May 4, 2021 – Earlier this month, the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) unveiled a new partnership to house UNESCO’s new Digital Library at the WPDI Community Learning Center in Juba. Designed to help bridge the digital divide in South Sudan in areas of the country that don’t have consistent access to electricity or the Internet, the platform will offer users access to a vast array of offline resources, including thousands of books, lessons, photos, and other content.
UNESCO’s Digital Library is part of its global initiative to promote a culture of reading and research through digital media platforms. The library is powered by a device called the Remote Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning (RACHEL), which contains a combination of free and open sourced software as well as content modules that make it easy to funnel educational materials into places with limited or no Internet access and power – a reality for many communities across South Sudan. With a five hour+ battery life and one terabyte hard drive, RACHEL can be utilized by up to 50 simultaneous users and has an extended WIFI range of up to 150 meters. Learners within range can access content using mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and other devices.
As the World Bank reports that less than 10 percent of South Sudanese have regular access to the Internet, housing UNESCO’s Digital Library at WPDI’s Community Learning Center will surely benefit countless members of the public in the coming months and years. As Julius Banda, the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to South Sudan said at the launch, “UNESCO remains open to welcoming partnerships to upscale this initiative across the country where it is most needed.” For WPDI, promoting continuous education is a core aspect of our mandate, and our center in Juba – which is visited by thousands of people on an annual basis – already houses a library corner and a computer lab that are both well-frequented, especially by young people in the surrounding areas. With RACHEL, we will be able to further expand educational opportunities for center visitors and community members.
As in many other places around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated to South Sudanese the value of being able to access online educational resources. Thanks to WPDI’s new partnership with UNESCO, we will be able to help bridge the digital divide and foster a culture of lifelong learning in South Sudan.
