About

We expect most kids of the current generation to grow up with the internet and learn from its multitude of educational resources. Even in Zimbabwe, where only 30% of the population is connected, the national curriculum now asks students to do their own research and seek information online. But for many rural students, a visit to Wikipedia is a virtual dream: their schools not only lack internet, they lack the electricity to even power up a computer.

This was the reality facing the founder of Regain37 when he returned to the country of his birth from a tech career overseas. His hope was to bring internet access to disadvantaged schools, but he quickly realised just how wide the digital divide is here. So Regain37 is trying a more tailored model: one where a solar panel installed on each school powers a customised educational server. This system works like a mini-internet and is filled with educational sites, learning tools and videos.

While the solar installation can also power lights, this is of secondary importance when classes are held during the day. Its real value is giving students enhanced learning opportunities, a library of knowledge, and a chance to gain skills navigating virtual infrastructure – educational assets most of us take for granted. Regain37 is also bundling in classroom laptops, projectors and connected whiteboards, or helping repair broken equipment lying idle in some schools. The whole package is available to schools on pay-as-you-use terms, and is typically covered by each student’s family paying a supplemental school fee of less than €1 per term.

Our support

Affordable for schools and families, the model is already generating sustainable returns for Regain37. They are ready for investment to reach many more schools – but Zimbabwe’s macroeconomic situation is a deterrent to investors. Funds to scale up will likely have to come from outside the country and raising these is a challenge that Regain37 needs help to tackle.

Regain37 heard about the GET.invest Finance Catalyst through a contact at the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), and it was a natural fit given the renewably-powered basis of the model. The Finance Catalyst’s support is ongoing and has chiefly revolved around getting the story right: the advisor has helped with a business proposal, a pitch deck and a financial model for bankability, working out the ideal structure of debt funding for growth.

Rather than looking for investors with a primary focus on education, GET.invest is coming from a different angle: seeking renewable energy impact investors who want to support productive use. The productive use category more often includes activities like refrigeration, milling and irrigation, but Regain37’s pitch is different in its impact: it’s a direct way to empower the next generation of students with a missing link to digital life.

The outcome

The GET.invest Finance Catalyst has introduced Regain37 to four promising investors so far and is awaiting a financial close. In the meantime, the company has installed its systems at 67 schools and is ambitiously aiming for hundreds more. One of the first schools to install a system is, in fact, the one that Regain37’s founder attended as a child. Coincidentally, the Finance Catalyst advisor working with the company also grew up in the area, so local knowledge is strong on the team.

Now, by the time kids leave this and the other schools with solar-powered educational servers, they have an appreciation of the internet they will need in higher education. As teachers make learning more digital and more engaging, Regain37 has also tracked improvements in pass rates – which are typically very low before the systems are installed. 

The digital tools that make this possible include internet learning mainstays like UNESCO Primary School, Khan Academy and Wikipedia, which come pre-loaded on each server. While these are rich English-language resources, Regain37 also has an eye on what students can gain from local content that speaks to them. They have begun working with local writers and curating novels, stories and other content for the servers in Zimbabwe’s vernacular languages. With this next step, children will gain a meaningful platform for reading that connects with their own lives and sparks their creativity – all with the power of the sun.

Disclaimer: This story was last updated in September 2023.