Worldreader

— Worldreader is a not for profit organisation that promotes reading, right across the developing world

—We are building a sustainable model so that wherever you can get a phone call, you can get a book.

— We use simple, affordable and accessible technology and up to now we work on two platforms:

1. E-readers – great reading experience, low penetration (but growing)2. Feature phones – good reading experience, enormous penetration (and growing)

— Both of the Worldreader reading platforms function well in areas where connectivity is basic (2G or EDGE) thereby impacting the largest group of persons in-need on the planet.

This is transformational

Delivering books over…

Delivering books over…

The Worldreader Everywhere Model

…millions of people who are illiterate or poorly literate, creating …..

+

…a self sufficient population of leaders, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs and much more

…two existing digital platforms, to…

…two existing digital platforms, to…

...existing 2G mobile connectivity, on…

...existing 2G mobile connectivity, on…

Optimizing for existing infrastructure:Why 2G is our preferred route to end-user

And among mobile phones: Why feature phones are our preferred route to end-user

Worldreader has more than 100 publishers and authors signed up from both the developed and developing world

To date more than 1750 books digitised of which over 1000 are from Africa

Results – e-readersAfter 1 year: Improvements in students’ English skills

Primary school students in Ghana tested using the West African Examination Council’s English subject test

Dramatically increased access to books•Pre: 3.6 books/student in home•Post: 107 books/student

“Reading is the single most critical skill in early education. Children without reading skills are on a lifetime trajectory of limited opportunity” - USAID

Results – e-readers From the USAID iREAD Report

Taking books home

Since students could prepare for classes, they were familiar with topics, making it easier and faster for teachers to explain concepts.

Affecting whole families

Since … study participants have an average of 5 siblings, the e-reader’s reach potentially extended to many people beyond the device’s owner.

Improved self-expression

Through the e-readers’ dictionary capabilities, students have increased their vocabulary and improved their spelling…. Teachers also observed that students express themselves more analytically than before.

Increased engagement with reading

A majority of students expressed that they never became bored of the e-reader.

Country: GhanaCurrent:1200 e-readersModel: Individual

Country: RwandaCurrent: 50 e-readersModel: Library

Country: Uganda Current: 100 e-readersModel: Classroom

Country: KenyaCurrent: 1000+ e-readersModel: Individual, Classroom, Library

Country: TanzaniaCurrent: 60 e-readers

Model: Classroom

Country: EthiopiaSoon: 50 e-readers

Model: Library

+ future partners in Malawi, S. Africa, ZimbabweWe reach more than 10,000 children and have delivered almost 500,000 e-books

E-readersCurrent projects

Worldreader Mobilein test but has achieved enormous word of mouth reach

534,000Total readers/month

19.5 MILLIONPages read/month which is equivalent to…

17,000 200 page books read/month

Key Metrics

My books Search Top 10

Children’s Education Career

Romance Health Language

We have detailed data on many of our users, by country, including books read, number of pages read, time spent reading, device used etc

Worldreader Mobile Meet the readers

On average our readers are:

•Male (82%)•Young 16-35 (90%)•Student (41%)

Our most active readers are:

•Female (70% of active users)

*Based on user data and proprietary user research conducted via Worldreader Mobile with over 20,000 participants (Sep 2012)

Mr. Average Reader Miss Active Reader

Worldreader MobileBuilding authority in m-reading and m-education

with ongoing research

• Year long research project started in Dec 2012• Goal: how to design successful m-reading programs and discover wherebiggest opportunities are for advancement of literacy using m-reading

WorldreaderKeys to success: World-class partners