Hello, I am a developer based in Tanzania. Besides poverty, this country is also crippled by lack of education, which is generally not looked at as something valuable.
One of my neighbors in Dar Es Salaam is a 17-year-old student that has just started university. Let's call him John. While he was excited at starting his courses about a month ago, he is having to quit because his family does not have the money to pay tuition (TSH 1.26million/year, equivalent to less than $600/year). As many other students in the country are in the same situation, I have been playing around with ideas to promote and support education in a targeted and scalable way.
After noticing that Kobo and Amazon both have e-reader apps, and that most youngsters in this country have a smartphone (John owns one), I started thinking about what would happen if donors paid $10 for every book a university applicant reads. I proposed the idea to John, and he accepted the challenge. The rules we agreed on are:
1) I get to decide the list of books;
2) He only gets $10 if he passes a very simple test about each book;
3) The money can only be spent on tuition;
4) The money will only be spent if it can pay the full tuition (meaning, if he only reads 50% of the target, the funds will not be released).
Before receiving comments about the harsh conditions, I would like to mention that I am asked for money on a daily basis. I thought of this challenge as a way to ensure the money is well spent.
Now, I need to come up with a list of books (60 should be enough).
To be taken into account:
1) Due to the lack of resources, the level of education of a 17-year-old in this country is equivalent to the level of education of a 12 or 13-year-old in the Western;
2) He will have to read these books without outside support.
One of my neighbors in Dar Es Salaam is a 17-year-old student that has just started university. Let's call him John. While he was excited at starting his courses about a month ago, he is having to quit because his family does not have the money to pay tuition (TSH 1.26million/year, equivalent to less than $600/year). As many other students in the country are in the same situation, I have been playing around with ideas to promote and support education in a targeted and scalable way.
After noticing that Kobo and Amazon both have e-reader apps, and that most youngsters in this country have a smartphone (John owns one), I started thinking about what would happen if donors paid $10 for every book a university applicant reads. I proposed the idea to John, and he accepted the challenge. The rules we agreed on are:
1) I get to decide the list of books; 2) He only gets $10 if he passes a very simple test about each book; 3) The money can only be spent on tuition; 4) The money will only be spent if it can pay the full tuition (meaning, if he only reads 50% of the target, the funds will not be released).
Before receiving comments about the harsh conditions, I would like to mention that I am asked for money on a daily basis. I thought of this challenge as a way to ensure the money is well spent.
Now, I need to come up with a list of books (60 should be enough).
To be taken into account:
1) Due to the lack of resources, the level of education of a 17-year-old in this country is equivalent to the level of education of a 12 or 13-year-old in the Western; 2) He will have to read these books without outside support.
Thank you in advance.