Internet of Help: an educational charity transforming the lives of 30,000 children and counting across the world

Cairo, Egypt

Internet of Help is an educational charity founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Karim Oumran to bring life-changing educational opportunities to children around the world. Since their launch, they’ve made a difference for 30,000+ children across 5 different countries, securing funding from both major corporations and private philanthropists alike to make their vision of universal access to education a reality. Behind their ability to rapidly make a difference at scale lies a global network, cultivated over years by their team, which enables them to navigate educational challenges, comply with international regulations, and develop hyperlocal, long-term connections with communities in the regions they serve.

A lifetime of seeing the benefit of education

The core philosophy behind Internet of Help stems from Karim’s childhood experiences in Egypt, which took place in an environment where not every person had the same level of access to high-quality education — if any at all. As Karim progressed through school, he quickly became conscious of the widening gap between those who finished their studies and those who didn’t, seeing first-hand how it affected the communities in which he grew up. After finishing his studies and creating a career in the world of investment and entrepreneurship, he founded Internet of Help as a way of giving back, a fusion of his passion for technology, international development, and making an impact through efficient deployment of resources.

Creating opportunities around the world

Currently, Internet of Help operates in 5 different countries, all of which have struggled to overcome (or are still struggling to overcome) internal or international conflict. Starting off in Pakistan, the organisation has grown to serve communities in Afghanistan, Sudan, South Sudan, and most recently Egypt, the childhood home of both Karim and around 10,000 of the 30,000+ recipients of their support. As they’ve scaled internationally, they’ve built up an efficient framework for deploying capital and streamlining educational models that has enabled them to lower the average cost for educating a child to just €23 per year, a number that’s set to decrease as they further refine their processes and branch out into other countries. Although until now, their focus has been supporting countries in the Central Asia and MENA regions, an expansion to Brazil is in the cards, with exploratory talks currently ongoing and an office set to open by the end of the year.

On the shoulders of giants

Internet of Help’s reach has been further bolstered by the formation of several corporate partnerships with globally-recognized firms including Henkel, Honda, Microsoft, KPMG, Oracle, AT&T, and DB Schenker, each matching their employees’ optional salary contributions to instantly double the impact made. These existing partnerships are the earned results of a level of commitment to transparency and proper financial conduct that has consistently satisfied the highest standards for corporate responsibility. With more partnerships in the pipeline, their ability to empower impoverished communities will become substantially more powerful. It’s a completely new approach to accelerating international development, but each successive generation of students educated as a result of their help creates positive implications for humanity’s collective approach towards climate change, future pandemics, and other global crises.

Keep up with the founder of Internet of Help

Company website: ​​https://internetofhelp.org/

Founder LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karim-a-oumran/