CNN Heroes has revealed their new list for the year 2018 and Nigeria’s Abisoye Ajayi Akinfolarin made the list.
CNN heroes, honors everyday people who have dedicated their lives to changing the world
Each CNN Hero receives a $10,000 prize. The “CNN Hero of the Year” will receive an additional $100,000
The 10 remarkable trailblazers have truly changed the world and each one has found a way to use their knowledge and inspiration to help countless others.
Their efforts will be celebrated during a broadcast TV event beamed around the world. “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” which will air live on Sunday, December 9, at 8 p.m. ET
Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin has been listed as one of the top 10 CNN heroes of 2018.
Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin left her career to teach computer programming to girls in Lagos, Nigeria where Facebook and Google opened offices earlier this year. A 2013 survey found that less than 8% of Nigerian women are employed in professional, managerial or technology jobs. Ajayi-Akinfolarin hopes to change that statistic.
Since 2012, her group — Pearls Africa Foundation — has helped more than 400 disadvantaged girls ages 10 to 17 gain the technical skills and confidence they need to transform their lives. Through the foundation’s free GirlsCoding program, girls get training in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python and Scratch and visit tech companies to help them visualize themselves joining the industry. Many come from slums or other challenging circumstances, such as orphanages, correctional homes and even a camp for those who’ve had to flee Boko Haram militants.
She says:
“Technology is a space that’s dominated by men. Why should we leave that to guys?”
Congratulations to Nigeria’s Abisoye Ajayi- Afolarin.