Nigerian computer programmer, Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin of GirlsCoding has been featured on CNN Heroes. The smart philanthropist has also been named the first Nigerian CNN hero.
Ajayi-Akinfolarin discussed how she discovered computer programming and why she decided to give disadvantaged girls the same opportunity. In her words:
“My first experience with a computer was at the age of 10, on a school break, at a business center run by my brother’s friend. Learning to type and modify text in Microsoft Word was just beautiful. But I really discovered my love for computers when I joined an IT firm as an intern after high school. When I got introduced to the world of computer programming, I was just natural with it. It just flowed. It’s all about solving problems. I never knew that I’d be looking for solutions to problems regarding less privileged girls.”
The GirlsCoding students have taken the opportunity given to them and used it to develop apps that will help countless other. Some of the apps, include “Hope Baskets” and “Break the Blade.”
According to Abisoye Ajayi:
“One project that I really like is called Hope Baskets. The girls wanted to get beggars off the streets, so they created a website to be a bridge between the rich and the poor. We have another project called Break the Blade, about stopping female genital mutilation.
One day, we hope to have an institution called Girls Village — a residential program that would provide all types of training for young girls. We’d also give them a chance to incubate their ideas about how to solve problems in their communities and learn how to pitch them.
Few hours ago, while shairing the news on Instagram, she wrote:
“We pray for the grace to make more impact! ?? Thank you for all the congratulatory messages and thank you for being a great part of our journey, may God bless you.
We have gotten loads of questions on how our work can be supported. – A CrowdRise account has been created for all the 2018 CNN Heroes and you can find ours in my bio! ”
Thank you and God bless”.