This CNN Hero upcycles old computers to open new worlds for young Kenyans and Africans
Kenya’s Youth Entrepreneur Program has helped hundreds of kids from impoverished communities in Nairobi, Kenya, with its free computer classes. But a new generation of computer engineers is coming into the program and changing the world.
With the help of our partnership with Make With Media, our CNN Hero team created this photo essay where we show what’s possible with modest start-up funding.
The youth entrepreneurship program is helping hundreds of young Kenyans by teaching them how to code in the free computer classes.
“I’m not scared. I’m not scared for myself. Because as soon as I learn to code, I’m already a computer,” says 11-year-old Isaac. Another young boy, Samuel adds “I’m also very scared for the world’s technology because I think the world should know how to live sustainably.”
If you or someone you know is interested in starting a small business in the technology field, this program is a good place to start.
Coding Boot Camps
The program started in 2011 as part of the Nairobi-based Make With Media initiative. The idea behind the program is that people who are talented in computer science will be trained to work in business, education, medicine or other fields and will learn how to apply computer science skills to their profession.
This computer science boot camp was the brainchild of two young men with a dream of making something in their hometown that was affordable to everyone.
Isaac is one of the two young men behind the program. He says he has been taking the online computer classes since he was a kid. Isaac came up with the idea for the program while he was in high school because he wanted to give back to his community, particularly the people he considered to be his peers.
“I was in charge of the computer lab, so I had to teach them how to program and how to be a good computer programmer,” Isaac tells us.
Isaac’s team of computer programmers in the Make With Media office has produced two free, high quality computer programs that are widely used within the community. The program is called, �