About our Project:
Ideas Cube, formerly known as the Koombook Program, is a project spearheaded by Tufts International Development, in partnership with Libraries without Borders and Avanti. Through this partnership, Tufts ID aims to expand access to education in earthquake affected areas of Ecuador. The Ideas Cube, a digital library kit, is a small portable server that uses asynchronous technologies to provide access to web-based resources even without Internet. With this e-library, remote and isolated communities can easily access thousands of preloaded educational, cultural and training resources. These resources can be updated remotely if and when the server is connected to Internet. This e-library are preloaded with resources in Spanish such as Wikipedia, Khan Academy videos, and hundreds of e-books. Besides educational content, it also provides reliable updates from local and national governments, public health information, maps, and other critical resources for community redevelopment.
The community we currently work with
Coaque is a rural Ecuadorian community that houses over 600 families, of which 99% live in extreme poverty. After the April 2016 earthquake, the schools, homes and factories in this community severely destroyed. This widespread devastation forced families to live in temporary emergency tents for several months, and students to stop receiving formal education. Currently, schools are in the process of being reconstructed. However, many of them still have insufficient resources to properly address all educational needs in Coaque, especially since students come from a wide range of education levels and teachers are under-trained in the variety of content they are expected to teach.
The Ideas Cube aims to address these challenges by building the capacity of community members to implement educational programs for students and adults in Coaque. The resources in the libraries support self-guided learning and peer-to-peer learning ranging from basic education to professional development. They will to not only increase access to information and education in Coaque, but also empower the community to become resilient and optimistic in the face of social and economic difficulties, as well as adversities caused by the earthquake.
Ideas Cube, formerly known as the Koombook Program, is a project spearheaded by Tufts International Development, in partnership with Libraries without Borders and Avanti. Through this partnership, Tufts ID aims to expand access to education in earthquake affected areas of Ecuador. The Ideas Cube, a digital library kit, is a small portable server that uses asynchronous technologies to provide access to web-based resources even without Internet. With this e-library, remote and isolated communities can easily access thousands of preloaded educational, cultural and training resources. These resources can be updated remotely if and when the server is connected to Internet. This e-library are preloaded with resources in Spanish such as Wikipedia, Khan Academy videos, and hundreds of e-books. Besides educational content, it also provides reliable updates from local and national governments, public health information, maps, and other critical resources for community redevelopment.
The community we currently work with
Coaque is a rural Ecuadorian community that houses over 600 families, of which 99% live in extreme poverty. After the April 2016 earthquake, the schools, homes and factories in this community severely destroyed. This widespread devastation forced families to live in temporary emergency tents for several months, and students to stop receiving formal education. Currently, schools are in the process of being reconstructed. However, many of them still have insufficient resources to properly address all educational needs in Coaque, especially since students come from a wide range of education levels and teachers are under-trained in the variety of content they are expected to teach.
The Ideas Cube aims to address these challenges by building the capacity of community members to implement educational programs for students and adults in Coaque. The resources in the libraries support self-guided learning and peer-to-peer learning ranging from basic education to professional development. They will to not only increase access to information and education in Coaque, but also empower the community to become resilient and optimistic in the face of social and economic difficulties, as well as adversities caused by the earthquake.
Our partners
Libraries without Borders' mission is to address the structural causes of economic and human under-development through the promotion of better and innovative educative practices, providing access to life-long learning and training, helping disseminate information and knowledge, reducing the digital divide and promoting cultural heritage. This objective is part of a broader approach to fight against all forms of ignorance and obscurantism. By creating and reinforcing libraries, training librarians, distributing books, supporting local publishing and designing library networks, Libraries Without Borders actively promotes access to knowledge throughout the world.
Avanti is a non-profit, dynamic, innovative and high impact Ecuadorian NGO. They implement sustainable development projects in order to combat poverty and promote entrepreneurship and social innovation in Ecuador. AVANTI’s national projects have changed the lives of many. In recent years, they have offered great support in Coaque, Ecuador. Coaque is an Ecuadorian community that houses about 600 poor families. In April 2016, the community was severely affected by a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake. Families lost their homes, and most schools were destroyed. AVANTI offered immense aid in disaster relief: food, water, provisional residential accommodations and a humanitarian center. Now, AVANTI has partnered with Libraries Without Borders and BUILD Latin America to implement a digital library program in Coaque in order to expand access to online educational resources and promote Coaque’s educational development and economic reconstruction.
Libraries without Borders' mission is to address the structural causes of economic and human under-development through the promotion of better and innovative educative practices, providing access to life-long learning and training, helping disseminate information and knowledge, reducing the digital divide and promoting cultural heritage. This objective is part of a broader approach to fight against all forms of ignorance and obscurantism. By creating and reinforcing libraries, training librarians, distributing books, supporting local publishing and designing library networks, Libraries Without Borders actively promotes access to knowledge throughout the world.
Avanti is a non-profit, dynamic, innovative and high impact Ecuadorian NGO. They implement sustainable development projects in order to combat poverty and promote entrepreneurship and social innovation in Ecuador. AVANTI’s national projects have changed the lives of many. In recent years, they have offered great support in Coaque, Ecuador. Coaque is an Ecuadorian community that houses about 600 poor families. In April 2016, the community was severely affected by a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake. Families lost their homes, and most schools were destroyed. AVANTI offered immense aid in disaster relief: food, water, provisional residential accommodations and a humanitarian center. Now, AVANTI has partnered with Libraries Without Borders and BUILD Latin America to implement a digital library program in Coaque in order to expand access to online educational resources and promote Coaque’s educational development and economic reconstruction.