In a packed classroom in Uganda’s Kyangwali refugee settlement, 20 teachers lean over smartphones, tools many once thought had little place in teaching. With the UNICEF Superstar Teacher Toolbox, they are discovering how to turn everyday devices into powerful enablers of learning.
From Kyangwali in Uganda to Kakuma-Kalobeyei in Kenya the UNICEF Superstar Teacher Toolbox is equipping refugee-settlement teachers to use technology purposefully: making lessons more learner-centred, inclusive, and practical in large, low-resource classrooms through a collaboration between UNICEF and Teachers Without Borders (TWB)-Finn Church Aid (FCA).
Developed by the UNICEF Global Learning Innovation Hub, the Toolbox is designed to help educators meaningfully integrate digital tools in classrooms and beyond, including in crisis-affected and low-resource settings worldwide.
The Toolbox currently has two tools – 1) Digital Pedagogy; and 2) Mobile Messaging for Learning – both providing practical tips for educators. UNICEF collaborated with Teachers Without Borders volunteer educators for them to use the Toolbox to use contents to support teachers in the refugee settlements in Uganda and Kenya, bringing insightful lessons useful to keep the Toolbox relevant and responsive to the needs of educators regardless of where they are. UNICEF collaborated to support teachers….” Add the text in bold.
Uganda: Turning Smartphones into Teaching Tools
In June 2025, Teachers Without Borders volunteer, education expert Pia de Leeuw van Weenen introduced the UNICEF Toolbox’s Digital Pedagogy and Mobile Messaging modules to 20 teachers and head teachers in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, in Uganda, close to the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“Many schools in the Ugandan refugee settlements have very large classes and lack essentials — from basic supplies like pencils and textbooks to critical infrastructure such as reliable electricity and access to digital devices,” explains Pia. “However, most teachers, and a growing number of learners, have a smartphone that could be put to efficient use in the classroom.”
The Superstar Teacher Toolbox guides educators with sound pedagogical approaches in teaching with digital technology for any setting. Pia integrated the Toolbox contents to a three-day training for the teachers and head teachers in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement. At the end of training, she recalled how participants “felt more confident about using available digital tools to make lessons more effective and learner-friendly. They were also more comfortable choosing [digital] platforms and methods that suit learners’ needs.”
Kenya: Learner-centred Approaches in Overcrowded Classrooms
The experience was echoed in Kenya, where Teachers Without Borders volunteer, education expert Carin Holmroos, worked with teachers in the Kalobeyei Settlement (Kakuma), where class sizes have swelled to as many as 200 learners.
“Over the past few months, I had worked with TWB remote experts Mikko Toiviainen and Karoliina Hokka to bring the UNICEF Superstar Teacher Toolbox to life in Kakuma-Kalobeyei,” says Carin. During her three-month volunteer period, a core focus was building digital pedagogy skills among school staff — many of whom are refugees themselves — across all eight FCA supported schools in Kalobeyei. Together, Carin, Mikko and Karoliina trained more than 30 ICT coaches, teachers, and head teachers in learner-centred digital education.
“We used the UNICEF Superstar Teacher Toolbox alongside our digital education manuals, further tailoring the content to settlement schools where resources are scarce, but needs are great. Teachers showed strong interest. While some schools have ICT rooms, tablets, and laptops, power cuts, weak connectivity, large classes, and the ongoing need for staff training remain major hurdles.”
Through practical hands-on workshops, teachers, head teachers, and ICT coaches experienced how, when used purposefully, technology can enrich pedagogy, engage learners, build 21st century skills, and ease teachers’ workloads. Participants felt more confident and eager for further training.
“In Kakuma-Kalobeyei, we have laid foundations and taken the first meaningful steps toward more digitally empowered schools. Motivation among staff is high, and even in challenging contexts, when done with purpose, digital education opens new possibilities. To achieve this, the UNICEF Superstar Teacher Toolbox provides a strong and promising starting point,” concludes Carin.
A Practical Evolving Response
Insights from the field are essential in further shaping the Toolbox. UNICEF is refining and expanding the Toolbox , adding contents that address teachers’ needs in the digital age. To make access easier worldwide, the Digital Pedagogy module is now available as an online course in UNICEF’s Global Learning Passport Library, enabling integration into national teacher platforms.
The Toolbox is rooted in a simple principle: pedagogy first, technology second. Effective digital integration is not about the tools themselves, but about how teachers use them to enhance engagement, personalise learning, and help close global learning gaps. This matters more than ever: the global learning crisis has deepened, with an estimated 70% of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries unable to read and understand a simple text—an inequity intensified by the pandemic. Business-as-usual will not fix this. By bringing modern, learner-centred approaches together with purposeful use of technology, the Superstar Teacher Toolbox is one of UNICEF’s strategic responses. From low-tech environments to fully equipped classrooms, it offers practical guidance to support more equitable quality learning.
About the volunteers:
- Carin Holmroos is a teacher and education expert from Turku, Finland.
- Pia de Leeuw van Weenen is an English teacher and head teacher from Finland.
- Teachers Without Borders is a volunteer network for professionals from the Finnish education professionals, coordinated by Finn Church Aid (FCA).
