A student in Zimbabwe uses a computer to access information and learning resources .
© UNICEF / UN0782244
In addition , Giga includes clauses for child protection in contracts that it shares with governments , ensuring that students and teachers alike navigate the web safely .
Fabian points out that access is a necessary first step . “ Without access , the future is dark ,” he says . “ I know that if you break up the world into quintiles , the bottom quintile is totally left out . We see access as nonnegotiable .”
Fabian is excited that the products Giga is building are becoming mainstream . “ We ’ re building tech that is getting used by governments ,” he says . Indeed , the groundwork that Giga is building will have long-lasting impacts beyond the immediate goals of delivering internet access to all schools . The maps and data are already being used for other purposes like allocating educational resources and emergency preparedness . “ Usually , schools serve as hubs for many things , including vaccine delivery and emergency response ,” Zurutuza points out .
“ Without access , the future is dark . I know that if you break up the world into quintiles , the bottom quintile is totally left out . We see access as nonnegotiable .”
— Christopher Fabian , Giga co-founder and co-leader , UNICEF
In Zimbabwe , another country that Giga has worked in , connectivity for schools meant the groundwork for electricity had to be laid first , which was completed using solar panels . The electricity service brought the community together , Zurutuza says . “ You would see community members coming to the school to charge their phones ,” she says .
Giga has made significant progress since its establishment in 2019 . By the end of 2022 , the initiative had already mapped 2.1 million schools across 136 countries . It ’ s on track to help governments connect about 25,000 schools in the next 18 months . There ’ s plenty of work ahead , and Fabian believes there ’ s no choice but to keep at it . “ Right now , there are kids who are losing years of education ,” says Fabian . “ We have to go as fast as we can .” ■
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