E-Readers Across the World

African children usind e-readers teleread.com

Here in the United States we see e-readers as just a new technology or toy put out by companies to make a profit. We take these things for granted. In the countries of Africa, for example, they see these technologies as the way of the future.

Over the last couple decades Africa has fully accepted information communication technology (ICT) more than any other continent. As the internet continues to expand and reach to the farthest corners of the world it opens up new possibilities for the people living there. The farmers in Africa no longer have to practically give away their crops because they have no other offers, the can sell them online!

Now you might ask what does this have to do with e-readers? The answer to that is easy; with internet now available the children in these rural areas can now use e-readers! This means that they can have the same access to books that the rest of us do, which will help their education. In an article for EContent they talk about The Kilgoris Project, which supplies Kindles to rural public schools in Kenya.

David Lemiso, director of The Kilgoris Project, says, "The program, which entails the use of Kindles at Ntimigon Primary School, started in 2008. Since we started the program, we have seen a huge improvement of learning at the school since the children are keen to learn." With the help of these e-readers and these technologies this could be the start of getting these third world countries up to the same level as other countries.

Kilgoris Project Children kilgoris.org

As I stated earlier we here in the U.S. take these opportunities for granted. Children here do not like reading or learning and see it as a waste of time. Where as children in other, less fortunate, countries are thrilled to have the opportunity to have these gadgets and the chance to read books. E-readers will save these schools money in the long run because they are cheaper than text books and do not require shipping more than once.

Also if families have enough money to buy one, they will last longer than traditional books. A child could even have one all through elementary, high school and even college. This could save the child and the family money. Another positive thing is the e-reader battery lasts longer than other gadgets, almost three weeks. This is very good for the rural areas because the electricity grid is not as reliable as ours and is not always available.


We must keep in mind how lucky we are and be aware of how these technologies can influence our world. These children deserve all of the opportunities that we have and now they are getting them thanks to e-readers. This youtube video from The Kilgoris Projects tells about their mission and its accomplishments.