LITERACY BRIDGE Literacy, Locally Powered Development, and the Talking Book Project Cliff Schmidt Executive Director Literacy Bridge

LITERACY BRIDGE Literacy Bridge Empowering children and adults with affordable tools for knowledge sharing and literacy learning as an effective means towards advancing: education, health, economic development, democracy, and human rights.

LITERACY BRIDGE State of Global Literacy UNESCO current estimates: –774 million illiterate adults today –2/3 are women –72 million children not in school UNESCO projection for 2015: –Still 684 million illiterate adults! –No improvement in gender equality! –Three years after UN "Literacy Decade”

LITERACY BRIDGE Problems Inadequate literacy resources: –Few resources and trained teachers –Inequality of education –Parental illiteracy impacts children

LITERACY BRIDGE Problems Resulting limited access to knowledge: –Without literacy, knowledge distributed must be done in person –Not scalable or cost effective! –But development knowledge already in country

LITERACY BRIDGE The Talking Book Project Imagine a $5 iPod, used to play locally created podcasts –speech, not music –hours of storage, not days –but still have podcasts –devicenet & kiosknet, not Internet

LITERACY BRIDGE Bonus Features Page-Based Navigation Device-to-Device Copy Playback Speed Control Audio Hyperlinks Interactivity FM Radio Output

LITERACY BRIDGE Content Development Knowledge –audio notes left after NGO HIV/AIDS discussion –Ministry of Agriculture advises on crop yields –training on starting village savings/loan program –training how to file domestic violence complaint –participatory democracy for all citizens

LITERACY BRIDGE Content Literacy & Numeracy –phonological awareness and phonics exercises –vocabulary and reading comprehension –family literacy –visually impaired access to books

LITERACY BRIDGE Content Distribution Network Supplements device-to-device copying Kiosks –local discovery and distribution points –links to larger network Network –builds on existing informal public transportation systems (e.g. bus networks) –and/or mobile phone networks

LITERACY BRIDGE Talking Book Principles 1.Serve the Poorest of the Poor 2.Serve Children, Women, Men, Disabled 3.Address Root Cause and Resulting Effect 4.Design for Sustainability –financial and environmental 5.Design for Locally Powered Scalability –content, implementation, and integration Who What How

LITERACY BRIDGE Financial Structure Literacy Bridge provides initial support –R&D, collaboration, and parts list Device production and distribution –devices assembled in country –distributed/sold via market vendors and NGO Content distribution system –creation of micro-businesses to operate kiosks –advertising, spotlight, and certification fees

LITERACY BRIDGE Deployment Starting in Ghana –need –supporting infrastructure –partnerships Use Ghana Experience and then Expand –strengthen org with Ghanaians –target new regions based on need, etc. –design for large and small scales

LITERACY BRIDGE Literacy Bridge Thank You!