coders and makers

The 2016 World Economic Forum Report finds that the percentage of jobs requiring cognitive abilities as a core skill is expected to rise to 15%, from a current level of 11%. Further, the 2020 report exposes the talent shortages have become more pronounced in the covid-19 era, underpinned by outdated education systems. There is a particular shortfall in digital skills and other skills of the new economy as technology disrupts labor markets. As per the report, cognitive abilities, system skills (i.e. evaluation and analysis of systems) and complex problem-solving skills are the top three skills demanded in the future.

We believe in, education and training systems, at public secondary school students and teachers that play central roles in providing the new skills required to drive the development of African knowledge economies. Updating education curricula and expand investment in the digital skills needed for jobs and “markets of tomorrow”.

Currently, the national curriculum for public secondary school has not been reviewed for the past 10 years and includes information and communication technology as a way of learning how to use popular office software (Microsoft office) and is being taught as a theory due to lack of computers in most schools. 

We have developed a fun curriculum that included coding and making, in coding we include the MIT app inventor application for learning how to code, Website design, and robotics while in the making we include a curriculum and a tool kit that students can use to physically reconstruct several STEM-related concepts.

We conduct summer camps where we train public school students using the curriculum and create clubs in schools where students can continue to use the tools within the school to learn.

We have so far trained over 1000 students in Tanzania, Ethiopia, and South Africa. We create competitions and celebrate and recognize the winning students on international platforms like the Africa union during the Girl in ICT day. We have created television programs to further reach a wider community and inspire them to take on STEM.

Our solution is written teaching manuals and tool kits and the fun step by step that we use to teach first-time learners secondary school students to code mobile applications, design and develop a website and code a robot as a way of using these skills to answer a challenge that they themselves or their community faces while aspiring to contribute to the sustainable development goals.

The graduating students in our week or two-week-long camps are able to come up with a solution using the design thinking process, implement it by either designing a mobile application, develop a website or make and code electronic circuits in a robot as a prototype and pitch it to an audience at the summit of the camp.

Winners of the camp receive recognitions and prizes including laptops and exposure trips to the Girls in ICT summit organized by the ITU at the African Union in Ethiopia.

We work with girls and boys in public secondary schools aged 13-19 years old who are mostly newbies to digital technologies. These students would mostly never use a computer until they graduate the secondary school. At the least, they would learn theoretically about the Microfost office applications instead of being empowered to think and develop applications that can solve challenges within their communities. Our solution gives them the first opportunity  to venture into the digital world and inspire them to take on STEM as career since it is at this stage they are required to make a choice as they graduate to high school.

We work with public secondary school students because we believe that as teenagers they have a high chance of learning new skills and are working within the clubs to create a community that supports the students in their learning process and utilizing resources supplied to schools. 

Furthermore, it is at the secondary school that students are required to choose between art and science stream and we believe that they can make an informed decision after graduating from our camps. Incorporating teachers in our training of the trainers ensures that they can carry on working with the students beyond the camps.

We have tested our curricula in several camps within Tanzania and internationally in Ethiopia and South Africa. In the process, we have graduated over 1000 African students. we have also worked with partners including USAID ,  the state department of US, and the UN women.

Our solution includes not only curricula but a very fun engaging process that encompasses end-to-end learning, from a computer newbie to a graduate that walks out with a prototype at hand in just two weeks long camp.  We start with computer basics and walk the students in the design thinking process followed by the understanding of SDGs after which the students come up with solutions and they prototype the solutions using the coding skills learned in the camp. 

Its a very engaging fun-filled experience that we call edutainment that has also allowed us to use the television platform to increase the reach of the programs.

Currently 150 students  directly and 10,000 indirectly via televisions

Next year 500 students directly  and 100,000 indirectly via TV

In 5 years 5000 directly and 1 mil indirectly via TV

We currently measure the number of graduates and are working to include documents and measure the number of students who actually end up choosing STEM subjects and STEM careers.

2 Full time

3 Part time 

We have a combined work experience of over 30 years and are leaders in our own accord with expertise in teaching, technology engineering, and  Media as well as governance.  The two founders are both Mandela Washington fellows. In the past 5 years, we have worked together to make the student experience fun and educational, and most inspiring.

We envision working very closely with teachers to further the reach of our programs and incorporate media eg television programs.

We have chosen media as a channel to reach every student through their home screen. We also currently engaging with the education authority to contribute to the updating of the national ICT curriculum for secondary schools.

We would like to grow hence we understand that being a solver one can access mentorship and networking with like-minded people and that's exactly what we would like to go to our next phase of growth and impact a million students countrywide and in Africa at large.

We look to mass-produce the tool kit so that we can offer it to schools and sell it to parents as well as partner with the government to offer tools and train the teachers in delivering the curriculum.

The founders of MIT app inventor as well as other solve members who are doing similar work including manufacturing tools.

We believe refugees that are equipped with digital skills can be able to work even when displaced and earn an income to cater tor their needs while waiting for political arrest and return home.

We work in digital inclusion and we are growing immediate users of HP computers and tablets. We would use the prize to donate computing hardware to schools and equip teachers who will, in turn, keep training the coders and makers clubs.

We are a women-led initiative(both co-founders are women leaders) and do have a cross-cutting strategic objective in girls empowerment and closing the digital gender gap.

We offer Information and communication education and aspire the students to uptake STEM careers