3D printing has been used to create all manner of things from toys to tools to novelty knick-knacks, but the incredible Maggie Grout saw it as an opportunity to improve education for those living in poverty by using the technology to build schools.
Maggie was just 15 years old when she founded the non-profit Thinking Huts in 2015 with the intention of helping to better “education infrastructure” for the 290 million students from impoverished backgrounds who have little to no access to schooling. In Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, around 45 million kids either can’t get an education because of overcrowding or must walk up to 15km to reach the nearest school. Earlier this year, Thinking Huts completed a 3D-printed school in Madagascar, the island country’s first, and only the second of its kind in the world.
“Honestly, many people thought I was crazy, but I can see how it can be difficult to visualise a printer constructing a whole life-size school!” Maggie tells Verve. “Some thought I would be using a desktop printer, while others thought I was too young to pull it off due to the global and complex nature of bringing multiple parts together to create a new supply chain.”
What was the reaction on the ground in Madagascar?
“People were hopeful for the potential it has in addressing real infrastructure needs, and the students and teachers expressed their pride in being the first in Madagascar to welcome their 3D-printed school. I often receive messages from the students who pass by and take photos near the kingfisher picture. There were a few messages that were especially touching such as from a teacher named Angelo told me he was inspired by our initiative, our shared values, and the ambition of the project, and from a young father named Herman who said that his dream ss for his children to have the education they need to succeed in their lives.”
Maggie, who grew up in Colorado in the US having been adopted from rural China, discovered 3D printing through her dad.
“I remember being in his office and him mentioning that mentioned the technology was in the early stages for architectural scale applications, and the idea was sparked to apply it to fill a real need for schools. That day catalysed the rest of the journey to building our first 3D-printed school.”
What were you like at school?
“I’d consider myself a bit of a nerd throughout my schooldays! I was usually studying, more focused on my long-term plans, rather than popularity. I credit my parents for encouraging me, for not making me feel like I was different. I believe this shapes how I interact and see others as human beings, not through a lens of differences.”
A self-proclaimed nerd Maggie may have been, but a career in tech was never on the cards – though charity has always been in her heart.
“I dreamt of become a filmmaker or fashion designer to implement ethical working conditions and fair living wages,” she says. “The work I do now allows for a combination of everything, including design, technology, architecture, social impact, and storytelling.”
Maggie speaks warmly of her mentor, Mike, whom she “crossed paths with him towards the end of my senior year” at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder.
“I thought I had to go through the entrepreneurship journey alone, but I realised that there are incredible people out there who want to help you and see you succeed, they just may be rare to come across,” she says. “Looking back, I would have asked for help earlier on and stood up for myself more. Moving forward, I will stop doubting myself as much and start recognising what has been accomplished.”
The entrepreneur admits that she’s often too tough on herself and needs to “celebrate the wins”.
Wins don’t come much bigger than building new schools. I finish up by asking if she remembers anything of her life in China and how those memories – or the knowledge – of that less privileged background has shaped her desire to help shape a better future for others less fortunate.
“My parents took videos of where I came from when they arrived in China to meet me for the first time,” she says. “So those memories stuck in my subconscious and influenced the rest of my outlook. I understand the gravity of how where someone is born often influences their opportunities in life. Knowing how different my life could have been definitely serves as a drive.”
Find out more at thinkinghuts.org.
