ICT Authority, Huawei, eMentoring and TotoSci Partner to Empower Street Children with Technology during Connected Summit

【October 24, 2018】 ICT Authority, Huawei Technologies, TotoSci and E-Mentoring Africa have today announced a new project to empower street children. The unique partnership will empower over 400 vulnerable students of Bosco School in Karen through providing technology, technology skills, science education, soft skills, life skills and mentoring.

The project is the CSR activity of the Connected Kenya Summit taking place at Bomas of Kenya from October 22-24. The Connected Summit, organized by the ICT Authority, is celebrating its 10th year and has a tradition of always supporting local communities and youth alongside the Summit.

The program funded by the CSR sponsors of Connected which this year are Huawei and Avanti supported by ICT Authority will see:

• 60 Huawei tablets donated for use by the students in their studies and education;
• eMentoring Africa provide mentoring, soft skills, life skills and entry-level technology skills for the students;
• TotoSci provide a tailor-made curriculum based on experiential learning and a science and coding kit

The annual Connected Kenya Summit is the only platform that brings over 500 ICT thought leaders and experts under one roof in the spirit of collaboration and partnerships to catalyze the use of ICT in the achievement of the Big Four agenda, government service delivery to citizens, and the attainment of a knowledge economy. As such the regular CSR project is an important aspect of the Summit to make sure that no-one is left behind, and that ICT can help those most in need, such as the vulnerable youth at Bosco School. The project not only provides hardware, but also provides the crucial skills that will enable these vulnerable youth to improve their lives and career prospects.

Speaking during the rollout of the initiative, Huawei Senior Director for Public Affairs, Adam Lane, said the goal is to help a group of vulnerable students understand and take advantage of technology to further their studies and careers. He emphasized the wide range of skills that will be provided to the students along with the technology, so that they can be inspired for future careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), and have the confidence and support to achieve these.

“We are always delighted to give back to the communities in which we operate in. Through this initiative with our partners today, we believe that the students will no longer be disadvantaged, but will actually be at an advantage amongst their peers as they will possess the necessary skills to make something of themselves,” said Adam Lane from Huawei.

Bosco Boys Kuwinda is a project founded in 1990 and hosts over 450 boys and girls to provide them with a home, basic human needs, education and spiritual nourishment to the needy children who formally lived or are currently living in the streets, empowering them to reintegrate into society, to become self-reliant, independent and honest citizens capable of making a positive contribution to society. They come from the big slums of Nairobi namely: Kibera, Mathare, Mukuru, Lungalunga, Korokocho and some small slums within big estates where living standard is an issue because of low income earnings.

eMentoring Africa (eMA) is a not-for-profit organization that blends mentorship with guidance, values and personal development to school-age/adolescent children and skills transfer and employment linkages to youth who have attained employment age. The target is children and youth from vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, schools and colleges/universities. eMentoring Africa believes that every child, adolescent and young adult regardless of their level of education or economic background deserves an opportunity to be supported and mentored in a path that suits their passion, skills and abilities.

TosoSci Academy was founded by a Kenyan youth who sought to develop science and coding kits from local materials that can be provided to students at low cost, along with volunteer trainers to help the students use the kits in a structured curriculum. It aims to inspire children into STEM careers but also provide them the skills and hardware to get relevant practical experience. TotoSci Academy believes that coding improves creativity, problem solving, collaboration, persistence, and communication amongst youth.

About ICT Authority

ICT Authority is a State Corporation whose mandate is to rationalize and streamline Information and Communication Technology (ICT) functions of the Government of Kenya. The ICT Authority is mandated to enforce ICT standards in government and enhancing the supervision of its electronic communication. The Authority also promotes ICT literacy, capacity, innovation and enterprise in line with the Kenya National ICT Master plan 2017 along with the Vision 2030.

In line with the achievement of its mandate the Authority has partners with the private sector to execute ICT projects country wide. The projects include NOFBI and DLP. These are efforts to ensure digital connectivity countrywide and so make get all citizens access government services and make it easy for those in business.

About Huawei

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is the leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Driven by a commitment to sound operations, ongoing innovation, and open collaboration, we have established a competitive ICT portfolio of end-to-end solutions in telecom and enterprise networks, devices, and cloud technology and services. Huawei is not just a committed partner, but also a trusted partner to Kenya. Our ICT solutions, products, and services are used in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over one-third of the world's population. Huawei's 180,000 employees worldwide are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises and consumers. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees. Huawei continues to maintain an unwavering focus on creating value for its customers, promoting industry development, boosting economic growth and driving sustainable development.