I’ve been working in the world of mass SMS for a short time, however, I’ve been staggered by the immense reach that SMS has, it reaches further than even the internet, which is a hugely bold claim! We use it for a huge variety of day to day things, staying in touch being only one of the most basic functions.

But what do you do if you’re out of 4G range and you can’t send a WhatsApp message? You send an SMS! Despite the coming of the age of instant messaging, SMS is still a huge power in the world of communication despite being nearly 25 years old.

The majority of us take it for granted that we have access to the such an instant means of communication, we use it to stay in contact with those closest to us, organise small meetups or a variety of other day-to-day uses. Others, however, use SMS as a form of marketing, sending out bulk messages to advertise their product to inform subscribers about important updates and a variety of other pieces of information we find vital to the day to day running of our lives.

Of course, many of us use the internet as a means of expediency but what if you don’t have internet access? What if you live in an area which is being torn apart by war, famine, disease or is simply beyond the reaches of the World Wide Web? One of the first things to suffer, should a country come under one of these circumstances, is education.

‘Arist started with a simple concept: you should start the day thinking about how to launch your next big idea, not scrolling through Instagram.’ – Arist Website

With that, we come to the SMS University, Arist, a system whereby people who have no reliable connection to the internet can gain access to educational materials through SMS, each morning for a month subscribers wake up to educational information in the form of SMS building towards a small but complete course!

The two current courses offered by Arist are Entrepreneurship and Public Speaking, with the potential for further courses in Philosophy and Marine Biology. Though by no means a full course, what Arist offers is a way to engage your brain each morning and direct your thought towards an ultimate goal.

This is a sector which is still in its infancy but its potential is boundless. Each day and each paragraph building towards something better, giving hope and direction to people who live in countries ripped apart by war or famine.

So far Arist has gone live in India, Nigeria, China, the US, the UK, and Canada.