CNN’s Hero of the Year is the founder of TechLit Africa

Nelly Cheboi was named CNN’s Hero of the Year for 2022 in recognition of her work using her nonprofit TechLit Africa to teach rural Kenyan kids how to use computers.

Cheboi was born and raised in extreme poverty in rural Kenya. “Even though my mother worked so hard to educate us, I never forgot what it felt like to be hungry at night,” she remarked on CNN on Sunday.

Out of ten heroes, online voters chose Cheboi as the top winner.

She got a full scholarship to Augustana College in Illinois, where she “fell in love” with computer science and knew she had found her future.

But she didn’t realize that when it came time for an update, businesses simply threw away PCs until she started working in the software industry.

TechLit Africa was established because, according to her, she was aware that some Kenyan children were unaware of what a computer was.

Ten schools are already served by TechLit Africa, and Cheboi intends to expand to 100 more in a year.

Her students have the option to participate in distance learning in addition to daily lessons in a range of computer skills, including coding. They can switch from taking an online class with NASA in education to making music, according to Cheboi.

When the first TechLit students graduate from high school, Cheboi expressed the hope that they will be able to find employment online since they will be proficient in coding, graphic design, and marketing. “When you are educated, the world is your oyster.”

VOA