganda and Nepal are working with our 23 existing Hub communities on vocational skills training, women’s empowerment, and rolling out our social distancing proof programme Hub Heroes, letting children continue to learn in lockdown.

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Appeals

In May Hello World featured in BBC Radio Four’s charity appeal, with actor, writer and broadcaster Stephen Fry making the appeal on our behalf. The appeal raised £30,741. In April we held an emergency hunger appeal in Uganda and were able to provide over 15,000 meals to our Hub communities when lockdown measures disrupted supply.

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New Additions

As well as recruiting our new COO Angharad Jones our team have welcomed Abigail, Ottoline and Alexa to the world. All three were born during lockdown and are all happy and healthy!

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Funding From The FCDO

Early 2021 takes Hello World to Nepal with a project funded with UK Aid from the UK Government following an extensive review of our operations and efficacy. The project will build Five Hello Hubs in the Sindulpalchok District and deliver software, hardware and vocational skills training to members of the community in partnership with Tech For All, the charitable arm of Internet Service Provider Everest Link.

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abrdn announces partnership with Hello World

abrdn plc mark their official name change with the announcement of a major new charity partnership - Hello World. Funding will allow us to build 64 Hubs in Uganda over the next two years, tripling our impact and starting a huge new chapter.

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Prize Winning Solution

Hello World is announced as winner of the Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion AND joint winner of the HP Prize for Advancing Digital Equity. Both awards were announced during the MIT Solve Challenge Finals where Hello World also officially became a part of the MIT Solve Cohort for Digital Inclusion.

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Connectivity in Nakivale and the first abrdn Hello Hub

The team travelled to Nakivale to help build 5 new Hello Hubs, including at Kashojwa, home of the first Hub built in partnership with abrdn

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abrdn Hello Hubs in Western Uganda

With two teams working simultaneously, 10 abrdn Hello Hubs were constructed in Western Uganda's Kabarole, Kasese and Sheema Districts.

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