Accessible and Inclusive Digital Hubs
The inABLE.org, Our Reading Spaces program (now Accessible and Inclusive Digital Hubs Program), was created in 2010 to empower Africa through reading through the construction of libraries in rural villages and communities. These reading havens nurture a reading culture, support the school-going youth, and serve to disseminate pertinent information on issues confronting both the young and adult populations.
Kang’aru Digital Hub
Kairi Village, like many rural communities in Kenya, struggled with low literacy levels among its children. Books were scarce, and access to learning materials was a privilege few could afford. The Kang’aru Digital Hub thus opened in 2009 as a reading space for children in Kairi Village to improve literacy levels.
Recognising the digital literacy challenges in underserved rural communities, inABLE upgraded the Kang’aru Digital Hub to serve as a fully inclusive learning space. It now supports over 1,500 students and 180 teachers from six schools, including learners with intellectual disabilities who are receiving tailored digital training for the first time. The Kang’aru Digital Hub is helping ease the burden on parents who have had to spend money on mobile data to enable their children to research via smartphones. For families without access to smartphones or bandwidth, this has meant students are often denied timely access to critical information. The hub provides a much-needed solution by offering accessible, reliable digital resources for learning at no cost.
Teachers are a critical component in the digital skills training. During holidays, we carry out comprehensive training programs for teachers. So far, we have managed to train over 195 teachers, equipping them with the skills needed to effectively make use of digital resources to teach students. Initiatives like digital skills training for teachers have enhanced instructors' proficiency in using digital tools like Google Classroom.