Kuwala
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Development goals

What Kuwala could make possible.

Kuwala is a portable solar-powered station we’re developing to widen access to learning and practical knowledge. We want it to help people build skills, protect their livelihoods and take part in decisions about their homes and community.

Oasis is the platform running on the station for chat, search, reading and translation. Oasis Knowledge contains multiple PDF libraries within Oasis. Local people will help choose the material, decide how the station is used and judge whether it makes a difference.

Oasis is working on Kuwala hardware in our labFirst local trial: host to be agreedExplore progress →

01 / Development goals

The change we want to support.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals help us connect the design of Kuwala with the things people want to do. Here’s what the station will provide, where it could help and what we’ll look for in local trials.

What Kuwala provides

Shared knowledge, solar power and digital access are the foundations of the station. Oasis is working in our lab; the complete box is the next step, with power and Wi-Fi checks to follow.

  • More opportunities to learn and build skills.

    SDG 4 · Quality education
    Target 4.4 · Skills for work

    A teacher preparing a lesson, a learner practising numeracy or someone developing a trade can draw on Oasis Knowledge. Oasis helps them explore the material, with the original pages available to read.

    What we’ll look for: People explaining an idea in their own words and applying it to a task, with less help over time.

  • Useful power, without a mains connection.

    SDG 7 · Affordable and clean energy
    Targets 7.1 and 7.2 · Energy access and renewables

    Stored solar energy will run the station and charge its shared device, along with compatible phones and other small equipment. It brings practical power to a place where people can learn, read and work together.

    What we’ll look for: Reliable running time, successful charging and enough stored energy for the tasks people want to do.

  • Digital tools within local reach.

    SDG 9 · Industry, innovation and infrastructure
    Target 9.c · Access to information and communications technology

    A local Wi-Fi network will connect the shared device and nearby compatible devices to Oasis. People can use the station’s knowledge and tools offline, with internet access available when a suitable connection is added.

    What we’ll look for: Straightforward connection, useful Wi-Fi reach and access to the station’s tools without internet.

  • Shared access and a stronger local voice.

    SDG 10 · Reduced inequalities
    Target 10.2 · Inclusion and participation

    A shared device means people can use Oasis without owning a phone or tablet. Translation can help more people explore the material, while the local team chooses the collection and how the station is shared.

    What we’ll look for: Who can use the station, who is being left out and whether people can understand the material in their chosen language.

  • Give existing devices a useful new role.

    SDG 12 · Responsible consumption and production
    Target 12.5 · Waste prevention and reuse

    Each station will include at least one recycled device to share, giving working equipment another useful life. A locally chosen collection of repair guides can also help people maintain the things they already own.

    What we’ll look for: Reused devices that remain useful, and people finding suitable guidance for maintenance and repair.

Where Kuwala can help

The value comes from what people do with that access. These are opportunities to explore with local people and experienced partners, choosing useful material and learning together through practical tasks.

  • Better information for resilient farming.

    SDG 2 · Zero hunger
    Target 2.4 · Resilient food production

    Farmers and extension workers can compare guidance on soil, water, crops and food storage. The aim is to support the decisions behind a more resilient food supply and livelihood, drawing on local experience.

    What we’ll look for: People comparing options, explaining the conditions each depends on and identifying what needs checking locally before trying it.

  • Trusted health information close at hand.

    SDG 3 · Good health and well-being
    Target 3.3 · Disease prevention

    With a suitable health partner, the collection could support education about hygiene and preventing illness. Trusted guides would give health workers and communities material to read, discuss and refer back to, with original sources available.

    What we’ll look for: A health partner confirming the material is suitable and current, and people understanding its guidance and when to seek help.

  • Women and girls helping shape its use.

    SDG 5 · Gender equality
    Target 5.b · Technology for women’s empowerment

    Women and girls should help choose the material, agree access arrangements and take part in running the station. A shared device can make useful digital tools available without needing to own a phone.

    What we’ll look for: Women and girls using the station, shaping decisions and taking on local roles, with practical barriers addressed.

  • Better-informed choices about water and sanitation.

    SDG 6 · Clean water and sanitation
    Target 6.b · Community water and sanitation management

    Communities could compare rainwater collection options, explore safe water storage or prepare questions about sanitation. Relevant guides give residents and experienced practitioners a shared starting point for deciding what suits local conditions.

    What we’ll look for: People identifying suitable options and the local checks needed, with water or sanitation practitioners involved in practical decisions.

  • Practical knowledge for earning a living.

    SDG 8 · Decent work and economic growth
    Target 8.3 · Productive activity and enterprise

    Someone learning a trade or developing a small business could use guides to explore a process, understand equipment or prepare simple records. Locally relevant material can support practical learning and more informed plans.

    What we’ll look for: People using what they learn in a practical task or plan, and recognising where they need further training or advice.

  • Shelter planning that includes the people using it.

    SDG 11 · Sustainable cities and communities
    Target 11.1 · Safe, adequate housing

    Bring useful guidance into discussions between residents and experienced builders. Consider how someone reaches a home, moves around it and uses shared facilities, alongside privacy, drainage and local building requirements.

    What we’ll look for: Residents identifying barriers, considering different needs and explaining the choices in a proposed plan.

  • Knowledge for a changing climate.

    SDG 13 · Climate action
    Target 13.3 · Climate education and adaptation

    Keep relevant guidance on drought preparation, flood resilience and adapting farming or buildings available locally. Communities can explore options with experienced people and refer back to the material even when an internet connection is unavailable.

    What we’ll look for: People explaining a local risk, comparing possible responses and identifying the knowledge or support needed for a practical plan.

  • Support healthier soil and local habitats.

    SDG 15 · Life on land
    Target 15.3 · Restore land and soil

    Guides on soil care, tree establishment and restoring damaged land can support discussions about the places people depend on. Local knowledge and relevant sources help people explore approaches suited to their land and habitats.

    What we’ll look for: People connecting guidance to a particular site and explaining the local conditions and expertise needed before acting.

These are aims for the project; local trials and longer-term outcomes are still ahead. The checks above will help us learn whether Kuwala is making a useful contribution.

02 / Real Oasis answers

See Oasis at work.

We asked these questions on , using Oasis on Kuwala hardware in our lab. Read our source checks, then open either example to see the complete answer and the pages it cites.

The @building and @farming mentions select a library in Oasis Knowledge. These are lab examples; the community outcomes above still need a local trial.

Inclusive shelter · SDG 11

Shelter that people can reach and use.

Residents can use a guide like this to identify access barriers and prepare questions for a builder. The site and the people who will use it still determine the design.

We asked Oasis

@building What should we consider so someone with limited mobility can reach and use a shelter?

Read the full Oasis answer about shelter

Oasis replied

  • Physical access to the shelter: Ensure pathways are clear of obstacles and debris so people with limited mobility can reach the shelter safely [P2]. Add ramps or remove thresholds to make entrances wheelchair-accessible, and ensure door openings are at least 90 cm wide [P2].

  • Ground-floor priority for shelter placement: Prioritise ground-floor units for individuals with reduced mobility, including wheelchair users, who may need ramps [P1] [P5].

  • Accessible facilities inside the shelter: Design sanitary facilities (toilets, taps, bath areas) to accommodate persons with disabilities, including accessible signage for reserved areas [P1].

  • Wider circulation and space: Make sure circulation routes are wide enough for wheelchairs and free of clutter to improve safety and usability [P1].

Full, unedited Oasis answer, captured in our lab on . Citation labels such as [P1] link to the original PDF pages.

The sources Oasis used

Our source check: The cited pages support the main points. The guide also covers individual accessibility needs, ramp dimensions, handrails and lighting that this short answer leaves out. It gives residents and an experienced builder a starting point for discussion.

Resilient farming · SDG 2

Helping a field hold on to soil and water.

A farmer and extension worker can use these references to compare approaches and ask what suits their slope, soil and rainfall. Applying a method needs local judgement and the complete guidance.

We asked Oasis

@farming Which approaches could reduce runoff and help a sloping field hold moisture?

Read the full Oasis answer about farming

Oasis replied

  • Contour bunds: Build small soil mounds (up to 50 cm high) across the slope to act as barriers. Place them along the slope’s contour lines and space them closely on steep terrain to reduce runoff force and encourage water infiltration [P1].

  • Terraces: Construct deep furrows across the slope to slow runoff. Place soil on either the upper or lower side of the terrace to enhance infiltration or collect runoff water inside the terrace. Reinforce terraces with grass strips, forage crops, or agroforestry trees [P1] [P4].

  • Contour ridges and bunds: Build ridges or bunds along contour lines, spaced 5–20 m apart based on slope, rainfall, and soil depth. The upstream side (1–2 m wide) is used for cultivation, while the catchment area between ridges stores and infiltrates runoff [P7].

Full, unedited Oasis answer, captured in our lab on . Citation labels such as [P1] link to the original PDF pages.

The sources Oasis used

Our source check: The sources offer options to discuss with someone who knows the land. This answer leaves out a warning about accurate contour alignment. Its last sentence also blurs where water is stored: ICARDA places infiltration and storage in the cultivated strip, fed by the catchment. Those distinctions matter before choosing a method.

Read the dated capture record, full answers and source checks. Try Oasis live to ask these questions yourself; a fresh answer may differ.

03 / Local ownership

A station the local team can make its own.

The people using Kuwala should help decide what belongs in the collection, how the station is shared and how it is looked after. Local ownership starts with those decisions.

We’ll work out responsibilities, access, privacy and upkeep together. Training and clear instructions should leave the team confident about adding documents, supporting visitors and getting help with faults.

Each station will include at least one recycled device to share, so people can use Oasis without owning a phone or tablet. We’ll check its Wi-Fi and browser access, then agree how to share, charge and look after it. More refurbished devices could open access further.

The collection should keep changing as people’s needs change. The local team would choose which new guides and updated editions to keep, with support to prepare them for local use.

04 / Judging usefulness

Look for understanding, confidence and local skills.

We’ll compare using Oasis with reading the same documents directly, with equivalent support. Can people find relevant information, understand it and explain their next step?

We’ll listen to people who cannot use the station as well as those who can, and work with fluent speakers to check whether translation helps people understand the material. At follow-up, we’ll ask what remains useful and watch the local team manage the collection and handle routine tasks.

Those are early signs of usefulness. Changes in learning, farm income or living conditions would need longer follow-up. We’ll look beyond how often people use the station to what they learn and can do afterwards.

05 / A first local trial

Build the trial around everyday life.

We’d like to begin with a task that matters to a community, then prepare the material and support together. We’ll agree a host organisation and local team before the first trial.

  1. 01

    Choose a useful task.

    Agree what people want to do, suitable documents and what success would look like.

  2. 02

    Get ready together.

    Prepare the collection and shared devices. Help the local team learn how to run the station and support visitors.

  3. 03

    Try it in everyday use.

    Compare reading the documents with using chat. Listen to what helped, what was confusing and where people needed support.

  4. 04

    Return and learn.

    Find out what’s still useful, what needs changing and how the team is getting on.

We’ll agree the trial with the host organisation and local team, gather feedback with consent and keep direct access to Oasis Knowledge available. We can learn how the station is used without keeping people’s questions.

The complete station needs practical testing before a local trial. Explore progress →

06 / Related research

Make time for training.

“Participants overwhelmingly perceived both the SolarSPELL library and the associated training as beneficial”

Hosman and Nova, 2025 · conclusion, printed page 14

A Rwanda workshop paired an offline agricultural library with training for 31 extension interns. It reinforces the value of useful local material and training.

Immediate, self-reported feedback; no comparison group or measured harvest gains.

Read the SolarSPELL study and conclusion →

Make the source easy to check.

“Trust remains a key factor, especially for farmers seeking reliable advice.”

Singh and colleagues, Farmer.Chat, 2024 · section 5.4, page 18

The paper’s emphasis on verified sources and user support reinforces our decision to make original pages easy to check.

A connected service; it does not measure what offline chat adds to reading PDFs.

Read the Farmer.Chat paper and discussion →

Let the local team shape the collection.

“This research reaffirms that technology is only a partial solution”

Pariyar and colleagues, 2019 · conclusion, printed page 2505

The Sarawak Library-in-a-Box study highlights community involvement, suitable content and updates: reasons for a local team to shape the collection.

A small, short study offering design insights, without measured learning gains.

Read the Library-in-a-Box study and conclusion →

SolarSPELL and ASU Next Lab are also developing offline AI. Their May 2025 health-library prototype announcement shares an approach, without measured accuracy or field results.

Sources reviewed in October 2026. These projects inform our choices; Kuwala needs its own practical trials.

Try it for yourself

Bring a question. See what you find.

Explore Oasis Knowledge, ask Oasis a question and read the pages it finds. The web app connects to Kuwala hardware in our lab for chat, search, translation and new downloads.

When the station is off, you can still open the app and read books you’ve saved on that device. The remote preview needs internet access and approved email sign-in.

To request access, email hello@kuwala.space.

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