Two years ago, I registered for a pitching event in the week before mid-summer of 2016 in Turku. I arrived in Turku early in the morning, so I had time to review my presentation in peace. The hour spent at the park by the Aurajoki River practicing before the event venue opened helped calm my nerves. It was a calm, bright and warm summer morning with few people outside. The mind could drift away while watching the river flow and listening to birds,
My pitch went well and there were also interesting presentations from other participants. As I travelled over 600 km to an event I dread, had to give myself a pat on the back! I gave all the relevant details within the 3-minute time limit of the pitch, which was a welcome surprise as I did not manage this during earlier practice sessions.
Our idea was well-received and the societal impact was its strongest point, but it lacked a clear focus. For me, the most important was stepping outside my comfort zone and getting feedback. Just being there pitching was already a minor victory! The presentations of the top three were excellent. Considering the response and overall feedback from the judges and the other contestants, I should continue to develop the idea further. A summary below.
Breaking the Walls of Access to Education
Enhancing education a locality at time!
Problem — many public schools in Kenya, and especially those in rural areas, do not have access to library facilities. Many students do not have many options to broaden their knowledge beyond what they learn in schools.
Solution/Idea — to develop a set of community-run digital libraries powered by renewable energy for schools in rural and/or remote areas with intermittent power supply. A secondary aim is to integrate a system for transcribing and storing languages within the library. Some indigenous languages are disappearing at a fast rate, and it is important that we document these languages for future generations.
The library being community-run creates a sense of togetherness and ownership and enables the pooling of resources.
Impact — a community that learns together, grows together. The overall impact will be to strengthen community ties by providing opportunities for collective self-development and learning. Opportunities that may not be available to all students.