Electrification. Education. Exploration.
BloomBox Design Labs (BBDL) is a social enterprise dedicated to the application of design thinking and sustainability principles to advancing access to high quality education infrastructure. BBDL employs modular and configurable strategies to democratize access to state-of-the-art education in STEAM fields. This includes the upcycling of shipping containers as well as custom made retractable structures; solar power; precision design of indoor/outdoor spaces for specific and adaptable uses; high speed internet connectivity; digital educational resources; and local production, sourcing, supply chains, and employment. Modularity, transportability, security, and connectivity of educational communities, are key features of design.
To date, BBDL has designed and installed solar-powered STEAM learning labs with computers and an array of digital resources and educational technologies, high speed internet connectivity, and inviting indoor/outdoor learning spaces, in 4 austere urban and rural educational environments in Malawi, a country in which 80% of the population is off grid. These labs have transformed educational experiences and opportunities for close to 10,000 students, the majority of whom did not have regular access to electricity or computers in the past. BBDL has taken a data-driven, design thinking approach to the creation and improvement of these labs, measuring laboratory use (through electricity consumption, server use, and search volumes), student and teacher satisfaction, and educational outcomes (test scores, graduation rates, and university acceptance rates). Briefly, we have noted high and uninterrupted use of the labs and technology, high satisfaction, increased test scores and graduation rates, and, in a country with a 1% university participation rate, increased entry into university. At one of the BBDL sites, educators noted a 550% increase in university entry for girls in the community.
Impact
BloomBoxes have been functioning continuously for the past 6 years.
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10,000
STUDENTS SUPPORTED
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Category 5
WEATHERED CYCLONE FREDDY, ONE OF THE WORST NATURAL DISASTERS IN MALAWI HISTORY
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500%
INCREASE IN UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAM PASS RATES
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4 Labs
IN OPERATION SINCE 2021
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