Bridging the Digital Divide: From Colombia to Pakistan

Location(s): Colombia and Pakistan

Key(s): Education

Origin Learning Fund began its partnership with Rockflower in the early spring of 2021.  Founded by Tania Rosas, a young social entrepreneur from La Guajira – Colombia, who founded Origin Learning fund and launched O-lab, an offline app for inclusive and personalised learning designed for at-risk indigenous and refugee children and youths worldwide. 

Community Services Program, Pakistan is one of Rockflower’s longest standing partners, the seeds of connection having been planted over 15 years ago during a visit by Tine Ward to Pakistan after the devastating earthquake in 2005, which claimed over 100,000 lives.  Since then Rockflower has worked with CSP on several projects incorporating the keys of Maternal Health, Economic Empowerment and Education. 

Origin Learning Fund expressed a deep desire to work with Rockflower’s existing partners who work at the edges of some of the poorest and hardest to reach communities and for whom access to digital literacy and technology would be a first. Growing up in the region with the highest school dropout rate in Colombia, which is also the region with the largest population of indigenous people, Tania recognized access to learning opportunities is the best weapon to fight against poverty and uphold sustainable development for at-risk communities.

CSP was chosen as the first in a pilot project that will bring digital literacy to 1000 students within the most marginalized and rural populations of Punjab Province, Pakistan.  Over the course of a 12 month period,  El Origen will train teachers at the Tine Model Girls School to implement the O-Lab app and integrate a learning curriculum designed exclusively for this community enabling them to access and understand the tools needed for 21st century engagement and advancement.  The O-lab app is preloaded with educational content, in both the language taught in school as well as a native language and does not require students or teachers to have access to an internet connection, a game changer for those in such remote locations. 

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