On April 12, 2023, Ngong Road Children’s Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the DirectEd Development Foundation. This relationship will help pave the way for our students to enter the programming era, which has become an indispensable skill in our digitally-driven world.
The DirectEd Development Foundation, a UK-based charitable organization, is dedicated to providing evidence-based, scalable, and cost-effective coding bootcamps and scholarships to under-resourced, high-potential students in Africa. We are thrilled to be part of this valuable partnership.
Through this collaboration, 25 of our 2022 high school graduates participated in a three-part program specifically tailored for students like them facilitated by tutors from DirectEd. The first phase of the program was a one-week coding course that took place from April 24th to April 29th. The twenty-five students registered for this virtual training course were provided with access links to the online Google Classroom and learning resources for the bootcamp.
To complete their online studies, students had access to desktop computers in the computer lab in Elimu Hub, where they downloaded and studied Python (a popular coding language) modules, submitted assignments and exercises, and utilized the Zoom application for virtual meetings and coding practice. Students participated in other workshop sessions focused on effective learning and time management.
On April 29th, 21 students sat for the bootcamp’s final exam. Based on the examination results, 14 students advanced to the second phase of the program (the main program) which is an intensive 12-week computer-based program.
The main program began on May 15th. In preparation, students were given the opportunity to apply for the DirectEd Access Scholarship. The scholarship provides them with a laptop, a tutorial voucher, and a stipend to attend the program. Six out of the 14 students were awarded Access Scholarships. The other eight students will receive laptops from the Friends of Ngong Road Laptop Lending Program,
We express our deepest gratitude to the DirectEd Development Foundation for helping empower our students through technology.
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