This solution breaks down the barriers to computer literacy in remote villages in Uganda, enabling low-income schools and communities to access the opportunities offered by technology and the internet.

The Mobile Solar Computer Classrooms bring all the equipment and materials needed to conduct computer training sessions in remote rural schools and communities, including up-to-date, well-maintained computers and highly skilled trainers. It consists of retrofitted vehicles with solar panels on the rooftops, and inside there are batteries that store electricity to run computer classrooms using low-power Intel Atom-based netbooks. Compact portable furniture was custom-made to fit in the vehicles, along with quickly deployable gazebos to keep the classrooms and equipment dry in case of rain. All this allows each Mobile Solar Computer Classroom to serve many schools and communities each week.

These mobile classrooms are set up at schools and at community libraries in rural Uganda, which pay $18 a year per student for basic computer literacy training and information access sessions.

Many opportunities are just a click away and every individual, regardless of where they live, deserves a chance to tap into these opportunities.

Asia Kamukama – Executive Director, Maendeleo Foundation

The demand for a skilled and modern workforce has made computer skills a necessity for every Ugandan. Despite this, less than a third of Ugandans have access to the internet. Computer literacy classes can provide Ugandan youth in rural areas with employable skills, typically only available in urban areas and more affluent communities. This solution can bring more opportunity to the 90% of the rural population in Uganda who lack access to electricity.