Madarik | مَدارِك

Madarik is a digital platform that makes Sudanese books and culture accessible to all. Built by Sudanese students, we’re seeking support to scale and reconnect people with their heritage.

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Inspiration

This idea started with our own curiosity — we wanted to learn more about Sudanese history and culture, but we couldn’t find Sudanese books online, and physical copies were almost impossible to access. It was frustrating, and we realized we weren’t alone.

We ran a survey and one response that really stuck with us came from a young Sudanese woman who said she didn’t even know books about Sudanese history and culture existed. That hit hard — and it motivated us even more.

Add to that the painful reality of war and displacement, and it became very clear: we need to digitize our heritage before it’s lost. Madarik was born from that sense of urgency — to preserve, share, and make Sudanese knowledge accessible to all.

What it does

Madarik | مَدارِك is a centralized, AI-powered digital library that curates Sudanese educational resources, including:

  • Sudanese books, research papers, and academic documents.
  • AI tools to generate summaries, quizzes, and flashcards from any document.
  • (Planned) Generate audiobooks in a Sudanese accent
  • An AI chatbot that answers questions based on a document’s content.

We built two front-ends:

  • A public-facing digital library to explore content
  • A study assistant dashboard that lets users interact with AI tools to study more effectively

How we built it

We combined a modern frontend stack with powerful AI APIs:

  • Frontend: TypeScript, React.js, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui
  • Backend: Supabase, ClerkAuth
  • AI Tools: Gemini API (text generation), ElevenLabs API (Sudanese-accented audio)
  • Content Management: WordPress
  • Demo Hosting: Bluehost & Lovable

Challenges we ran into

  • Sudanese voice generation: We weren’t able to integrate a text-to-speech engine with a Sudanese accent yet.
  • Offline mode: Though we intended this project to support offline access for rural areas, our current version is cloud-only due to technical constraints.
  • Arabic support in AI: Getting consistent, accurate AI responses in Arabic required careful prompt engineering.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Created a live demo for both the digital library and AI toolset.
  • Successfully integrated Arabic-friendly AI tools.
  • Designed a sleek UI that feels modern yet accessible to all tech levels.
  • Empowered Sudanese voices through the audiobook feature.

What we learned

  • How to integrate multiple APIs (Gemini, ElevenLabs, ClerkAuth) in a short time
  • The limits of current TTS solutions for underrepresented dialects like Sudanese Arabic
  • The power of combining AI with culturally relevant content for social impact
  • Importance of user interface clarity when dealing with multilingual and multi-feature platforms

What's next for Madarik | مَدارِك

  1. Add offline support for both the library and AI tools so it can work in low-connectivity areas
  2. Train or fine-tune a Sudanese-accented voice model for audiobook generation 3.Launch a mobile-first app tailored for rural students
  3. Partner with local universities and libraries to digitize and upload more Sudanese educational content
  4. Expand the AI assistant to provide personalized study plans and support for students preparing for Sudanese exams

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