Digital Bridges with Zee Tech Foundation

Status: Closed

Country: Nigeria

Partner: Zee Tech Foundation

Impact goal: 25 students

About the project

The Digital Bridges: Literacy, Connectivity, Access, and Safety Project builds on the success of the EDASE initiative by addressing key challenges like limited connectivity, lack of devices, and insufficient community engagement. The project aims to enhance digital literacy, accessibility, and online safety in underserved communities through key initiatives.

Results

The Digital Bridges Project achieved strong results across all focus areas, directly benefiting 25 students, and indirectly benefiting nearly 9,500 people.

• 25 Almajiri students received structured digital literacy training, learning browsing, productivity tools, and digital design. Their artwork was publicly showcased, and 4 students featured on live radio, reaching an estimated 4,000 listeners with messages on online safety and inclusion.
• A Starlink-powered Learning Center provided fast internet to over 300 students, teachers, and community members, supporting education, research, and digital access.
• The Online Safety Ambassador Program trained 10 students from 5 schools to run peer sessions and host 6 radio programs on misinformation and safe internet use, reaching over 5,000 listeners.
• A fully equipped mobile hub trained 120 students in schools and community centres.
• Community workshops further raised awareness around responsible internet use and digital inclusion.

Together, these activities built digital skills, boosted online safety awareness, and opened new educational and economic opportunities.

Challenges

The main challenge was the limited mobility of the digital hub. Although equipped with laptops and solar power, the lack of dedicated transport restricted outreach to just 120 students, lower than the original target. This highlighted the need for transport support and possibly a mobile Starlink unit to extend future reach into remote areas.

At the learning center, demand for internet far exceeded expectations, requiring scheduling and short bootcamps to accommodate more users.

Finally, there was initial skepticism from community leaders about involving Almajiri children in digital training. This shifted once leaders heard students speak confidently on the radio in Hausa and saw their digital creations, transforming doubt into support.

About the partner

Zee Tech Foundation is a youth-focused NGO that aims to promote digital literacy across under-served urban and rural communities. The organization was founded in 2020, and has since been supporting these under-served communities to harness ICT for learning and development.

Visit Zee Tech Foundation's website here to learn more about them.