The Transformational Tech series highlights Cisco’s nonprofit grant recipients that use technology to help transform the lives of individuals and communities.
With widespread school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital divide widened for children who lack access to the internet or electronic devices. A report from the International Telecommunication Union and UNICEF shows that two-thirds of the world’s school-age children — or 1.3 billion children, aged 3 to 17 years old — do not have an internet connection at home, making it impossible for some children to access online learning resources.
Education technology resources are vital: 617 million children and adolescents worldwide who are enrolled in schools are not reaching minimum proficiency levels in reading and math.
That is where onebillion comes in. This non-profit organization based in London has a mission to ensure that one billion marginalized children are confident readers in their own language and proficient at math. Cisco cash and product grants have enabled onebillion to localize its award-winning onecourse software, bringing this resource to more children who are out of school and not learning.