The Rumie Initiative

The Rumie Initiative From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search The Rumie Initiative Founded 2013 Founder Tariq Fancy Type Non-Profit Focus Education, Technology Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada Area served 30+ Countries worldwide Product Rumie-Learn, Rumie-Build Key people Tariq Fancy Website rumie.org The Rumie Initiative (Rumie) is a non-profit ed-tech based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, dedicated to removing barriers for learning in underserved communities around the world. Rumie works with the world’s most influential organizations to create, organize & distribute free micro-learning courses (“Bytes”) on 21st-century life & career skills, designed to meet the needs of the economically-displaced, smartphone-first modern learner. The content reaches communities that use Rumie’s free learning technology today, which spans 30 countries (and in Canada includes Indigenous communities and recent newcomers). The structure of Bytes coupled with their end-to-end digital delivery model enables Rumie to connect volunteers to those who most need upskilling today, as well as capture data at every point that further enhances the personalized learning experience. Contents 1 History 2 Funding 3 Recognition 4 References 5 External links History The Rumie Initiative was founded by Tariq Fancy in 2013 to educate children in underserved communities around the world using affordable technology.[1] At present, the Rumie Solution is being used in more than 30 countries worldwide.[2] The organization received popular attention during the 2014 Ebola Crisis, when it partnered with the Liberian NGO Camp for Peace to deploy Rumie tablets as part of a rehabilitation program for child soldiers.[3] As a result of the Ebola epidemic, however, schools across the country were shuttered,[4] and Rumie's tablets quickly became a resource for children to continue their education from home.[5] In 2015, Rumie began deploying its technology to assist children affected by the Syrian refugee crisis.[6][7] At the time, a primary challenge was the deficit of free digital learning content for Syrian students. In response to this issue, Rumie announced during a 2015 presentation at Y-Combinator that it was opening the LearnCloud—a portal for free-license learning content, allowing users to find, share, and rate free digital educational resources.[8] Funding Tariq Fancy, a former investment banker and private equity investor, founded Rumie with his personal savings, committing to work without salary until the organization became financially sustainable. In early 2014, Rumie raised $1 million in philanthropic donations from outside backers, including Ed Clark, the retired CEO of TD Bank, Rob McEwen, the chairman and CEO of McEwen Mining Inc.,[1] and Mark Wiseman, then the CEO of the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board.[8] Rumie has subsequently raised funding from large institutional backers, including Google[9] and Scotiabank.[10] Recognition The Rumie Initiative has received widespread coverage in the mainstream media, including CNBC,[11] The Toronto Star,[1] CBC,[12] Quartz,[6] Forbes,[5] and Mashable.[3] Harvard Business School [8] and INSEAD[13] have both published case studies or profiles on the organization's mission and progress. During its seven year existence, the organization has also garnered numerous awards. In 2014, Rumie was named the "Best Social Startup" by Global Entrepreneurship Week.[14] In 2015, the organization graduated from the Y-Combinator Imagine K-12 accelerator. In 2016, the US Library of Congress awarded Rumie a prize for literacy promotion.[15] In 2017, Rumie won the Google.org Impact Challenge.[16][9] In 2018, Rumie won the INSEAD Business as a Force for Good Award and in 2019 won the Mohammed Bin Rashid Initiative for Global Prosperity Award in the Digital Literacy category.