Pre Foundation
Save the Past.
Serve the Future.
You Have a Right to Be Remembered.
Millions of people cannot prove who they are. Their records — birth certificates, medical histories, legal documents — exist only on paper, in buildings that are crumbling. Pre digitizes these records and builds the infrastructure for entire communities to access their own history.
Paper Is Not Permanent.
1B+
People who cannot digitally verify their identity
50+
Countries with no national digital records infrastructure
“When records are lost, rights are lost.”
The Process
How We Work
Every country engagement follows the same disciplined methodology: find, scan, build, sustain. It’s a cycle — each archive makes the next one easier.
FIND
We identify communities where critical records exist only on paper and establish local partnerships.
SCAN
Local teams digitize records using standardized, low-cost equipment we supply and support.
BUILD
We create searchable digital archives accessible to citizens, governments, and researchers.
SUSTAIN
Each archive becomes self-sufficient through local ownership and modest access arrangements.
FIND
Papers
We identify communities where critical records exist only on paper.
SCAN
Save
Local teams digitize records using standardized, low-cost equipment.
SUSTAIN
People
Each archive becomes self-sufficient through local partnerships.
BUILD
Globe
We create searchable digital archives accessible to everyone.
Where We Work
Active Operations
Burundi
Bujumbura
Partner: National Government
Civil registry digitization in progress. Partnership with national government to preserve foundational identity records.
Learn More →Republic of Congo
Brazzaville
Partner: SOGENCO & ABADBU
Archival preservation and indexing. Working with local partners to catalog and digitize historical administrative records.
Learn More →Tanzania
Dar es Salaam
Partner: Local Partners
Document gathering and citizen records preservation. Building partnerships across regional government offices.
Learn More →Pre’s mission is global. We are building toward coverage in every country where paper-based public services leave people behind.
See Our Roadmap →Why It Matters
This Is Not Only History.
It’s Freedom.
Identity
Prove who you are to access services, travel, and work.
Legal Rights
Defend property, inheritance, and civil status.
Healthcare
Access medical histories that save lives.
Education
Verify credentials and build opportunity.
Economy
Reduce friction so communities can grow.
Culture
Ensure that no people's story is erased.
“GDPR gives you the right to be forgotten. But there is no right to be remembered. That means anyone can erase a culture simply by neglecting its records. We believe remembrance is a human right.”
The same legal frameworks built to protect privacy offer no protection for cultural memory. A government that stops maintaining its records, a warehouse fire, a flood — any of these can erase a people’s documented existence. Pre builds infrastructure that makes erasure impossible.
Get Involved
Three Ways to Help Build
the Infrastructure of Memory.
Time & Skills
Volunteer
Join a local or remote team. Scan records on the ground, index digitized documents remotely, or contribute your technical expertise.
Volunteer →Fund the Work
Donate
Fund scanning equipment, team stipends, server costs, and country pilots. Every dollar goes directly toward building the archive.
Donate →Institutional
Partner
Work with us as a government, institution, foundation, or corporation. We are building the infrastructure — bring your resources and network.
Get in Touch →