MEKALUMI for Africa
Equal access to engineering knowledge
Africa has 54 countries, the youngest population in the world and well over a thousand languages. Its children are curious, creative and ready to build. MEKALUMI wants to remove the barriers between them and engineering practice: cost, distance, connectivity and language.
Partnership, not charity
This is not about giving something to someone. It is about equal access: the same engineering ideas and the same quality, in local languages, made together with local teachers.
What makes the difference
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Local languages
Children understand best in the language they think in. This website’s translation system is built for African languages and scripts, and it shows the honest status of every translation.
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Affordable Android phones
The lab is designed for low-cost Android phones with little memory. It has been tested on an emulator with 2 GB of memory; tests on real phones come next.
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Offline learning
Lessons travel as files. Once installed, the lab is designed to work without internet access or data costs.
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No expensive laboratory
A school does not need a workshop full of equipment to teach circuits, mechanics or robotics.
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Local teachers lead
Teachers know their students and communities best. With Creator Studio, they will be able to create lessons in their own languages and contexts.
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Local materials and examples
Lessons can use examples that children recognise from their own cities, towns, markets and farms.
Engineering connected to real life
Engineering is everywhere. A few project ideas that start close to home:
- A solar-powered phone charger for a market stall Electrical circuits
- A traffic-light controller for a busy junction Digital logic
- A footbridge strong enough for the rainy season Structures & materials
- A water pump for a school garden Mechanics
- A sorting machine for a recycling project Automation
- A weather station for a farming cooperative Robotics
One continent, many scripts
African languages are written in many scripts. This website is prepared for all of these:
- Latin Qafar af Acoli Afrikaans Akan Ɓàsàa Ichibemba
- Ethiopic (Ge’ez) አማርኛ ትግርኛ
- Arabic تونسي العربية دزيري
- Tifinagh ⵜⴰⵛⵍⵃⵉⵜ ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ
- N’Ko ߒߞߏ
- Adlam 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞤪
- Vai ꕙꔤ
African languages in the registry
These languages are in MEKALUMI’s language registry. The label shows how far each translation has come.
A language in this list does not mean that its translation is finished. Native speakers are needed to review every draft.
East Africa
- አማርኛ Amharic Needs native review
- Malagasy Needs native review
- Soomaaliga Somali Needs native review
- Kiswahili Swahili Needs native review
- Ikinyarwanda Kinyarwanda Partly translated
- Afaan Oromoo Oromo Partly translated
- ትግርኛ Tigrinya Partly translated
- Acoli Not translated yet
- Gĩkũyũ Kikuyu Not translated yet
- Ikirundi Rundi Not translated yet
- Luganda Ganda Not translated yet
- Dholuo Luo Not translated yet
- Qafar af Afar Planned
- Rukiga Chiga Planned
- Thuɔŋjäŋ Dinka Planned
- Ekegusii Gusii Planned
- Kalenjin Planned
- Kikamba Kamba Planned
- Luluhia Luyia Planned
- Maa Masai Planned
- Chimakonde Makonde Planned
- Kreol morisien Morisyen Planned
- Kĩmĩrũ Meru Planned
- Thok Nath Nuer Planned
- Runyankore Nyankole Planned
- Sidaamu Afoo Sidamo Planned
- Olusoga Soga Planned
- Kiteso Teso Planned
West Africa
- Hausa Needs native review
- Naijíriá Píjin Nigerian Pidgin Needs native review
- Yorùbá Yoruba Needs native review
- Akan Partly translated
- Wolof Partly translated
- Bamanankan Bambara Not translated yet
- Eʋegbe Ewe Not translated yet
- Fulfulde Fula Not translated yet
- Igbo Not translated yet
- Krio Not translated yet
- Mooré Mossi Not translated yet
- ߒߞߏ N’Ko Not translated yet
- Twi Akan Not translated yet
- Dagbanli Dagbani Planned
- Julakan Dyula Planned
- Ẹ̀dó Bini Planned
- Efịk Efik Planned
- Fɔ̀ngbè Fon Planned
- 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞤪 Fula (Adlam) Planned
- Gã Ga Planned
- Kanuri Planned
- Mɛnde Mende Planned
- Soninke Planned
- Tiv Planned
- ꕙꔤ Vai Planned
Central Africa
- Lingála Lingala Partly translated
- Duálá Duala Not translated yet
- Kikongo Kongo Not translated yet
- Sängö Sango Not translated yet
- Ɓàsàa Basaa Planned
- Ewondo Planned
- Fang Planned
- Kimbundu Planned
- Kikongo ya Leta Kituba Planned
- Tshiluba Luba-Lulua Planned
- Umbundu Planned
Southern Africa
- Afrikaans Needs native review
- Sesotho Southern Sotho Needs native review
- isiZulu Zulu Needs native review
- Chichewa Nyanja Partly translated
- Sesotho sa Leboa Northern Sotho Partly translated
- chiShona Shona Partly translated
- Setswana Tswana Partly translated
- Tshivenḓa Venda Partly translated
- isiXhosa Xhosa Partly translated
- Ichibemba Bemba Not translated yet
- isiNdebele North Ndebele Not translated yet
- isiNdebele South Ndebele Not translated yet
- siSwati Swati Not translated yet
- Xitsonga Tsonga Not translated yet
- Chitumbuka Tumbuka Not translated yet
- Otjiherero Herero Planned
- Oshikwanyama Kuanyama Planned
- Silozi Lozi Planned
- Emakhuwa Makhuwa Planned
- Oshindonga Ndonga Planned
- Cisena Sena Planned
- Chitonga Tonga (Zambia) Planned
North Africa
- العربية Arabic Needs native review
- Taqbaylit Kabyle Partly translated
- Tamaziɣt n laṭlaṣ Central Atlas Tamazight Not translated yet
- مصرى Egyptian Arabic Not translated yet
- الدارجة Moroccan Arabic Not translated yet
- ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ Standard Moroccan Tamazight Not translated yet
- ⵜⴰⵛⵍⵃⵉⵜ Tachelhit Not translated yet
- دزيري Algerian Arabic Planned
- Tamasheq Planned
- تونسي Tunisian Arabic Planned
Build it with us
We are looking for teachers, translators, engineers and organisations across Africa who want to shape MEKALUMI. Participation channels are being prepared.