When access to education disappears, cycles of poverty and exclusion take root. But when learning is brought back, even in the most fragile contexts, communities transform. That’s the vision behind Peddle iLabs, one of the winners of the Solve! for Change Grant, which delivers mobile, solar-powered, AI-enabled classrooms to children in conflict-affected and underserved communities in Nigeria.
About the Grant
The Solve! for Change Grant is a catalytic microgrant designed to fuel youth-led innovation across Asia and Africa. With funding of up to SGD 600 per team, the grant supports early-stage projects tackling urgent local problems with community-led, tech-enabled education solutions.
This year’s cycle drew over 100 applications from youth innovators across Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, India, and Nigeria. Each proposal was reviewed not just for feasibility but for its ability to advance Solve Education!’s five pillars: English and Math literacy, AI and digital skills, entrepreneurship and employment readiness, financial literacy, and climate education.
The grant is more than financial support; it is a platform to amplify local voices, build capacity, and spark scalable change. Powered by Solve Education!’s GAIN framework, Gamification, AI coaching, Incentives, and Network, it proves that small grants can unlock outsized transformation.
A Learning Ecosystem Rooted in Innovation
Peddle iLabs is more than a mobile classroom; it’s a reimagined ecosystem for learning in forgotten places. Each unit runs entirely on solar power and comes equipped with 50 tablets preloaded with gamified, AI-driven lessons in literacy, numeracy, and life skills, accessible both online and offline.
Children learn through interactive content that adapts to their pace, while local languages ensure inclusivity. To strengthen continuity, unemployed youth are trained as facilitators, creating jobs while mentoring younger learners. This model blends digital innovation with community ownership: gamified learning keeps children engaged, AI coaching personalizes the journey, incentives come through skills and recognition, and the network is built by peers who grow into changemakers themselves.
Already piloted in Benue State with over 500 learners, the approach has shown measurable improvements in engagement, comprehension, and confidence. With Solve! for Change support, Peddle iLabs will expand to reach 200 more children and train 50 youth facilitators over the next phase.
Recognized and Ready to Scale
Peddle iLabs is built on the lived experiences of its founder, Joseph Orya, who grew up in Jato Aka, Benue, struggling to access education. In 2021, during a visit to an IDP camp, he met a nine-year-old girl who had never been to school and asked if his tablet could teach her to read. That question became the turning point for a model now delivering real solutions where traditional classrooms cannot.
The project also impressed Solve! for Change judges.
Rachel Duffell, Regional Content Director, Power and Purpose, Tatler Asia, shared: “Compelling video. Appreciate the statistics showing the extent of the problem and the causes. Very innovative solution and like the online and offline option for the solution. Congratulations on the results you have already achieved.”
Erica Lopes, EMEA Product Marketing Manager, Lenovo, added: “Perfect execution of a project storytelling. Easy to understand the pain point and all actions taken to solve it! Great project! Well done!!”
Their words reflect the strength of the idea and its execution: innovative, practical, and rooted in local reality.
What makes this project unique is its resilience. It doesn’t rely on electricity, internet, or permanent infrastructure, yet it delivers results. It creates access, dignity, and opportunity for children who might otherwise be left behind.
Your Role in Building the Future
ur support doesn’t just provide microgrants, it helps unlock futures. By investing in community-rooted innovation like Peddle iLabs, you give children in conflict-affected areas the chance to learn through solar-powered classrooms and digital tools guided by local youth.
If you believe in the power of grassroots changemakers, we warmly invite you to support this journey. Champion young facilitators. Help expand this model to more communities. Co-host a showcase to highlight the resilience and creativity of local learners. Together, we can turn small beginnings into lasting pathways of education and hope.
Check out the 10 finalists of the Solve For Change Grant on our LinkedIn here.