Nokia and Unicef have joined forces to bring connectivity and digital learning materials and skills to areas of Kenya which are unconnected and underserved. The program benefits particularly girls and disabled children and teachers. More information can be found in detail here https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/connecting-the-marginalized-to-digital-education-in-kenya-with-unicef/ . With Unicef we have been engaging also with Kenyan government, local telecom operators , supporting development and testing/use of digital learning materials, creating connectivity solutions for schools and supporting training of teachers and children in the use of digital tools and digital learning skills. This is an ongoing project extended despite the current pandemic situation.

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/connecting-the-marginalized-to-digital-education-in-kenya-with-unicef/

• Finland
• Kenya

• Youth
• People with disabilities
• Remote and rural communities

Due to current pandemic the rollout of final connectivity solution is not scaled yet though local telecom operator is onboard. We have therefore concentrated on further development of digital learning tools and skills. The idea is to scale to multiple schools and across parts of Kenya still with buy-in from government.This is a shared value project which requires multiple stakeholders across private and public organisations. It is also not just about simply supplying a physical technical connection but supporting the best use of that connectivity by helping to develop digital learning materials with local organisations and experts and providing training in digital learning skills for teachers and students. This project also focuses on the most affected children - particular girls and children with disabilities who are often left out of the school system.

As part of the shared-value partnership, UNICEF works jointly with the Government of Kenya and Nokia to improve the quality and equity of education for children, particularly girls and children with disabilities in Kenya. This is done by pursuing four strategies, which align with Nokia’s thematic areas and the SDG goals 4, 9 and 17. The four strategies are: providing internet connectivity solutions to schools; providing digitally accessible content; conducting teacher and school stakeholders training; and conducting communication and advocacy activities in Kenya and internationally using social and traditional media. In total 87,375 children (45,614 girls) benefitted from the partnership in 2019 of which 55,725 children were reached directly and 31,650 were reached indirectly, overachieving the set targets for children to be reached directly. The main goals and objectives of the partnership are as follows: • Goal 1 – internet connectivity solutions for schools. Exploring and developing a business case for permanent connectivity solution for schools to be connected to the internet. • Goal 2 – digitally accessible content for schools. UNICEF Kenya and the Government of Kenya are developing digital educational content for children with disabilities. Cloudbased networks provide the most cost-effective and scalable services. UNICEF is supporting the Government to make more quality learning content available through the Kenya Education Cloud (KEC), hosted at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). • Goal 3 – teacher’s professional development. Provide training of teachers on the inclusion of digital learning materials into the teaching and learning process, facilitated by UNICEF and the Government of Kenya to support an increase in learning outcomes.

This is a shared value project which requires multiple stakeholders across private and public organisations. It is also not just about simply supplying a physical technical connection but supporting the best use of that connectivity by helping to develop digital learning materials with local organisations and experts and providing training in digital learning skills for teachers and students. This project also focuses on the most affected children - particular girls and children with disabilities who are often left out of the school system.