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KIDS COMP CAMP: PREPARING MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK

Quest for social impact and purpose

In 2013, driven by a desire for social impact, Caleb Ndaka, and a few other university friends, decided to carry their laptops to every weekend getaway they organized to impart computer literacy skills to primary school children. Their first stop took them to Masii primary school, Machakos county, where they run a computer camp for 30 children – only 3 had accessed a computer before. Caleb and his friends decided to organize another camp a few months later during the school holidays. By the end of the year 120 eager children had attended the camps.

As a result of the need they identified, Caleb Ndaka co-founded Kids Comp Camp to help children and adults in underserved communities access quality digital skills in preparation for the future of work. This goal is in line with the 2018 World Economic Forum (WEF) future of jobs report, which predicts an ‘augmentation strategy’ for businesses in the future. This includes automation of job tasks to complement and enhance the workforce and to enable and empower employees to extend to their full potential and competitive advantage. Eighty-four percent of businesses interviewed for the report suggested hiring new permanent staff with skills relevant to new technologies.

Camps

Kids Comp Camp currently run camps in 12 counties in Kenya (including: Tana River, Kisumu, Nairobi, Machakos, Kiambu and Makueni) and have expanded their camps to Rwanda. The activities, run during school holidays (April, August and December), are held in various schools based on a nomination process. Once a school is nominated for the camp, Kids Comp Camp works with a contact person for the school to discuss the possibility of hosting the camp and the children’s needs. Once these are agreed upon, camp planning begins. The camp curriculum includes an introduction to computers; media, internet, coding and internet safety and emerging trends in computers.

Impact

So far, Kids Comp Camp have improved computer literacy skills among 10,000 children aged 7-18 years and 200 adults. However, it is not just their computers skills that have been enriched. There is a noticeable improvement in participants’ overall confidence, interaction, creativity and motivation. Many of the children have now shown interest in pursuing STEM related fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as a result of participating in the computer camps. Through their contribution in improving skills for work, Kids Comp Camp contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through SGD 4: ‘ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.’

Support and partnerships

Kids Comp Camp works in partnership with host schools, parents, churches, communities and organizations such as Microsoft and Mpesa Foundation to run the camps successfully. Qualified volunteers are also recruited to assist the children in learning during the camps. So far, Kids Comp Camp has worked with over 1000 volunteers.

In partnership with the Audi Fun Club and Woki Education Trust, Kids Comp Camp has organized the Emali charity drive. Drive donations will support students of Kitandi Primary School, Makueni County, to improve their digital skills. For additional details or if you would like to support, donate towards or volunteer for their camps, contact Kids Comp Camp through kids@kidscompcamp.com

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