On March 6, 2019, Google launched Bolo, a speech-based tutor app aimed at helping children in India learn to read. Available in Hindi and English, the free app features an animated character, Diya, who interacts with children as they learn to read using games and stories. Bolo, which means “speak” in Hindi, was piloted with 1500…
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Twenty-two-year-old Dattatray Genbhau Pawar comes from a small village just outside of Pune. A once promising student, Dattatray was forced to drop out of school in the ninth grade to help support his family. For three years, he worked as an informal worker at a local garage, applying his drive and intelligence to cars rather…
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Sunil Kumar was born in the tiny village of Khap on the India-Nepal border. His parents were landless laborers with no resources to raise him and his siblings. Seeking a chance at a better life, Sunil ran away from home to Mumbai, the city where dreams could become a reality. Instead, he found something much…
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In the village of Harriyapur in Uttar Pradesh, 13-year-old Sumit was more likely to be getting into trouble than attending school. His penchant for mischief was renowned, and the community—including the boy’s parents—had given up on him. He was, as one teacher put it, “on the wrong track.” That was before educator Surendra Kumar invited…
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