Part 1

In 1997 our founder, Henry Warren, was teaching in Uganda, Africa. When the school he was teaching in was burnt down in a riot, Henry made a promise to help rebuild the school by replacing all the lost books. Henry and his friend Marsha set up our charity to do just that – they called it Africa Bookcase.

Part 2

We started shipping used books from schools in the UK to the school that burned down in Uganda. Soon we were supplying books to dozens of schools across the country. As we did this, the children started asking questions: Where were these books coming from? Where are they going to? Even questions like What language do they speak? What religion do they follow? We immediately saw the value in getting these children learning from each other, it was clear that it helped avoid cultural misunderstanding, bullying and even conflict.

“They (adults) have already made their mind up. To stop wars you have to start with kids. They haven’t decided yet.”

Year 8 Student during the Gemin-i ‘Roadmap to Peace Project’

Part 3

We wanted to find a way that the children around the world could talk to each other and learn about each others’ cultures and beliefs directly. However, we couldn’t afford to fly children and there were logistical difficulties surrounding traditional pen-pal schemes because postal services in many countries were often slow and unreliable.

So, as a solution to connecting these children and building cross-cultural understanding, we started using the internet, and we explored new and exciting ways of using this technology.

Part 4

Unfortunately, using the internet was not easy because connectivity in Africa and the developing world was often slow and unreliable. To help overcome this issue we developed our very own computer software that would work on the oldest computers and the slowest internet connections. It was a cutting edge social network just for schools. It included tools such as chat rooms, forums and even video conferencing…

Part 5

Pupils could, for the first time, talk to other students across the world about issues that mattered to them – and all in a fully safe and moderated environment.

We called this community Rafi.ki (the Swahili word for friend).

Part 6

Rafi.ki also contained dozens of lesson plans and projects to study online, focusing on topics including global health issues like malaria, and HIV and Aids and others such as climate change and human rights. We created these projects in partnership with other experts such as the Medicines San Frontieres, Plan International, The Red Cross, and Oxfam.

We had children learning about Fair Trade by talking live to pupils in Ghana and conflict resolution by working with others in Iraq and Palestine. And it really worked…

Part 7

Children came up with ways that they could help to combat pressing issues together, taking action in their own communities and promoting positive change around the globe.

Independent evaluations have shown that over 80% of the children on Rafi.ki have dramatically increased their knowledge of global issues. They have also improved many of their key skills too, such as communication, literacy and IT skills.

“Brighter Children = Brighter Future”

Part 8

Before we knew it we were using Rafi.ki to connect schools in over a hundred countries. We stopped providing text books and changed our name to Gemin-i, after the Latin word for twins.

Part 9

Our aim moving forward is to have more impact on the education of young people around the globe. To do this we need to establish more collaborative partnerships, create more of the best educational projects and involve as many of the world’s children as possible.

We are currently looking at ways in which we can use innovative technology and connectivity solutions to enable children in remote areas to connect and learn with other students around the world. These include developing mobile phone technology and offline versions. If you would like to find out more then please get in touch.

“Rafiki is the perfect place to share ideas – my hopes for the future are that everyone will be equal and that third countries will be lifted out of poverty.”
UK Student on Rafi.ki, 2008.

Connect, Learn, Change