A computer lab for 150 school children in Kenya

Thanks to your support, we set up the first phase of the computer lab project in October, providing 11 desktops at the Fountains of Hope School for children to learn IT. Early this year we will complete the second and final phase of the project providing laptops for our two other centres and a projector to enable teachers to use the computers to present easily to a whole class. We will also invest in a generator to power the computer lab during the frequent power outages in Kibera. 

Kenya is a hub for tech developments in Africa, so many start-ups are innovating new tech solutions and creating new job opportunities. We hope that an early introduction to I.T. will equip our students for future jobs in tech. Lara, in Class 5, said, “it is important to learn computers because then you can do what you want. You can be an accountant or a shopkeeper or any other thing.”

Lara’s group are getting to grips with a coding game where the players use code to advance their character through the game. Teacher Kelvin brought his Class 5 students to the lab to research a recycling project. The students googled ideas for ornaments they could make out of waste materials before making various recycled creations.

At the recent ReimaginED Summit in Nairobi, we met innovators reimagining education in Kenya. One of the hosts summarised a common theme at the event when she urged, "we need to prepare children for a future we know not." We cannot predict what the future will look like, we can prepare children for whatever the future holds by building their resilience and creativity. And by equipping them with skills to take the lead in developing new technology that will help solve the challenges of tomorrow.