Is there an app for that?

The Learning Lunch podcast explores ideas, approaches and social innovations – creating opportunity for non-profit organisations’ teams to discover what others are learning and space to reflect on what these insights might mean for their own strategy and programme implementation.

Mobile apps are designed to simplify and digitise almost every aspect of our modern lives. You can buy groceries from your couch, order take-out, catch a ride within minutes, or find a date online. Apps are not only convenient, but they have the potential to solve real-world problems, which is why civil society organisations are turning to technology to magnify the impact of their work.

In recent years, civil society organisations have shown eagerness to invest in tech solutions to address the everyday challenges of those working with young children. In response, DGMT invested in developing a suite of digital tools that could serve the needs of multiple organisations and cover a range of early childhood development services. With the support of behavioural scientists and experts, ECD Connect was born. The base version is free to use and customisable, allowing it to be utilised by a broad community of people, from early learning practitioners to community health workers.

In this podcast, we discuss the challenges and benefits of developing tech solutions for civil society from the perspective of the developers of ECD Connect. We talk to the project’s lead, Peter Schütte, about the evolution of the app; its social purpose and its potential to radically change the traditionally paper-based environment of early education and community health.

Peter Schütte is a passionate advocate for equitable education, driven by a deep curiosity about how society can ensure every child reaches their full potential. As the Project Manager for ECD Connect App, a free software tool and digital assistant funded by DGMT, Peter is at the forefront of improving the quality of early childhood education in South Africa. This innovative tool is specifically aimed at ECD principals and practitioners in South Africa, designed to help lower their administrative load and allow them to focus on quality learning routines. Peter‘s career journey, including teaching high school mathematics internationally, researching teacher collaboration, contributing to an educational start-up focused on low-cost maths interventions, and leveraging insights from his auditing experience, has consistently aimed to foster equal opportunity for all South Africans. A true “efficiency and research nerd,” Peter is committed to leveraging innovative digital solutions and impactful collaboration to transform the education landscape.

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