Date: January 2025
Location: Eastern & Northern Provinces, Sri Lanka
Overview
To build 21st-century skills in underserved communities, MPF has converted three vans into fully equipped, itinerant STEM labs. Each “Mobile Makerspace” brings hands-on robotics, coding kits, 3D printers, and science experiment stations directly to rural primary schools on a rotating schedule.
The Challenge
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Lack of facilities: Many village schools have no dedicated computer lab or science room.
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Teacher readiness: Educators had limited exposure to project-based STEM pedagogy.
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Logistics barrier: Students in remote areas rarely travel to regional training centers.
Our Approach
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Vehicle Retrofit & Equipment Selection
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Outfitted vans with modular workstations, battery-powered laptops, Arduino and Raspberry Pi kits, and small-format 3D printers.
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Rotational Deployment Plan
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Developed a semester-long calendar so each of 12 partner schools receives two full-day visits per term.
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Teacher Co-Facilitation Workshops
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Before launch, we ran four 2-day “Train the Trainer” sessions, empowering 36 teachers to lead hands-on activities alongside our facilitators.
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Implementation Highlights
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3 Mobile Labs fully operational since March 2025.
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36 teachers certified as co-facilitators in STEM pedagogy.
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Integrated solar chargers on each van to guarantee power even in off-grid locations.
Progress to Date
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800+ students have completed introductory robotics and circuitry modules.
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Average student engagement score of 4.7/5 in post-session feedback.
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Local education officers report a 35% uptick in school attendance on lab days.
Expected Outcomes
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Reach 3,000+ students by December 2025.
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Establish two permanent STEM corners in each school by year-end.
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Spur student-led science fairs in participating districts.
“Our students light up when the lab arrives—they’re inventing solutions I never imagined.”
— Headmaster, Kinniya Central College