3.6 billion people in the world do not have access to the Internet.

Without connectivity, the most vulnerable children and young people have fewer resources to learn and to grow, leading to limited opportunities for the future. Giga is a joint UNICEF-ITU global initiative founded in 2019 that will bring the power of meaningful connectivity to fast-track young people’s access to educational resources and opportunities.

To accomplish this goal, Giga consists of four pillars:

  • Map: Maintain a real-time map of school connectivity to identify demand for infrastructure and funds, measure progress toward increasing Internet access, and continuously monitor global connectivity

  • Finance: Work with governments and advise them on building affordable and sustainable country-specific models for finance and delivery, subsidizing market creation costs and incentivizing private sector investment

  • Connect: Partner with industry and advise on the best possible technical solutions to provide schools with connectivity, and countries with safe, secure, reliable, fit-for-purpose infrastructure to support future digital development needs

  • Empower: Ensures that every school in the world is connected to the internet and that every young person has access to information, opportunity, and choice

Key Audiences

  • Governments who need to prioritize connectivity to support education and economic outcomes in their country, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic

  • Donors and funders that want social impact cases and proof that funds are used responsibly and that results are sustainable

  • Institutional investors that are looking for a return on investment and mechanisms that de-risk their investment

  • Internet service providers and mobile network operators (ISPs and MNOs) who compete with other providers for customers as they expand their businesses

Goals

  • Work as part of the core project team to develop a consistent and compelling narrative for key audiences. Clearly explain how this initiative responds to complex systemic issues and how it will bridge gaps needed to achieve global connectivity and support digital development efforts.

  • Equip team members with the tools and assets needed to compile pitches, information packets, and partnerships documents quickly and effectively.

Approach

Giga’s development can be divided into different stages. As a member of the core project team, I contributed to several key milestones over the project’s life cycle.

  • Work with the team to develop the Common Bid for Connectivity concept and narrative for a UN audience. Outline the problem, proposed solution, programme structure, funding required, proposed governance structure, and timeline.

  • Participate in a 3-day workshop with UNICEF and ITU colleagues to co-design the structure of the Common Bid, including the process to 1) identify and pool demand, 2) make connectivity fair and accessible, and 3) make it safe and useful.

  • Work with the comms team to develop and design editable concept note with key partnerships and fundraising asks.

    Work with the design team to define core users, validate user flows, and develop a landing page for potential partners and country representatives to join our mailing list.

  • Work with the design team to create a visual identity system that inspires legitimacy, credibility, and trust among key stakeholders for a new initiative with limited social impact cases.

    Create a system of design assets + website that are easy to adapt and modify by non-designers as the initiative expands.

  • Workshop Giga’s 2020 fundraising strategy with team leads.

    Outsource country-level research to a design vendor and ensure that deliverables and milestones are met.

 
 
 
 
 

Impact

Through this work, we successfully equipped the Giga team, including our comms and partnerships colleagues, with the tools needed to effectively raise funds and communicate the importance, credibility, and urgency of our work to stakeholders and potential partners. As a result, in 2020 the Giga team accomplished the following:

FUNDS RAISED

$15M

Countries Joined

17

 

partnerships established

10

Schools mapped

800k+