Internet: A project that connects all schools around the world

Nearly 2.6 billion people around the world still do not have access to the internet. Half of them are children. The phenomenon also affects women and girls more. To rectify the situation, the “reckless and ambitious” “Giga” project aims to connect all primary schools around the world to the internet by 2030.

“One might think that this is not an essential priority given the different realities in which people live on the planet. But providing schools with internet access allows students to learn, create opportunities and connect to the world,” introduces Alex Wong, project leader.

A major challenge

The challenge is first of all to map all of the world’s schools, which is easier said than done. “We use satellites and we collaborate with governments, but it takes a lot of time,” explains Alex Wong. For the moment, of the approximately seven million primary schools in the world, Giga has already been able to map more than two million.

Once the schools are identified, the organization calculates the costs and takes care of setting up a concrete project around the infrastructure necessary for the installation of an internet network. Third step, financing, with the help of philanthropists and private companies, before finally leaving the project in the hands of the government.

In terms of the total cost of the operation: “It is very difficult to define a precise budget because we are constantly revising it upwards, but it is estimated between 500 billion and two trillion dollars,” smiles Alex Wong. A colossal sum therefore, but Giga can already count on the support of Switzerland and Spain, hosts of the organization’s headquarters, and of certain private companies like Ericsson.

Currently, 34 countries have been supported by Giga, including Sierra Leone, Botswana and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 13,400 schools have been provided with an internet connection, benefiting six million students.

Geneva is a kitchen

Supported by the Swiss Mission to the United Nations to the tune of 800,000 francs per year, Giga has two headquarters: one in Barcelona, ​​one in Geneva. The town at the end of the lake remains as attractive as ever for projects of this kind. “If New York is a dining room, Geneva is the kitchen,” illustrates Hassan Thuillard, representative of the Swiss Mission.

Indeed, abroad, Geneva is a bustling place where we create projects and find partners. “Being based in Geneva allows us to benefit from the help of institutions such as the University of Geneva or the EPFL, but also to enter into direct contact with UN emissaries and therefore governments,” adds Alex. Wong.

“We are happy and proud to support a project like Giga, which required evolving in the best possible ecosystem, international Geneva,” continues Hassan Thuillard.

Temporary solutions

By 2030, other organizations are working to find solutions to deliver content to disconnected areas.

The start-up Kiwix, created six years ago, aims to provide schools, prisons and refugee camps with internet content available without a connection. “We take entire websites like Wikipedia and compress them to fit on basic USB sticks or cell phones. This way, anyone can surf this site without needing the internet,” explains Stéphane Coillet-Matillon, CEO of Kiwix.

Beekee, another company, has even developed small boxes that allow users to consult educational resources without Wi-Fi access. They are loaded with software like Moodle, and 25 people (or an entire class) can connect to them to access open sources, for the modest sum of $1,968, compared to $4,684 (average price) for a standard internet connection. .

“2.6 billion people without internet are not people who live in areas without a signal, but rather who do not have the means or infrastructure to access it. We must provide them with this essential access,” concludes Alex Wong.

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