{"id":1055,"date":"2024-05-02T20:15:34","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T20:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kiwix.org\/?page_id=1055"},"modified":"2026-03-09T08:43:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T07:43:44","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kiwix.org\/en\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why go Offline?<\/h6><\/div>

Because everyone should have access to knowledge wherever they are<\/h1><\/div>

Kiwix brings the world’s knowledge to places where the internet can’t reach. From remote villages and refugee camps to submarines and aircraft carriers, Kiwix delivers Wikipedia, Project Gutenberg books, and other treasures entirely offline through a free, open-source reader powered by innovative compression technology.<\/p>\n

Did you know that you could store the entirety of Wikipedia on your phone, and read it anywhere, at anytime?<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>

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The challenge, still relevant today!<\/h4><\/div>

Over 50% of the world\u2019s population has no reliable access to the internet. This can be because of cost, lack of infrastructure, or censorship\u2026 This creates a real issue for education, development and freedom.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The solution<\/h4><\/div>

Kiwix began by developing the tools to scrape and copy educational websites and compress them into files that people can take with them and browse anytime, anywhere. Today we have broadened our technical offer, though our educational drive remains untouched.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Being a non-profit<\/h4><\/div>

Most of our revenue comes from donations, large and small. We do not display ads and we do not collect personal data.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Find out more<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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What\u2019s in a name?<\/h4><\/div>

The name \u201cKiwix\u201d is a play on Wiki, reflecting our initial goal of making Wikipedia accessible offline. So wiki\/kiwi, with an ‘x’ for good measure.<\/p>\n

Kiwix has since grown to encompass many more sites, as has our attachment to our little buddy!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Where and who is Kiwix?<\/h4><\/div>

Kiwix is located in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its team, volunteers, board members and users are worldwide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Kiwix<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Our Story
\nHow it all began…
\n<\/span><\/h2><\/div>

In 2006, two people on different continents shared the same idea, though they hadn\u2019t yet met. Both had noticed a problem with Wikipedia: while it was an incredible resource, not everyone could access it. For millions around the world, barriers like cost, geography, or connectivity made Wikipedia a luxury.<\/p>\n

That same year, Renaud Gaudin began a new chapter in Bamako, Mali, where he worked on a project to install offline information kiosks in remote areas. He developed a Wikipedia reader and his early prototype quickly gained popularity across parts of West Africa.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Engelhart, living between Germany and Switzerland, was trying to help his mother, who lived in rural France, read the Wikipedia articles he had contributed to. Without an internet connection, she couldn\u2019t access them. Emmanuel decided to create an offline version of Wikipedia and named it Kiwix. Alongside that, he helped develop openZIM, an open-source compression system that made storing and accessing large amounts of content possible.<\/p>\n

Fate brought Renaud and Emmanuel together in 2007. Realising their projects shared the same mission; to make knowledge accessible to everyone, everywhere, they joined forces under the Kiwix name. Their collaboration attracted volunteers from across the world, uniting a community driven by the ideal that free information should reach beyond the limits of connectivity.<\/p>\n

Over the years, countless contributors joined the effort, shaping Kiwix into the robust project it is today\u2014many of whom remain part of the team. Several years later, as Kiwix grew from a volunteer-driven initiative into a more structured organisation, St\u00e9phane Coillet-Matillon stepped in. Bringing expertise in management and communication, he became CEO, helping channel the project’s grassroots energy into sustainable growth, new partnerships, and wider global impact while honouring its roots.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Meet the team<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Beno\u00eet<\/span><\/div>
Beno\u00eet B\u00e9raud<\/h5><\/div>

Developer<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"St\u00e9phane<\/span><\/div>
St\u00e9phane Coillet-Matillon<\/h5><\/div>

CEO<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Emmanuel<\/span><\/div>
Emmanuel Engelhart<\/h5><\/div>

CTO<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
Geoffrey Kantaris<\/h5><\/div>

Developer<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Mohit<\/span><\/div>
Mohit Mali<\/h5><\/div>

Developer Android<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Christina<\/span><\/div>
Christina Malouf Contomichalos<\/h5><\/div>

Design & Admin<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Levon<\/span><\/div>
Levon Manukyan<\/h5><\/div>

Developer<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span><\/div>
Uchechukwu Orji<\/h5><\/div>

Developer<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Galton<\/span><\/div>
Galton Saputra<\/h5><\/div>

ASEAN advisor<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Anu<\/span><\/div>
Anu Yl\u00e4nen<\/h5><\/div>

Product manager<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u00a9 Global WikiEducation , Tanzania<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Let\u2019s bridge the digital divide together<\/p>\n<\/div>

Non-profit, you say?<\/h2><\/div>

Yes, we are a not-for-profit organisation and most of our revenue comes from donations. We do not display ads or collect personal data so we rely on you to make things happen.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Donate today<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"100-width.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"folder":[],"class_list":["post-1055","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiwix.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiwix.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiwix.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kiwix.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kiwix.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1055"}],"version-history":[{"count":111,"href":"https:\/\/kiwix.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4137,"href":"https:\/\/kiwix.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1055\/revisions\/4137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiwix.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kiwix.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/folder?post=1055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}