Empowering Almajiri youth in Bauchi through technology

Designed to close the digital gap in underserved areas, the Digital Bridges: Literacy, Connectivity, Access, and Safety project is more than just a tech initiative. It's a lifeline, particularly for the Almajiri youth, a marginalized group often left behind in Nigeria's educational and digital advancement. Through digital literacy, online safety training, and access to high-speed internet via Starlink-powered hubs, Zee Tech Foundation is transforming futures of the Almajiri youth.

A system in need of change

The Almajiri system is a traditional Islamic education model common in northern Nigeria. While rooted in culture and faith, it has increasingly left young boys without access to formal schooling, life skills, or economic opportunities. Many beg for food and money on the streets, some children at the as young as five years old. They're disconnected not only from formal education, but from the digital tools that now define our modern world.

For these youth, the digital divide isn't just a matter of inconvenience, it's a barrier to dignity, opportunity, and inclusion.

The Digital Bridges project

Running from March to June 2025, the Digital Bridges project was designed to create long-term change. At its heart lies a fully equipped digital learning center, powered by solar energy and connected through high-speed Starlink internet. But the innovation doesn't stop there: mobile tech hubs armed with laptops are traveling to communities and schools that have never seen an ICT lab.

These mobile units are more than just trucks, they're classrooms on wheels, delivering interactive digital literacy training to learners who would otherwise have no access. Schools can schedule on-site sessions, ensuring no child is left behind due to infrastructure limitations.

Technology that transforms

The project's technological infrastructure has been carefully designed for sustainability and impact. The main learning center features:

• High-capacity Starlink satellite internet systems that provide reliable connectivity even in remote areas
• Solar power installations that ensure uninterrupted electricity, critical in a region with inconsistent power supply
• A fleet of durable laptops configured with educational software and digital literacy tools
• Mobile technology hubs equipped with portable generators, wireless routers, and devices that can be deployed anywhere

This technological backbone doesn't just provide access, it ensures the quality and reliability needed for meaningful digital learning experiences.

One of the flagship programs within this initiative is the ‘Almajiri digital literacy program’, tailored specifically to the needs of these vulnerable learners. Here, Almajiri youth learn how to operate a computer, browse the internet, communicate online, and even create simple digital products like frames and graphics that can be sold to generate income.

Safety in the digital world

Access, however, is only part of the equation. As these youth step into the online world for the first time, safety is important. For this, Zee Tech Foundation started the ‘Online Safety Ambassador Program,’ which trains secondary school students to become peer educators on topics like cyberbullying, misinformation, and data privacy. Through school workshops and local radio broadcasts, these ambassadors are taking the message of safe digital use deep into the community.

These lessons are lifesaving. In a world rife with digital scams, exploitation, and dangerous misinformation, knowledge is an important part of protecting yourself online.

Learning today, leading tomorrow

What the Almajiri youth are learning is not just how to use a laptop. With basic ICT and digital design skills, they can access educational content, apply for jobs, and even launch small businesses from their phones. Students are learning to think beyond their daily survival, to imagine futures where they can create, earn, teach, and lead.

The practical skills being taught include:

• Basic computer operations and file management
• Internet browsing and online research techniques
• Digital communication tools including email and collaborative platforms
• Content creation fundamentals, with a focus on marketable skills
• Image browsing and basic digital design for creating products to sell

The impact is already visible. Children who once roamed the streets are now sitting at laptops, designing digital art. Teens who had never typed a word are now writing emails, researching online, and helping others stay safe online. Families are beginning to understand the value of technology, not just as a tool for learning, but as a bridge to dignity and self-reliance.

Community engagement: building sustainable digital inclusion

The Digital Bridges project recognizes that lasting change requires whole-community involvement. Regular community engagement workshops bring together parents, teachers, religious leaders, and local officials to build understanding and support for digital literacy initiatives.

These workshops address common concerns about technology, demonstrate its educational and economic benefits, and help communities develop their own vision for digital inclusion. By fostering local ownership, these sessions ensure that the project's impact extends far beyond the training room.

Monthly digital literacy sessions for community members complement the youth-focused programs, giving parents and other adults the skills to support learners and participate in the digital economy themselves. These intergenerational learning opportunities strengthen family bonds while building community-wide digital capacity.

Local volunteers are also being trained to maintain the digital infrastructure and assist with training, creating a sustainable model that will outlast the initial project timeline. This approach doesn't just build technical capacity, it builds local champions who will carry the work forward.

A ripple effect of change

But the project doesn't stop at individuals. By empowering young people with digital tools, it plants seeds of change across entire communities. As trained youth return to their peers and families, they share what they've learned, sparking grassroots movements of tech-savvy young people who are eager to build something better.

This ripple effect touches schools, households, and even local economies. Teachers are requesting more sessions. Parents are asking how to support their children's learning. Community leaders are starting to see digital inclusion not as a luxury, but a necessity.

Looking ahead

Although the project officially runs for a few months, its momentum will continue far beyond. With plans to expand and sustain these learning hubs, support new programs, and reach more remote communities, Digital Bridges isn't just a pilot, it's a promise. A promise that no child should be left behind in the digital age. A promise that innovation, when matched with empathy and vision, can rewrite futures.

In Bauchi, that future is already being typed, one keystroke at a time. Check the latest updates here.