Giga

Connecting the Dots:
Giga’s Impact in 2023

One out of three people don’t have access to the Internet – including more than 1.3 billion children who have no access at home. An estimated half of the world’s schools remain offline. Without access to the Internet, children miss the chance to learn and flourish in an increasingly digital world.

Giga is a partnership between the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) working to connect every school in the world to the Internet and every young person to information, opportunity and choice.

Our Impact

Our open-source connectivity solutions and innovative technologies 
have helped countries, transformed communites, and changed lives.

“The internet has helped us learn many things including those that the teachers don’t teach in class. I want to say that the internet is also helping other youths - you can get news even when you’re far. When I have my phone, I can just connect to the internet and check what is going on in the world and find out what’s happening. I’m happy that we have the internet in the school.”

Jenny, 8th Grade Student, Noonkopir Primary School, Kenya

“The internet has changed the way we teach. We’ve gone a long way from the normal use of textbooks. First, our pupils are able to explore. Secondly, it is fun. Third, it opens our pupils’ minds. Their minds are broadened, because they can access any information from any country. Through the internet, my students are able to explore.”

Joseph Waweru, Social Science Teacher, Noonkopir Primary School, Kenya

"Life before the internet was really chaotic. It was really bad, it was something I wouldn’t wish to go back to. Now that the Internet is just there at the click of a button, I don’t have to wake up in the middle of the night as what I used to do before. Today, the teachers just normally come to the school to finish their administrative work simply because the Internet here is reliable."

Peris Gaturi, Head Teacher, Noonkopir Primary School, Kenya

READ: The Secret Ingredient Behind Kenya’s Educational Transformation

READ: Online And Optimistic – How The Internet Has Brought Hope In Honduras

READ: Bosnia & Herzegovina: Enabling Education in the 21st century

READ: Connecting more than 500 students in Kyrgyzstan's Remote Naryn Region

READ: It All Begins with a Map: A pledge to Map Refugee-Hosting Schools

READ: Infrastructure Mapping in Benin and Zimbabwe

Our Progress

Since our establishment in 2019, we have reached the following milestones:

2.1M

Schools mapped

Connecting schools begins with knowing where they are. We have successfully mapped the locations of 2.1 million schools across 140 countries.

90k

Schools Reporting real-time Connectivity

In 2023, 90,000 schools across 22 countries reported real-time connectivity.

6

Countries supported with Infrastructure Mapping & Analysis

We have been conducting infrastructure mapping and analyses in Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

13.4k

Schools with increased access to connectivity

Giga and its partners have supported increased access to connectivity for 13.4k schools in 28 countries.

6.74M

Students with increased access to Connectivity

More than 6.74 million students have benefitted from increased access to connectivity, thanks to Giga's technical support and open-source connectivity solutions.

34

Countries Provided with Advanced Connectivity Support

Giga has provided advanced connectivity support in the areas of mapping, modeling, financing and contracting to 34 countries and counting.

Our Global Footprint

Giga's global footprint now reaches more than 50 countries,
including 34 countries provided with advanced connectivity support.

In Brazil, through coordinated efforts with the Government of Brazil, UNICEF Brazil, Nic.Br and Giga, more than 80k schools have shared live connectivity data with Giga. Data for schools sending daily updates is updated every four hours on Project Connect.

In Botswana, Giga supported the Government’s SmartBots initiative to connect 609 schools, benefiting more than 387,000 students and teachers with minimum speeds of 50-100 Mbps.

 

In Kazakhstan, Giga supported a feasibility study and proposed technical solutions to enhance connectivity speeds in schools, piloting the upgrades in 38 schools.

 

In Mongolia, there are a total of 871 schools, some of which are situated at a considerable distance from central school facilities. Giga has provided support to the government by employing an AI model to accurately identify each school building on the map.

In Sierra Leone, Giga and the Government worked together to connect 39 hard-to-reach schools, bringing internet access and digital learning to 8,000 students.

 

In Uzbekistan, mapping and real-time monitoring of internet connectivity are now being integrated into the Educational Management Information System (EMIS), helping the government identify gaps in services and improve the efficiency of resource allocation.

Giga Voices

Perspectives from our 2023 year-end event

"With UNICEF and ITU as strong drivers, Giga provides an ideal framework for multi-stakeholder cross-sectoral collaboration to achieve the goal of universal school connectivity."

Zohra Yermeche,
Programme Director, Ericsson

"Our ethos is rooted in the belief that better connections lead to better opportunities. A natural overlap emerged with Giga on how we could facilitate internet access for schools."

Carolina Desmeules,
VP of Communications and Sustainability, IHS Towers

“When Giga came into the picture, our mission statement aligned with what Giga was trying to achieve. Our commitment to not leaving any African behind resonates with Giga's goal of connecting every school.

Tunde Majekodunmi,
GIS Manager, Liquid Technologies

"There is a full alignment between Giga's goals and Spain's objectives to reduce the digital divide worldwide. This extends to using education as a multiplying factor, and a contributor to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda."

Javier Soria,
Counselor, Permanent Mission of Spain to the UN and INGOs in Geneva

"Bosnia and Herzegovina is a very decentralized state, with 14 ministries of education. Not very often do we have a project that everyone joins enthusiastically, and Giga seems to be the one."

HE Edin Forto,
Minister of Communications and Transport, Bosnia and Herzegovina

"Giga provides evidence. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, mapping the digital divide was crucial to advocate to allocate resources to connect those schools in the most remote parts of the country."

Veronika Vashchenko,
Acting Representative,
UNICEF Bosnia and Herzegovina

"It has been an exciting partnership, and we have enjoyed the technical support and assistance our country office received from Giga. Currently, we have achieved school connectivity in over 600 schools in Botswana."

Dr Joan Nteboheleng Matji,
Representative, UNICEF Botswana

"In Brazil, we are on the verge of closing the digital gap in terms of school connectivity, moving toward the universalization of access in the next few years."

Jardiel Cunha Nogueira,
Programme Officer, UNICEF Brazil

"Our experience with Giga is inspiring and is aligned with our relationship with the government. Currently, UNICEF, along with Giga, the Ministry of Education, and the Inter-American Development Bank, is leading the development of a new digitalization plan for schools nationwide."

Daniel Contreras,
Chief of Education, UNICEF Honduras

"The partnership with Giga is unique because it helps establish a solid database where every school, all schools in the country, are mapped in terms of connectivity. Additionally, Giga supports the country in finding technical solutions that are most adapted to the country to cover the last-mile connections."

Laetitia Bazzi Veil,
Acting Representative, UNICEF Kazakhstan

"Giga brings the combined credibility of UNICEF and ITU. Now as UNICEF, we are known for our work in education, and ITU is the world's organization for telecommunication standards. And so combining these two mandates, and these two agencies, really brings added value to our work in Panama."

Sandie Blanchet,
Representative, UNICEF Panama

"Giga came at the right moment to support the Government of Uzbekistan, not only in ensuring the connectivity of schools but also in ensuring the sustainability of connectivity. Giga was helpful in providing support in developing an innovative model that helps the government generate additional funds to ensure sustainability. This approach is a win-win."

Umida Islamova,
Education Officer, UNICEF Uzbekistan

Special thanks to our partners