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CNN
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Growing up in poverty in rural Kenya, Nellie Chevoy has watched her single mother, who just finished fifth grade, work tirelessly to keep Chevoy and her three sisters in school.
From an early age, Cheboi found that her family, like people like her in the village, were stuck in a vicious circle with little hope.
“She worked really hard, but I still went to bed hungry. I was still sent home for tuition. Told.
Cheboi discovered his passion for computer science while attending college in the United States on a scholarship and working odd jobs to support his family. She credits her computer literacy with allowing her to find job opportunities and earn money doing what she loves. She wanted to share it with her hometown community.
Today, through her nonprofit, TechLit Africa, she is giving 4,000 children a chance for a brighter future. Short for Technologically Literate Africa, the organization uses recycled computers to create technology labs in rural Kenya schools.
“I know the pain of poverty, which is why I am passionate about it,” said Cheboi, a software engineer who splits his time between the United States and Kenya. “I never forgot that night when I was hungry and had an upset stomach.”
In 2012, Cheboi received a full scholarship at Augustana College in Illinois and began his studies with little computer experience. She handwritten paperwork and struggled to transcribe on her laptop. She said she didn’t feel comfortable using a computer until her sophomore year when she took her Java course required for a math major.
“When I stumbled upon computer science, I fell in love with it. It was what I wanted to do with my career and what I wanted to bring to my community,” she said.
Cheboi switched to a double major and earned a bachelor’s degree. Yet she says a skill like touch typing that is seamless for some to learn is still a steep learning curve for her. At one point after she graduated college, she had to practice for six months before she passed a coding interview. This is a skill that is now core to the TechLit curriculum.
“Seeing 7-year-olds touch-typing is such an accomplishment, knowing that they learned how to touch-type in less than five years,” she said.
Cheboi has branched out into a professional business and started accepting recycled computers in 2018. She started small, transporting her machine to Kenya in a check-on bag and handling her customs fees and taxes herself.
“At one point, I had 44 computers with me, and I paid more for luggage than for plane tickets,” she said.
TechLit Africa is now working with freight forwarders and shipping companies to transport the donated computers, making it more cost effective. The donated hardware is cleaned, refurbished and distributed to partner schools in rural Kenya. There, students from age 4 to her 12-year-old receive daily classes and frequent opportunities to learn from experts, improve their education, and acquire skills that will help prepare them for the jobs of the future.
“There are people coming in with specific skills that are inspiring kids in music production, video production, coding and personal branding,” says Cheboi. “They can do everything from distance learning on his education with NASA to making music with artists.”
Cheboi’s organization maintains online and onsite ownership of computers and provides technical support, software updates, and troubleshooting. TechLit Africa installs a new customer operating system for children. The school will be asked to pay a small fee for services that include her TechLit educator onsite from 8am to 4pm.
The organization currently serves 10 schools, and by early next year Cheboi hopes to partner with 100 more schools.
“My hope is that when the first TechLit kids graduate from high school, they know how to code, how to design graphics, and how to market so they can get jobs online. It’s going to be,” said Cheboi. “When they are educated, the world is your oyster. By providing resources and providing these skills, we are opening up the world to them.”
want to join?check out TechLit Africa website and see how you can help.
To donate to TechLit Africa via GoFundMe, click here
