Participating in our cause

How can you help us in producing the best product we possibly can?

A lot, actually.

But in this blog, I will mention only a few thing you can do to help see us through to our goals.

Quick bit of context first. Kwaafri exists because most of the language teaching apps you already use can't teach Dholuo, Gĩkũyũ, Luhya or the dozens of other languages spoken across Kenya. It's not that nobody wants them. It's that there isn't enough recorded, written-down, checked speech for anyone to build lessons from. So we're building that foundation one dialogue, one clip and one lesson at a time, and every one of the things below moves it forward.

1. Donate, if you can

Recording sessions, storing thousands of audio clips and keeping the app running all cost money. We’re a small team, so every contribution goes straight into the work: more lessons, cleaner audio and keeping Kwaafri free for learners who can’t pay.

Go to Profile → Donate (it’s in the same place on the web and in the app) and choose how you’d like to give:

• M-Pesa: enter your number, pick an amount in shillings or type your own, and tap Send M-Pesa prompt. A prompt pops up on your phone, you enter your M-Pesa PIN, and that’s it.

• PayPal or card: pick an amount or type your own, and you’ll be sent to PayPal to finish. You can pay with a PayPal balance or a card there.

No amount is too small.

2. Become a volunteer

This is the big one. Our lessons are built from real conversations written and recorded by real speakers, and most of those speakers are volunteers.

As a volunteer you can:

• Write short dialogues: everyday chats like greetings, buying sukuma at the market or asking for directions. These become lessons.

• Record your voice saying each line, so learners hear how it actually sounds.

• Transcribe clips: listen to real recordings and write down what's said.

• Tidy up audio so it's clear enough to learn from.

You don't need to be a linguist. If you speak the language comfortably and can spare even ten minutes a week, you're exactly who we're looking for.

How to become a volunteer

1. Sign up for a Kwaafri account (or log in) and finish your profile. You'll need to verify your email.

2. Open the Volunteer page. On the web, tap Volunteer in the sidebar. In the app, open the Contribute tab.

3. Read the short terms. In short: only submit your own voice (or people who agreed to be recorded), everything is reviewed before it's used, and you can stop any time.

4. Tick "I agree" and tap Join as a volunteer. Your account switches over right away and your contributor space opens.

5. Pick a task and submit it for review when you're happy. A reviewer checks it, and approved work goes into lessons.

Volunteers need to be 18 or older. Kid profiles can't sign up, but the grown-up on the account can. We've written a full walkthrough in How to volunteer at Kwaafri.

3. Rate us

Honest reviews help in two ways. They tell us what's working and what isn't, and they help other people decide whether Kwaafri is worth their time.

Go to Profile → Rate Us, give us one to five stars and write a few lines about your experience. If you want, add links to your Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, LinkedIn or website. Once a reviewer approves your review, it goes up on our public reviews page with little icons people can tap to find you.

Didn't love something? Tell us that too. A two-star review that explains why is more useful to us than silence.

4. Share us with the world

This one costs nothing and might matter most. Language survives when people use it, and people only use Kwaafri if they've heard of it.

• Send the app to the cousin who always says they'll "learn Dholuo properly one day."

• Post your streak or a lesson you enjoyed on your socials and tag us.

• Tell your church group, chama, WhatsApp family group or school about us.

• If you're a teacher, try a lesson with your class and let us know how it went.

Every new learner makes the case for adding the next language, and every new speaker who finds us might become the volunteer who records it.

5. Keep learning

Using Kwaafri helps too. Finishing lessons, keeping your streak and telling us when something sounds off all feed back into making the lessons better. Spot a mistake? Leave a review or let us know.

That's it. Give if you can, lend us your voice if you speak the language, rate us honestly and tell people about us. Whichever you pick, thank you. Asante sana. Erokamano.