Illiteracy is an unsolved, often hidden problem: in Canada, 42% of the population cannot read and follow medication instructions. Yodigo is a radical new open source, video-based web application for delivering literacy extremely fast. Yodigo is based on the concept of conditional cash transfers (“CCT”), a recent strategy used by governments and NGOs in community projects. Yodigo delivers literacy cheaper and quicker not only because its interactive, video-based approach has high entertainment value, but also because it:

• offers immediate incentives, cash or reward, directly to students;
• tracks each student’s performance and rewards, giving funders per-student performance metrics and audit trail;
• requires minimal investment in teacher training and no special client software to install;

For educators, Yodigo offers a way to motivate students in overcrowded and under-funded classrooms. For disenfranchised youth and adults worldwide, Yodigo makes the benefits of becoming literate tangible immediately. For governments and funders, Yodigo provides a practical way to quantify return on investment and dramatically boost literacy rates.

Yodigo lessons (delivered online or via CD/DVD) are comprised of video clips of native speakers talking, followed by the temporary display of the text of the spoken sentence. When Yodigo users master typing each sentence, they receive points which can be “cashed in”, after confirmation by a teacher, for a culturally appropriate reward (book, gift certificates, pre-loaded IPODs) or actual cash.

Yodigo’s incentive-based literacy promotion model addresses the typical funding model problem whereby money is transferred to bureaucracies, and often does not directly benefit children and communities. Yodigo’s XML-based reporting tool tracks learners’ achievements, allowing funders to measure every dollar they spend against a specific child who has acquired the ability to write actual sentences.

A prototype of Yodigo, undergoing trials in South America can be found at http://www.yodigo.tv.

WHAT WE NEED:

We are asking Netsquared to fund Steps 1 -6 below.

Tasks (Costs)

1. Identify pilot project locations using Web Networks community contacts and APC members; train participants in Yodigo use, utiliziing completed documentation (In-kind contribution);
2. Provide honorarium for lesson content creation at pilot locations ($1,000 x 3);
3. Fund partners to deliver Yodigo pilots ($3,000);
4. Evaluate pilot experiences, and draft application upgrade requirements (In-kind contribution);
5. Application upgrades ($3,000);
6. Develop and issue fundraising applications based on pilot experiences (In-kind contribution)
7. Year 1 Yodigo deployment (Staff and marketing costs, estimated at $90,000).

Location