FAQs

We appreciate your interest in the SolarSPELL initiative! Because our approach entails curating and creating a localized library, providing training and ongoing support, carrying out impact evaluation, reporting our results, keeping the libraries updated and continually improved, it is rarely feasible–or economically viable–for us to work with small numbers of schools.

At this time, we are prioritizing working with the US Peace Corps (at the post- or country-level) and other major partners in order to carry out future projects. We welcome you to contact us to learn more and hope you will understand that our approach is a comprehensive one.

The SolarSPELL initiative is a university-based initiative and we involve students, faculty, and staff in all of our implementations. As we are a university-based initiative, we do not sell SolarSPELL library units, but implement them by the project. Our projects include the creation of a localized library, implementation, training, and measurement & evaluation. We specifically partner with locally-operating organizations for ongoing training and support for library users.

We believe any initiative that focuses merely on technology provision will fail to address the real, and complex, issues regarding why many people are not yet using technology (like computers or the internet) in a meaningful way or to improve educational opportunities. Because our approach goes beyond mere technology provision, SolarSPELL’s library hardware comprises a small fraction of the overall cost of an implementation. A greater proportion of the costs come from the time and effort it takes to curate, create, and localize the libraries, as well as carry out training, measurement, and impact evaluation. 

If you are interested in partnering with us or finding out more, please email [email protected]. 

Thank you for your interest in contributing blog content. We appreciate the offer, but generally, we reserve our blog posts for SolarSPELL digital library users in the field, ASU students, and staff of the SolarSPELL initiative that have gone to the field and are writing about their experiences.

That’s great! We’re happy to receive content suggestions for our collections, especially if you have any high-quality content to contribute. Please contact our team for more information by emailing [email protected].

There are endless ways for interested parties to contribute. Every effort is appreciated – whether that’s participating in a Build Day, donating money, contributing content for our digital libraries or offering other services to aid our cause.

1. Donate today to empower education tomorrow. We are also always looking for major partners or potential larger-scale project funders, so please email us at [email protected] if you are interested in learning more.
2. Internships for ASU students: Get experience while you make an impact.
3. Sign up for our newsletter
4. Contribute content: Contribute to our collection of carefully curated content for our digital libraries. Please email [email protected] if you have content to share.
5. Build our network: the SolarSPELL initiative spans many sectors. Engage with us on social media! We are on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Give today and join our community of friends of the SolarSPELL initiative. With your one-time donation or ongoing financial support, your gift empowers learners globally by providing access to localized educational information paired with the training for long-term success. 

Our growing portfolio of projects also continually creates new opportunities for contributing as a project sponsor. If you’re interested in supporting the implementation of a new SolarSPELL digital library in one of the world’s hardest-to-reach communities, we would love to talk with you. We welcome inquiries at [email protected]. 

If you are with an organization that could be a potential partner or collaborator with the SolarSPELL initiative, please email [email protected] with details about your organization and we would be happy to connect with you. Thanks for your interest!

If you are a Peace Corps Country Director, Peace Corps Director of Programming and Training, or other Peace Corps country staff, and you are ready to learn more about bringing the SolarSPELL initiative to your post, please email [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.

Since 2015, the SolarSPELL initiative has worked with the U.S. Peace Corps because this has proven the most effective implementation strategy for introducing, supporting, and expanding SolarSPELL digital libraries across remote and rural locations. 

Because our approach entails curating and creating a localized library, providing training and ongoing support, carrying out impact evaluation, reporting our results, keeping the libraries updated and continually improved, we work at the post- or country-level. 

If you are a Peace Corps Volunteer interested in a SolarSPELL library, please express your interest to your in-country Peace Corps staff and direct them to this page on our website.

Thank you for your interest in the SolarSPELL initiative! We would be happy to talk to you about what we are doing. Please email [email protected] with your information and we can get back in touch with you on setting this up.