Learning can be a challenge, especially for those with diverse learning needs. In the United States, about 1 in 5 children face learning difficulties, yet many cannot access the educational support they need to thrive. Sooinn and Gunho Lee, co-founders of Kitkit School, were driven by their son’s learning needs to revolutionize education for the better. Their goal was to create an intuitive and engaging solution that would unlock learning for all children.
Leveraging their game design and computer programming expertise, Sooinn and Gunho founded Enuma, a company dedicated to developing educational tools for children facing challenges with traditional learning methods. Their innovative products, like the award-winning Todo Math, focus on supporting children with diverse learning needs and limited educational resources.
When the Global Learning XPRIZE launched in 2014, Sooinn and Gunho saw an opportunity to expand their vision. This $15 million competition challenged teams worldwide to develop open-source, scalable software that empowers children to teach themselves basic reading, writing, and arithmetic within 15 months. From this competition, Kitkit School emerged as one of the two grand prize winners and stood out among 198 teams from 40 countries.
The Global Learning XPRIZE addressed a critical global issue: over 250 million children worldwide are unable to read or write, and one in five children are not in school. Equally concerning is the global lack of teachers, with UNESCO estimating that the world must recruit 68.8 million teachers to provide every child with primary and secondary education by 2030. Kitkit School helps bridge the gap by providing exceptional education tools and delivering quality learning experiences even in the world’s most remote areas.
As finalists, Kitkit School field-tested their education solution in Swahili, reaching thousands of children across 170 villages in Tanzania. All five finalists, including Kitkit School, made their software open-source, allowing anyone, anywhere, to adapt, enhance, and implement the learning solutions within their own communities.
Before the Global Learning XPRIZE field test, 74% of the participating children had never attended school, 80% had never been read to at home, and over 90% were unable to read a single word in Swahili. After 15 months of learning with Kitkit School’s solution, the number of children unable to read was cut in half. Additionally, developing math skills through Kitkit’s software proved to be just as effective as improving reading skills for children.
Today, Kitkit’s solution is available in Swahili and English on GitHub, with resources to localize the software into other languages.
Sooinn and Gunho Lee’s commitment to creating a gamified, intuitive learning experience has proven successful; their Kitkit solution is a powerful investment in the next generation, laying the groundwork for a brighter future for millions of children worldwide.
Learn more about KitKit School’s incredible story by watching the latest episode of XPRIZE Innovators, and discover how you can get involved in competitions that change the world at xprize.org.