Celia Russell
The Tekkatho Foundation builds digital libraries that work without the need for an internet connection or phone signal. In this way, we make access to high-quality educational resources possible for remote and underserved communities with little or no digital infrastructure. We work in Myanmar, where we have so far set up more than 70 digital libraries in community centres, schools, and refugee camps across the country. Connectivity is poor and state education has been in free fall since the military coup of 2021. Universities have stopped functioning, and many government schools remain closed.
A biodiversity hotspot
The Putao region, in northern Myanmar, is located in a major biodiversity hotspot. During the last major ice age, while much of the surrounding area was covered in glaciers, Putao remained ice-free. This allowed many species to survive and evolve in isolated microhabitats, contributing to the region’s incredible biodiversity.
Today, the area around Putao is home to some of Myanmar’s most important protected areas, including the Northern Mountain Forest Complex. Over 1,100 species have been recorded here, including the rare leaf deer, red panda, clouded leopard, and hundreds of bird, butterfly, orchid and tree species. Some of these are globally threatened or newly discovered. The Hukawng Valley, home to some of the world’s last wild tigers, is located nearby.
Before the military coup of 2021, there was a strong focus on conservation. The civilian government created national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, supported by international conservation agencies, academic researchers, and the local university. Together, they worked to protect these habitats, promote sustainable development and encourage ecotourism. All of this came to a halt with the coup in February 2021. International agencies withdrew, ecotourism collapsed overnight, and the education system crumbled.
Responding to environmental and educational crisis
In the face of this crisis, the Tekkatho Foundation, with support from the Sir Halley Stewart Trust, set up an education facility at Yawng Zin (Rainbow Centre). This is a vibrant community centre in Putao that brings together people of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds. By partnering with trainers from now-defunct local universities and using our offline digital library technology, our Ready to Learn project is helping young people in post-coup Myanmar continue their education despite political instability and lack of internet access.
Yawng Zin has become an educational hub for the region. It supports around 300 young adult learners and provides a base for two non-formal schools created after state schools were closed. One is a free school and feeding centre, run by the Kachin Baptist Convention for children living in extreme poverty. The other is a high school launched by local education activists. In total, around 800 children are learning through these informal schools.
In 2021, we began developing a new learning centre at Yawng Zin with a special focus on environmental protection, biodiversity, and sustainable development. The goal is to help ensure the long-term survival of this precious ecosystem, and to equip the next generation with the skills they need to protect it.
We installed a Tekkatho offline digital library at Yawng Zin, filled with thousands of educational resources. Each library includes a Wi-Fi hotspot, a tiny server, a solar powered rechargeable battery and a hard drive packed with content adapted for offline use. At Yawng Zin, the materials focus on conservation, ecology, and developing skills for sustainable ecotourism.
Learning for ecotourism
Nestled at the foot of the Himalayas, Putao is one of the most beautiful regions in Myanmar. Before the coup, it attracted hikers, climbers, nature lovers and ecotourists from around the world. This supported local livelihoods from mountain guides and small-scale eco-producers to craft makers, guesthouses, and the wider hospitality sector.
Local communities see ecotourism as a path to protecting their environment while creating long-term livelihoods. The Ready to Learn project provides resources to support this vision. As well as using library content in teaching, the new environmental hub also runs hands-on sessions for school children on plant identification and ecology, and courses for adults on beekeeping, community farming, biodiversity, sustainable development, water and energy conservation, and English language learning. Hundreds of trees have been planted as part of a community-protected forest. So far, more than 1,300 people have taken part in learning activities at the new hub.
With tourism currently at a standstill, these practical courses have become a vital source of knowledge and skills for people seeking alternative incomes. Beekeeping and green farm training, for example, are helping families to earn from local produce, while environmental awareness activities keep the focus on caring for the land that will one day again welcome visitors. Some young people are also using digital resources in the library to learn about ecotourism management and communications, preparing for a time when promoting Putao’s natural beauty will once more be possible.
The community hopes that one day the visitors will return. That’s the long-term vision of the learning hub too: to protect Putao’s unique natural heritage while building a better, more sustainable future for its people.
Contact: Celia Russell, Trustee, Tekkatho Foundation www.tekkatho.foundation.