“(Class bell rings, children making noise in the background as Rohey walks in, sets down her folder, and gestures for silence) Good evening, class. Right, everyone, settle down please... Sshh, settle down.”

“Good evening, class. I wasn’t expecting the class to be so full. Welcome, everyone. Seeing you here truly makes me happy. Nafisa, lovely to have you with us this evening. Stephane, Turker, good evening. Ah Franklin, and Karl too! Welcome, I'm so glad you came. And Imma, welcome, it's a pleasure to have you in the room. Everyone, thank you all so much for joining us. Welcome to my classroom. I know it’s not much to look at. No projector. No tablet. No internet. Some days, not even enough chalk. But every morning, they come. Thirty-two children, right on time. Because they believe that this classroom is a door. A door that could open opportunities to anywhere.”

“You know what breaks my heart? Right now, that door doesn’t open very far. There are 1,978 basic and secondary level schools in The Gambia. Every single one of them has now been mapped thanks to the Giga Initiative, a global partnership led by UNICEF and the ITU. We can see every school on the map. We know where they are. Class, can you spot the problem? Let me help, look at all the red dots, they are schools that are not connected. Can you see them on the map? Seeing is a step forward, but seeing does not equal solving. Our school is one of those red dots. I know I should be preparing my students for the 21st century, but there's only so much we can do without digital tools.”

“So tonight, I am not going to lecture you. I am going to do what teachers do best. If every child in The Gambia had internet access at school, how would you re-design education? Think about the question. Sit with it. Discuss it with your classmates at your table during the break. Ah, look at the time! It’s time for a break. I will be back.”

“(Rohey stands silently at the front of the classroom, breathing naturally, blinking, and nodding encouragingly to the audience...)”

“(Rohey smiles warmly and gestures with her hand towards the left side of the room, nodding in agreement)”

“(Rohey looks directly forward, nodding in approval and gesturing with both hands towards the center of the class)”

“(Rohey smiles warmly and gestures with her hand towards the right side of the room, nodding in agreement)”

“Right class, settle down please. I hope you had enough time to think about my question, because class is back in session. So tell me class, what did you discuss? Don’t be shy. It’s just a classroom discussion; it’s not like you’re talking in front of a room full of ministers and diplomats! Yes, remote learning—a classroom without walls! Imagine Basse connected to Banjul, Dakar, Lagos... Teacher training? Thank you, finally someone who remembers us! Train the teachers, connect the schools, then watch what becomes possible. AI? Safe use of AI I am a big fan of, obviously. But AI is only as useful as the connection it runs on. No internet, no AI. It’s that simple.”

“You have given me a lot to work with – this is a case of students giving their teacher homework. What a clever class you are! What you have imagined and discussed is already being accomplished around the globe. In Sierra Leone, connecting a school dropped from 12,000 dollars to just 1,500 dollars per year—a 90% drop! This changed everything, making connectivity affordable and sustainable. And in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, Darlene is learning to code, websites are being built, and students are imagining a future far beyond the camp. Across Kenya, Giga connected 659 schools, reaching 425,000 students. When connectivity is done right, it becomes hope.”

“And here in The Gambia? Our Vice President signed our letter of interest in May. That kicked off a nationwide mapping exercise and now every single one of the 1,978 schools is on the map. TVET institutions and health facilities are being added to also reduce upfront costs. We have done the mapping. We have done the planning. What we need now is the doing. Think about that. Oh, it’s time for another break. Enjoy your meal. When you come back, we are going to talk about something a little more serious, but very important.”

“(A high-fidelity upscaled map of Giga's Gambian nodes fades onto the projector screen, highlighting connected fiber-nodes and mapped institutions.)”

“Tonight, you were asked to imagine something. This is what connectivity looks like. This is what it feels like. Not a statistic. Not a cost model. This.”

“I hope that felt real. Because it can be. We are at a turning point. The schools are mapped, partners are ready, and UNICEF is here. What is missing is the final ingredient: You. Not because this is charity, but because this is an investment. In a country where over 60 percent is under 25, the return is not just financial. The return is the next generation of Gambian engineers, scientists, doctors, and leaders, ready to build leading sectors at home rather than risking everything on a dangerous journey abroad. Plus, mapped health facilities will become nodes of modern telehealth, bringing specialist pediatric care directly to rural villages.”

“So, I have one final question. And this time, I am not letting you answer over dinner. The question is: What can you and your organization do to help connect every school, health facility and TVET facility in The Gambia? My lovely class monitors in blue shirts will come to each table in a moment. They have cards. They want to hear your answer tonight, before you leave this classroom. Please write down ideas, and I'd love some of you to share what you wrote. Raise your hand and share please.”

“These are fantastic ideas for contribution. My heart is warm. Please do not let this be just a talk. We all must walk the talk—our children are counting on you. You know, when I started teaching, someone told me: the best teachers don't give students answers. They give them the right question and the courage to act on it. You have had the question all evening. My thirty-two students are counting on your courage. Class dismissed.”