Meet – Nelly Cheboi, a remarkable CNN Hero of the Year 2022, she quit her software engineering job in the US to create tech labs for underprivileged rural school kids in Africa.
She is the Founder and CEO of TechLit Africa, an organization that builds computer labs in rural classrooms using recycled computers and currently serves 10 schools in Kenya.
Nelly Cheboi grew up in poverty in rural Kenya, where she often went hungry and missed school because her single mother could not afford tuition.
Cheboi ultimately received a college scholarship in America, worked odd jobs to support her family, and discovered her passion for computer science.
In 2016, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics from Augustana College, and secured a software engineering job with a number of American companies before quitting to create tech labs for underprivileged rural school kids in Africa.
Since 2018, Cheboi has given over 4,000 kids the opportunity to learn a variety of computer programs and gain technical skills that will position them for family-sustaining jobs and brighter futures.
In December 2022, she was crowned CNN Hero of the Year.
“This is a win for all African mothers. I want to get to 100 schools which translates to 40,000 school-going children. We need to rewrite what it means to grow up in rural Africa because people can work glamorous jobs and still work in your community.” – Nelly Cheboi
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelly-cheboi
https://www.instagram.com/nellycheboi/
