Worldreader Project Proposal

Vodafone Foundation
BLUE Boxes for Libraries
 www.worldreader.org
facebook.com/worldreader
Twitter: @worldreaders

The Partnership

Youth of Choice and Worldreader are collaborating to bring three BLUE

Boxes for libraries to three districts in the Volta region.

The Challenge

The limited supply of textbooks, teaching and reading materials present a

negative impact on the acquisition of literacy skills by the children in the said
communities. Resources are often limited in these communities due to
government procurement system and the logistics of transporting and
storing large numbers of books, which still does not match the demands of
the communities.

Proposed Solution

A solution to the aforementioned challenges is the use of e-readers. Low-

cost e-readers enable education providers to front-load a large number of
local and international education resources (up to 1,500+ text based books).
Teachers and students can also download freely available content in the field
using a Wi-Fi connection, if available.

Transporting e-readers is as comparatively easy, as each device is lighter than

Worldreader is a Ghanaian public charity, incorporated under Companies Act 1963, CG

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facebook.com/worldreader
Twitter: @worldreaders

most paper book books. Also since the devices are small in size they require
significantly less storage space than would be necessary for an equivalent
number of books.

Several e-reader (including Amazon Kindle) are also very energy efficient,
with one battery charge providing 3- 4 weeks of use. This means that they
can be utilized in classrooms or homes that have limited access to electricity.

Project Proposal

Youth of Choice and Worldreader will work together to bring three BLUE
Boxes for Libraries to three Libraries in three different districts in the Volta
region.

The BLUE Box for Libraries contains everything needed to build an e-reading
program at a library. It includes 35 Kindle Paper white e-readers pre-loaded
with 100 locally sourced books (including texts from the national curriculum,
if available) and 100 international books. Additional African books are
available for a discounted price of $1 USD/book (every purchased African
book is paired with a donated international book). Worldreader has
preexisting relationships with local publishers in Ghana and many other
countries in Africa, including Kenya and Tanzania, with whom they have
agreements to digitize their local content to make it accessible on these
devices. This is an advantage critical to the success of implementing reading

Worldreader is a Ghanaian public charity, incorporated under Companies Act 1963, CG

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06533 2013
 www.worldreader.org
facebook.com/worldreader
Twitter: @worldreaders

projects in Africa. Worldreader’s goal is to maintain a 50:50 ratio between

local and international books.

Benefits of working with Worldreader

Worldreader is one of the most prominent organizations focused on the

deployment of e-readers and other mobile technology for exposing students
in sub-Saharan Africa to local and international reading materials. To date,
Worldreader has led successful projects in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda,
Uganda, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria; providing over
52,000 students with digitized learning content and providing training to
teachers.

Worldreader also partners with publishers to digitize and provide textbooks

and inspirational stories. We collaborate with more than 50 publishers across
sub-Saharan Africa, as well as international publishers like Random House in
the US and Puffin Books in the UK. Our ongoing partnership with Amazon
not only provides a reduction of costs for the procurement of devices and
materials, but also enables Worldreader to push content from a centralized
location in a time effective way.

Worldreader is a Ghanaian public charity, incorporated under Companies Act 1963, CG

4
06533 2013
 www.worldreader.org
facebook.com/worldreader
Twitter: @worldreaders

Project Budget

Blue Box for libraries comes at total cost $6,600. This includes the 35
devices, 200 e-books on each device (7,000 e-books in all) - and shipping
and customs clearance fee.

Optional Costs

In initial project launches we highly recommend training with a Worldreader

Programs Specialist. Here, a Worldreader staff will stay on the ground for
four days. During these four days he will train the selected programs
manager transferring all of Worldreader’s expert knowledge to him.

Other Costs to Consider

The cost of building a charging station refer to the “Charging station

document attached” for more details on how to build a charging station.

Community engagement is essential in the beginning of every project, so we

advise that in initial program a launch is organized to make the community
fully aware and a part of the program.

It is important to note that the cost in the table below is for one BLUE
Box designed for libraries.

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Twitter: @worldreaders

BLUE Boxes for Libraries

Item Cost Qty. Subtotal

Kindle Paperwhite WiFi $80.00 35 $2,800.00

E-Books (200 per device) $0.50 7,000 $3,500.00

Mobile phone preinstalled

with Worldreader Mobile $80 1 $80

Customs & clearance for

35devices $220 1 $220

Subtotal $6,600

Total owed to Worldreader

$6,600

OPTIONAL COSTS

On the Ground Training

Worldreader Specialist $195 4 $780

Worldreader is a Ghanaian public charity, incorporated under Companies Act 1963, CG

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facebook.com/worldreader
Twitter: @worldreaders

Worldreader Travel $575 $575

Total
$1,355

Other Costs to Consider

Charging station $50

Estimate of Launch Cost $200

Total
$250

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