REACH SmartCoach
Description
REACH SmartCoach is a small, offline AI voice device designed to help refugee entrepreneurs who cannot read or write learn business and life skills in their own languages. It works entirely through voice—users ask questions and receive spoken answers without needing to read, type, or have internet access. The internet is only used occasionally to update lessons and improve local content. By delivering simple, practical lessons on marketing, saving, and record-keeping, the SmartCoach helps refugee women and youth manage and grow their businesses confidently, creating pathways to income generation and self-reliance.
Impact
REACH SmartCoach directly supports refugee entrepreneurs who cannot read or write by giving them an easy way to learn and manage their businesses through voice only. It helps them access practical business lessons, ask questions, and get spoken answers in their own languages — no reading, typing, or internet required. Socially, it builds confidence, independence, and inclusion for those often left out of traditional training programs. Economically, it helps small business owners improve record-keeping, pricing, and sales, leading to higher income. It also creates new jobs for youth in voice data collection, translation, and device support, contributing to local livelihood growth and community empowerment.
Target Audience
The main beneficiaries of the REACH SmartCoach are refugee entrepreneurs, especially women and youth in refugee settlements who cannot read or write or have limited understanding of English. These individuals often run small businesses but face challenges accessing training and market information due to language and literacy barriers. The SmartCoach helps them learn business and financial skills through voice, in their own languages, allowing them to manage and grow their enterprises, increase income, and achieve self-reliance. It also benefits local youth by creating digital jobs through data collection, translation, and testing activities. After the pilot phase, the innovation will be scaled across Uganda to support low-literate entrepreneurs in both refugee and host communities, extending its impact beyond refugee settlements to promote inclusive business learning and growth nationwide.
Industrial Value Chains
Partnerships
Institutional / Organizational (owned or managed by a university, company, NGO, or government agency)
Innovation Details
August 1, 2025
Contact Information
Pech Lim Gatluak
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