RACHEL (Rural Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning)

One of the things we do each time we visit Siavonga, Zambia, is to take with us a fabulous e-learning resource called RACHEL (Rural Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning). It can be downloaded for free here.

RACHEL consists of a huge amount of articles, videos, lesson plans etc designed particularly with rural communities in mind. You can find information on everything from keeping goats to world geography to learning algebra.

The beauty of it is that people can access it offline so avoiding the insecurities and expenses connected with the internet. We supply it to schools which have no mains power via a Raspberry Pi which can be accessed by any wireless devices in the area.

In school with power, we share it across a network from a Synology DiskStation.

Pupils tell us they can do research and find information that’s not in their textbook. Teachers find it a great help in lesson planning and CPD. Members of the wider community can find information about healthcare and many other topics.