Starting with a $38 computer, they amassed over 50,000 downloads in the first five months.
Where there is a will, there is a way, even if it’s in a little village in South Africa’s Limpopo province.
Childhood friends Shibambu Mikhongelo Marvel (22) and Malunghelo Mathonsi (25) are defying the odds here, creating an African solution for an African problem.
In rural Gumbani, where the internet connection is as stable as the stock market, and where orange dust swirls over rondavels (traditional African circular mud homes), and innovation is a mirage, they are the brains behind the free, interactive e-learning app called NOVAR that’s gaining ground.
Officially released in December last year, it took two years before Mathonsi began developing NOVAR’s software, teaching himself code via YouTube tutorials and any free online resources he could get his hands on while battling “poor internet connection and frequent power cuts”, he tells FORBES AFRICA.
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A R700 ($38) computer facilitated the process, which sometimes took three hours to open the necessary files.
Simultaneously, Marvel, studying Applied Mathematics at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and living on R310 ($17) a month, was in the Mother City unraveling the fundamentals to make NOVAR succeed.
“I was here at UCT researching its concept, like how this company should look like, how the app should look like, where do we go after building the app,” Marvel explains.
Split by 1,909km of South African terrain, their mission remained binding: provide free education to all of Africa’s children.
“My dream is for all learners—including my daughter–no matter where they are, to have access to quality education,” said Mathonsi.
When it is free, such an offering typically comprises basic tutorials and guides. NOVAR is lightyears beyond that.
It includes subjects such as quantum computing, AI, business, medicine, and advanced mathematics that coincide with our technologically evolving times, connecting rural Africa’s youth with the resources to not only adapt, but also solve global issues.
“NOVAR is a platform institution, even if you’re coming from a village, you can learn about AI, how to code, agriculture, mining, the economy and where the world is going, understand what’s happening on Earth and stick on top of technology. NOVAR is so flexible,” Marvel adds.
Within the app, are a medley of interactive features, including pre-recorded lessons, live learning, and learning hubs focused on high-school subjects, from mathematics to science, all of which have been manually taught, recorded, and uploaded by co-founders Marvel and Mathonsi.
There’s also a live feed enabling students to interact and discuss, along with NOVA Shorts, a Tik-Tok-like feature comprised of quick educational videos, exposing learners to worldwide innovation and on-the-go content.
“Learning has to be exciting,” says Marvel. “There needs to be a reason to come back and receive education in a much better projection than other people.”
NOVAR, which is available on Android and scheduled to be released on iOS in late May, has amassed over 50,000 downloads in its first five months. Even so, it’s future hangs by a thread.
With operation costs rising and no revenue stream, it was nearly wiped away in late April until South African news content creator @coolstorybru_za, shared their mission, raising R80,000 ($4,333) in 24 hours.
More than a week later, they received R193,500 ($10,482) in donations, allowing the dream to soar.
Education and Africa have a sour past, the former offered mostly to those who can afford it while much of the latter remains uneducated, undervalued, and without the resources to thrive in a society where one’s university degree is the golden ticket to a better life.
For centuries, rural Africa has lived inside a bubble where breaking the poverty line means pulling miracles from dry ground while others coast on smooth roads.
Technologically, socially, and agriculturally, the continent is experiencing an unprecedented transformation that could, for the first time, place it on equal footing with the Western world.
Modern, tech-driven cities are rising from Kigali to Cairo—but how can Africa seize this moment if its people are left behind?
Over six hundred million Africans live without electricity, and as AI continues to revolutionize industries, the need to educate rural regions on modern advancements has never been greater. If not, the damage could be irreversible.
Like decentralized finance to traditional banks, NOVAR is positioning itself to test the status quo of established schools unbothered by their inability to cater to those without the financial means or access to education.
By 2030, reportedly 42% of the world’s youth will live in Africa. This should sound alarm bells for education departments across the continent.
Experts agree that the current neglect of rural education cannot continue if Africa is to become the global force it has the potential to be.
Education shouldn’t come with a price tag. From Kakuma to Limpopo, NOVAR’s betting it can deliver what the system never did.
“Imagine having more young people in Africa with the mentality of problem-solving… who want to solve global issues,” Marvel says.
“Let’s prepare for what’s coming. What’s the next big thing on Earth…. If we want to stay relevant in this world, we have to build young people that are capable of innovating and solving the many problems this world is facing.”
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