Digitizing Rural Africa on The Adelante Podcast

Tyler Cinnamon is a American programmer and entrepreneur. He started TechLit Africa with Nelly Cheboi in 2018 to disrupt poverty with used IT devices.

Founder & COO

Alfonso Comino interviewed Nelly on the Adelante podcast. The episode focuses on the digitization of rural Africa.

CEO | CNN Hero | Forbes Under 30

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Nelly Cheboi Discusses Technology in Rural Africa

Nelly Cheboi (Kosi)

I grew up in a rural village in Kenya. The situation there was dire.&nbsp;Circumstances forced me to raise my younger sister when I was just nine years old.&nbsp;I wanted to change the narrative of kids growing up in communities like mine.&nbsp;I want to fix poverty, and for good this time.Through hard work and determination, I landed a full scholarship to Augustana College, in America.&nbsp;Coming to the United States and studying computer science gave me the platform to accelerate my impact.&nbsp;As an undergrad, I invested all of my income from various campus jobs into my community back in Kenya.&nbsp;I built a school, Zawadi, there and later started TechLit Africa.TechLit Africa is a non-profit American organization that redistributes recycled technology&nbsp;to build computer labs in African schools. We have already built 10 computers in rural Kenya&nbsp;and are currently working on our next 100 computer labs. We already have around 4,000 students&nbsp;and 20 teachers. By next year we will have around 40,000 students and 200 teachers.Our program is unique because we teach classes that are relevant; we hire local teachers&nbsp;to make sure of it. We train our own teachers to run the computer labs in their own community,&nbsp;who meet every day to improve their classes. We are unlocking a world of opportunities to these kids.&nbsp;They will be inspired to take on a dozen careers: they will have the skills to tap into&nbsp;the global economy straight from the village.This is my life's work because I know first hand how awful poverty is. We plan to do this for&nbsp;the whole of rural Africa, positioning ourselves to 10x our growth year after year.&nbsp;TechLit is my opportunity to fix poverty, and for good this time.

Nelly Cheboi is a celebrated social entrepreneur, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/nelly-cheboi/?sh=179de9a85764" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Forbes 30 under 30</a> honoree, and<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/14/world/education-technology-recycling-kenya-poverty-cnnheroes/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> CNN Hero</a>. After growing up in rural Kenya and lifting her family out of poverty, she focused on her community.

Meet Founder & CEO Nelly Cheboi

TechLit's Nelly Cheboi Named CNN Hero of the Year

On Dec. 11, 2022 –– <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/11/us/cnn-heroes-all-star-tribute-hero-of-the-year/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CNN announced</a> Nelly Cheboi, CEO and <a href="/team/nelly-cheboi" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">founder of TechLit Africa</a> as the CNN hero of the year during the 16th annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, which aired live from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.<h2>Traveling to New York</h2><blockquote>Cheboi’s mother traveled from rural Kenya for the first time to witness the announcement on live television.</blockquote>Viewers worldwide watched as Cheboi embraced and celebrated with her mom, the inspiration for TechLit Africa. Cheboi and her mother saw firsthand the lack of opportunities for women and girls to live their lives to the fullest.See here for <a href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNnZLnEvzNjkwV3AaWyl94szvomjL81nl9213JeIhgIQhhBA5lAselHcONSxZQR3g?pli=1&amp;key=Y3RuYkJuNDVSYnYxZC1PTHFJOVkzSXFuNWVFdHRR" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">photos of the event</a> for media use with photo credit to TechLit Africa.See here for a video of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnME9LEok0c" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nelly’s reaction</a>.<h2>Nelly's Reaction</h2><blockquote>"Poverty has an expiration date."</blockquote>“Rural Africans lack opportunities to make a living, but digital skills can solve that,” said Nelly Cheboi, CEO and founder of TechLit Africa. Nelly said that with this kind of support, “poverty has an expiration date.”In being selected as the CNN Hero of the Year, Cheboi’s TechLit Africa has also been awarded a 2023 Elevate Prize, which includes an unrestricted grant and supporting services. The Elevate Prize Foundation, whose mission is to amplify changemakers, drive meaningful impact, and build a fanbase for good, will also host all CNN Hero honorees at its annual Make Good Famous Summit in Miami, FL.<h2>New Opportunities</h2><blockquote>TechLit Africa is teaching digital skills to thousands of kids every day in rural kenya.</blockquote>With the award and grants won at the event, TechLit Africa will expand their reach from central Kenya to the rest of the country and abroad. TechLit brings technology into the classroom and empowers young people with the digital skills they need to thrive in the digital age.Since 2007, CNN has profiled more than 350 Heroes, who have worked in more than 110 countries around the world, helping millions of people.

Nelly's Mother Travels to New York - First Visit to America - CNN Announcement on Live Television - Nelly's Reaction Video

Nelly has been named the CNN Hero of the Year! CNN flew her mom from rural Kenya for the first time to celebrate with Nelly live on television.

TechLit's Nelly Cheboi named CNN Hero of the Year

Tuko Picks Up Nelly's Surprise Return

<h2>Summary</h2>Tyler and Nelly were returning to Kenya in July this year, but kept it a surprise from Nelly's family and the TechLit team. Nelly recorded everyone's reaction as they found out, and compiled it into a TikTok video. Then, tuko.co.ke picked up the story and it went viral!<h2>Nelly's Comments on Instagram</h2>My surprise TikTok video got picked up by tuko.co.ke , a leading news site in Kenya under Celebrities tab 🙈. Definitely adding producer to my resume. The coolest part is that both my immediate family and techlitafrica family are in it 🤗.I was really surprised how quickly each person become my assistant producer after the surprise. My little sister called the driver and told him he will be picking friends of mine my from Nigeria. He drove all the way thinking of questions he will be asking them about Nigeria. After his surprise, he came up with the idea of me sitting in the trunk/boot and he opens it asking them to help him unload. Each one of them said they were pranked 10/10 and wanted to prank the next person.I am really honored tuko.co.ke picked it up and mentioned them in the article. This is a sneak preview of how it is like to be in the techlitafrica family. The video is the reel right before this one.

Nelly Cheboi: Celebrated Entrepreneur Surprises Her Family after Returning to Kenya Unannounced | TechLit In The News | Articles

Tyler and Nelly were returning to Kenya in July this year, but kept it a surprise from Nelly's family and the TechLit team. Nelly recorded everyone's reaction as they found out, and compiled it into a TikTok video. Then, tuko.co.ke picked up the story!

Digitizing Rural Africa on The Adelante Podcast

About Nelly Cheboi (Kosi)

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