As of 2017, we at Open Foundation West Africa have been actively pushing the Kiwix4schools initiative in Ghana and further advanced to reach the rest of the world with the Kiwix4schools Africa Mentorship Program this year (View post here).
In the aftermath of the implementation of the initiative, 7 regions in the country, including the Eastern region, have benefitted from the project. Delving into our continued execution of the Kiwix4schools program in the country, we have extended our reach to other parts of the Eastern region of Ghana.
The initiative was introduced to five schools from the region namely: Adonteng Senior High School; Methodist Girls’ Senior High School; Mount Sinai Senior High School; Presbyterian Senior High Technical School, Aburi; and Presbyterian Senior High School, Akuapem-Mampong.
The students were taken through the entire framework of the Kiwix offline software which allows users to access offline open resources, whenever, wherever. Training participants were taught to actively make use of the wide range of educational material readily available on Kiwix. The training was facilitated by our able volunteer, Tettey Opare who spared no effort in ensuring that his student trainees fully understood the program and benefited from its use.
The Kiwix4schools project is one that makes use of Kiwix, an offline open resource web browser created in 2007. (Read more here) Originally created to allow offline access to Wikipedia, the software also allows third parties to host their own projects. This added feature is what enables the smooth operation of the Kiwix4schools project.
In an era defined by technological advancements, we believe that the education sector leads the way in embracing innovation. For regions with inadequate infrastructure for internet connectivity, it is our aim to close the educational resource gap with the Kiwix4schools program, supportively hosted on Kiwix offline.
In addition to successfully solving the problem of a lack of proper internet connectivity, participants profited from the initiative in other ways such as the development of technical skills, adaptability and flexibility in learning, a sense of community and a collaborative spirit, to mention a few.
As we continue to witness the positive impact of the Kiwix4schools program for both students and educators, it is our joy at Open Foundation West Africa to continue in all our efforts with this campaign. The journey has just begun, and the possibilities for innovation in education are boundless
