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

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Reports and Insights from Rural Africa | How We Teach Computer Classes in Primary Schools to Unlock Global Opportunity in Rural Africa

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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.

CEO | CNN Hero | Forbes Under 30

Strictly speaking, this isn’t a TechLit project, but it was a huge milestone for me this year.&nbsp;I built a four-story building for Zawadi (my private school in Kenya) this year!We broke ground on Zawadi: Part 3 in March, and I honestly thought we were just doing the first two floors.&nbsp;A project like this takes a lot of coordination.Chief Fundi is my project coordinator.&nbsp;He was on site every day, working alongside the two-dozen other contractors on the team.&nbsp;Chief Fundi was always ready to start the next stage of the project, so how could I say no?You probably knew this, but TechLit isn’t going anywhere:&nbsp;TechLit signed a 10-year lease with Zawadi for the second floor,&nbsp;which became our new headquarters this year.&nbsp;We have a storage room, workshop, training room and classroom there.When we were done with the last few floors, a local internet provider came to me and threw down a challenge.&nbsp;If I could get the fourth floor done, he could use it as a base station.&nbsp;Zawadi and TechLit could have free WiFi, and the surrounding area would have a very fast internet option.&nbsp;You can probably guess what happened. I’ll tell you more in a later recap.

Kenya Headquarters for TechLit Africa | How Nelly Cheboi Built Four New Floors for Zawadi Preparatory Academy at Zawadi Yetu in 2021.

This year Nelly built a four-story building called Zawadi Yetu in Mogotio.&nbsp;The second floor of Zawadi Yetu is TechLit's new headquarters in Kenya.

(11/19) Recap 2021 - Building Zawadi Yetu | TechLit Africa

Our 2021 Recap is a collection of 19 stories from our progress in 2021.&nbsp;You can experience our growth from zero to 10 computer labs while we relive the best moments of the year.

2021 Recap | Year of Impact | TechLit Africa

2021 Recap

(11/19) Recap 2021 - Building Zawadi Yetu

What’s the best part of TechLit? These kids.&nbsp;They’re the most energetic and loving people,&nbsp;and that’s why I count them as friends, and genuinely enjoy spending time with them.&nbsp;My favorite memory is of Benja (top row, second from the left).The first day I met Benja was during an early morning run of mine.&nbsp;He was herding cows, something kids in Mogotio do, and he left them for a few minutes to run with me.The second day, Benja joined me again.&nbsp;I warned him that I had seven miles left,&nbsp;but all he had to say was “let’s go!” He did the whole thing in jeans and flip flops.The third day, Benja brought three of his friends.&nbsp;And just like that a running club was born.&nbsp;A ragtag troupe of Mogotio kids in jeans and flip-flops.&nbsp;(Eventually, we went to the market for shoes.)One day I asked them, “Why do you run for so many miles with me?”“This is better than being idle,” they said, “and plus we see the world this way.”In my part of Kenya, seeing the neighborhood was called “going on tour,” and only rich kids got to do that.&nbsp;Now anyone could go on tour by joining the running club.&nbsp;We visited all the local attractions — you’d be surprised how many there are!This day we hiked a dormant crater 3 hours away from Mogotio.&nbsp;(I rented a van for us to get there.) It was the first time most of them and travelled outside the neighboring villages.Oh, the surprises they found! It was a fog, it was going up and going down.&nbsp;Everything was new and exciting.

Nelly Cheboi Started a Mogotio Running Club that Opened the World to Children in Rural Kenya | Heartwarming Story from TechLit Africa

Nelly started a Mogotio Running Club that opened the world to kids in Mogotio.&nbsp;They learned that they didn't need to be rich or have their own car to explore the world around them.

(10/19) Recap 2021 - Mogotio Running Club | TechLit Africa

(10/19) Recap 2021 - Mogotio Running Club

In June this year we opened our second and third computer labs.&nbsp;We want schools to buy into our program before we start.&nbsp;So, we ask them to provide a secure room with furniture and electricity.For our first school, we built furniture and hired a contractor to prepare the room.&nbsp;But we knew that if we did that for every school, we wouldn’t reach 10 computer labs by the end of our trip.Our second school came with some furniture, but the third built furniture just for our program!&nbsp;It was another milestone, and it’s something we’ve negotiated with every school since then.

TechLit First Joined Private Primary Schools in June, 2021 to Teach Remote Work Skills in their Third and Fourth Computer Classrooms

In June this year we started computer classes in our third and fourth labs.&nbsp;We worked with a private school who provided tables and electrical equipment.

(9/19) Recap 2021 - Joining Private Schools | TechLit Africa

(9/19) Recap 2021 - Joining Private Schools

Why are we building computer labs again?&nbsp;Because computers and the internet can be powerful equalizers.&nbsp;A remote job in rural Kenya can easily take someone from $4 per DAY to $8 per HOUR.&nbsp;In short: we build computer labs to break the cycle of poverty.Imagine that you’re a child going to school in Mogotio, Kenya.&nbsp;Your day starts at 7:00 AM, walking to school in your uniform for breakfast with tea.&nbsp;You spend months preparing for one of three tests every year.&nbsp;Your performance on the final test in class 8 determines if you can go to high school.&nbsp;Your performance determines your future, so classes are strict and repetitive.The problem with this picture is that it doesn’t prepare you to prosper as an adult — maybe you can learn adult skills in high school or university.&nbsp;If you don’t make it that far, maybe you can learn adult skills on the job.&nbsp;The opportunity is that there are more jobs available online that there are locally.We hosted 1,400 children in our “open lab experiment” in 2019.&nbsp;That experience shaped the way we introduce computers and software in our classes.The first day of class, students are reserved and hesitant.&nbsp;We believe that most effective learning happens when you’re having fun.&nbsp;That’s why the first few classes are completely computer games.&nbsp;Kids learn to press the spacebar to jump and to use the arrow keys to move.&nbsp;They have fun playing together while using software for the first time.&nbsp;Once the kids are enjoying themselves and comfortable in the lab, we introduce fundamental skills like touch-typing.

TechLit Africa Teaches Remote Work Skills in Rural African Primary Schools Because Effective Economic Empowerment can Disrupt Poverty

Our theory of change didn't change in 2021.&nbsp;We believe a rural Kenyan could go from earning $4 per day to $8 per hour through remote work.

(8/19) Recap 2021 - Theory of Change | TechLit Africa

(8/19) Recap 2021 - Theory of Change

Yesterday we shared the story of our first computer lab.&nbsp;While our focus is very narrow (we don’t do anything but computer classes),&nbsp;it takes a lot to run computer classes.Every school day, from 8 AM to 4 PM, our computer labs are completely full of kids (we don’t have empty seats).&nbsp;We’ve found that the secret to a successful computer lab is having dedicated educators supervising the class.&nbsp;We are so serious about effective and equitable classes that our team meets virtually every day,&nbsp;and trains after classes and on weekends.Let me tell you about some of our first teammates.&nbsp;Dogo Flower (pictured second from the right, with the smile)&nbsp;overheard me asking for young graduates who were good with kids.&nbsp;Dogo is a self-starter, so he was at work early the next day with a proposal.On Dogo’s first day of work, he was a perfect fit.&nbsp;But wait, there’s more! He composed a full “TechLit Africa” song,&nbsp;and offered to produce a music video for us.&nbsp;If you haven’t seen the music video yet, you really should! It's on our YouTube channel,&nbsp;called "TechLit Africa" with Dogo Flower.We grew from 3 members to 20 within just a few weeks.&nbsp;Dogo has helped us find most of our team.&nbsp;To nobody’s surprise, everyone he’s brought in has been dedicated, kind and talented.We expect more than most jobs would, we expect them to be founders like us.&nbsp;When they have problems, they find solutions and when they see opportunities, they seize the day.Next year, we need to grow our team again.&nbsp;We will need somewhere between 150 and 200 full-time team members in Kenya to take on another 100 classrooms.&nbsp;It may seem like a lot, but not when you compare it to the 40,000 children who’s lives we will be changing forever.

TechLit Africa Brand Ambassador Dogo Flower Referred Dozens of Rural African Youth to Become Tech Educators

We hired 20 full-time educators in 2021.&nbsp;Our Brand Ambassador, Dogo Flower, referred dozens of youth to become TechLit educators.

(7/19) Recap 2021 - Youth Become Educators | TechLit Africa

(7/19) Recap 2021 - Youth Become Educators

Hey, this is Tyler. I flew to Kenya in May this year.&nbsp;When I came on the scene, schools were just opening.&nbsp;And you remember the three pallets of computers we shipped in 2020?&nbsp;They were in Mogotio waiting to be set up.Nelly went to a school called Mogotio Primary.&nbsp;Here’s some good news: they were open to being our guinea pig.&nbsp;So, the day after I arrived, we brought two bags of laptops on a motorbike to have a demo class.&nbsp;The kids had a blast!Before I know it, I’m two-days deep installing our first computer lab.&nbsp;JoCee, our inaugural teammate, was there with me and it still took two full days!&nbsp;Causes of delay may include: securely erasing data, testing equipment,&nbsp;counting peripherals, installing our desktop and running network cables.I was just telling Nelly, I think this was the most growth we’ve had at once this year.&nbsp;And that’s saying something, because we added 20 educators and onboarded ten schools later.&nbsp;Tomorrow you can see the reveal: Mogotio Primary v1.

Tyler Cinnamon repurposes Used Computers for Kenya Primary School. Students at Mogotio Primary Enjoyed a TechLit Africa Demo Class.

Tyler flew to Kenya in May. After a demo class at Mogotio Primary, a local school,&nbsp;he repurposed computers for the first classroom.

(5/19) Recap 2021 - Reusing Computers | TechLit Africa

(5/19) Recap 2021 - Reusing Computers

My family didn’t have food growing up, and our home wasn’t safe or even dry.&nbsp;I wanted to change the narrative of kids growing up in communities like mine.&nbsp;I wanted to fix poverty, and for good this time.As a child going to Mogotio Primary, I spent every waking moment studying.&nbsp;It’s where my journey started, so it’s fitting that it’s where TechLit ran its first computer class.In May this year we officially started our first computer class in Mogotio Primary.&nbsp;The air was electric with kids asking when and how they could start, and teachers watching in awe and disbelief.In Kiswahili have a word for homecoming, but when you bring progress with you.&nbsp;Teachers that knew me as a bright young girl said I came with “maendeleo.”This was a turning point for TechLit.&nbsp;From this day on, we taught computer classes every school-day.&nbsp;In a school of even 1,000 students, we see each student at least twice per week.&nbsp;This was proof that our pilot program could work.

Nelly Cheboi's Homecoming at Mogotio Primary Taught 1,000 Children Digital Skills in First Computer Class of 2021.

Our first official computer classes were at Mogotio Primary School.&nbsp;Nelly was a student at Mogotio Primary, and returned with a comptuer lab.

(6/19) Recap 2021 - Homecoming | TechLit Africa

(6/19) Recap 2021 - Homecoming

I learned how to use a computer as an adult, and it was hard.&nbsp;On my first job out of college, I was so nervous typing in front of my boss that I would visibly tremble.&nbsp;It took me six months of practicing at night on Ratatype before I was confident at work.My experience has greatly influenced the way we teach at TechLit.&nbsp;Over the last few years, we’ve introduced computers to students of all ages: adults and kids.&nbsp;We have the seen the keyboard as the biggest barrier to confidence for our students, too.So this March when I had six weeks with the neighborhood kids,&nbsp;I introduced them to our touch-typing application, qwerty.&nbsp;At first the kids would get bored of the class quickly.&nbsp;But after augmenting qwerty with a leaderboard, levels and badges,&nbsp;they were motivated and competing just like any other computer game.&nbsp;Later this year, we rolled out qwerty to all our 10 schools.It warms my heart seeing thousands of kids being confident at the keyboard.

Nelly Cheboi Taught Rural African Students How To Become Digital Natives with Remote Work Skills like Touch-Typing

Nelly learned how to use a computer as an adult, which is much harder than learning as a child.&nbsp;She taught the neighborhood kids all the skills she wish she had when she was a kid.

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