eFlow: The Lebanese startup teaching courses on messenger

eFlow: The Lebanese startup teaching courses on messenger

Online learning became a necessity during the lockdowns, and while many tools became readily available, the vast majority catered to those with good internet connectivity and access to laptops and tablets. For many students in Lebanon, the political vacuum, devastated economy and crumbling infrastructure resulted in a lack of access to education.  

So Samer Bawab and Bassel Jalaleddine alongside another partner came together in March 2020 to launch eFlow, an Arabic online learning platform suited to mobile phones thanks to its interactive chatbot that is integrated with WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Telegram. Through eFlow's platform, courses are converted into short videos, images, and voice notes, after which learners receive messages individually through the educational chatbot and are able to reply back with text, emojis, images, videos, or voice notes. The chatbot is able to analyse a learner’s response then reply accordingly by taking into account the lesson learning objectives, the learner’s learning style, and their emotions. Eflow has worked with several international NGOs, including UNICEF and UNHCR and now has 12,000 learners on its platform, with plans to branch into English, Spanish and French. It recently won the UN-backed World Summit Awards for inclusion and empowerment.