Non-formal learning for Syrian refugees

Hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrian children in Lebanon still have no schools. UNICEF innovator James Cranwell-Ward became interested in low-cost technology that could help deliver education for these vulnerable children; he developed an all-in-one Raspberry Pi-based computer system that can be used for programming and electronics as well as learning across a broader curriculum, and in October, refugees aged 10 to 16 attended their first Raspberry Pi class. One student is 11-year-old Zeinab Al Jusuf: You might recognise those screens; they’re a specially developed UNICEF version of Alex Eames’ HDMIPi screen, and Alex wrote about them for us back in May when this project was in the planning stages. The Pis are mounted behind the screens, and provide access to materials including an Arabic-language KA Lite, an offline version of the education package Khan Academy. Alongside their studies in areas like science and numeracy, the children are learning to code their own games. Zeinab says, “Over there, we can log in and play games. But here we can create our own games and play with them ourselves or let others play with them.” It’s hoped this pilot will be extended to provide opportunities for children across Lebanon and beyond, and you can find out more from UNICEF, or from James’s photo log.

URL: http://www.raspberrypi.org/non-formal-learning-for-syrian-refugees/