CNN
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Nelly Cheboi, who left a lucrative software engineering job in Chicago in 2019 to create a computer lab for Kenyan schoolchildren, has been named 2022 CNN Hero of the Year.
Online voters chose her from this year’s top 10 CNN Heroes.
Cheboi’s nonprofit, TechLit Africa, has given thousands of students in rural Kenya access to donated upcycled computers and the chance for a brighter future.
Cheboi accepted the award with her mother, who she said “worked really hard to educate us”. At the beginning of her acceptance speech, Cheboi sang a song with her mother on stage, which she explained had special meaning growing up.
As CNN Hero of the Year, Cheboi will receive $100,000 to expand her work. She and the 10 other CNN Heroes honored at Sunday’s gala each received a $10,000 cash prize, and through a new partnership with CNN Heroes, the Elevate Prize Foundation received additional grants, organizational training and support for the first time. Nelly will also be named an Elevate Prize recipient, which will provide a $300,000 grant and $200,000 worth of additional support for her nonprofit.
Cheboi grew up in poverty in Mogotio, a town in Kenya. “I know the pain of poverty,” said Cheboi, 29, “and I will never forget the feeling of my stomach churning at night from hunger.”
A hardworking student, Cheboi received a full scholarship to Augustana College in Illinois in 2012. There she started her studies with little experience using a computer, writing papers by hand and struggling to transcribe them onto a laptop.
That all changed, however, during her junior year, when Cheboi took a required programming course as a math major.
“When I discovered computer science, I fell in love with it. I knew it was something I wanted to do in my career and bring it to my community,” she told CNN.
However, many basic computer skills still present a steep learning curve. Cheboi remembers having to practice touch typing for six months to pass a programming interview. Touch typing is a skill that is now a core part of the TechLit curriculum.
“Seeing a 7-year-old who can touch type is very rewarding because I know I only learned how to touch type less than five years ago,” she said.
After starting working in the software industry, Cheboi quickly realized the extent to which computers were being discarded as companies upgraded their technology infrastructure.
“We had kids here (in Kenya) — myself included, back then — who didn’t even know what a computer was,” she said.
So, in 2018, she started shipping donated computers back to Kenya — in her personal suitcase, and took care of customs fees and taxes herself.
“At one point, I brought 44 computers and I paid more for the luggage than the airfare,” she said.
A year later, after they both quit, she co-founded TechLit Africa with a fellow software engineer. The nonprofit accepts computer donations from companies, universities and individuals.
The hardware is wiped down and refurbished before being shipped to Kenya. There, it is distributed to partner schools in rural communities, where students aged 4 to 12 attend daily lessons and often have the opportunity to learn from professionals, gaining access to help improve their education and be better prepared for the jobs of the future The skill of preparation.
“We had people coming in with specific skillsets who were just inspiring kids through music production, video production, coding and personal branding,” Cheboi said. “They can go from doing distance education courses with NASA to making music.”
The organization currently serves 10 schools; next year, Cheboi hopes to partner with more than 100.
“My hope is that when the first TechLit kids graduate high school, they’ll be able to find a job online because they’re going to know how to code, they’re going to know how to do graphic design, they’re going to know how to do marketing,” Cheboi said. “When you get an education, the world is your oyster. By providing resources, by providing these skills, we are opening the world to them.”
See why CNN Hero of the Year put mom on stage for acceptance speech
CNN’s Anderson Cooper and ABC’s Kelly Ripa co-host the 16th annual “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” featuring more than a dozen celebrities people.
“We’re so honored to be here,” said actress and singer Sophia Carson, who performed a song with award-winning songwriter Diane Warren at the event. “Diane wrote this incredible anthem ‘Applause’ for those leaders, survivors and fighters, and tonight we dedicate this song and performance to our heroes.”
Actor Aubrey Plaza introduces CNN hero Aidan Riley, who started his nonprofit while returning home from college in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“From the couch of the pandemic, Aidan and his friends co-founded the Farmlink project,” Square said. The nonprofit connects excess food — food that would otherwise go to waste — from farms across the U.S. to people who need it. “In just two years, he… has moved over £70m,” Plaza added.
Debra Vines — whose nonprofit The Answer Inc. supports families affected by autism in Chicago’s underserved communities — was honored as an “Autistic Mom” by actress Holly Robinson Peete.
Vines said her team has provided planning and guidance to more than 4,000 families. “Join me as a servant of change today,” Vine said when accepting the award.
Emmy Award-winning actor Justin Theroux took the stage with his rescue dog, Kuma, in recognition of Carie Broecker and her nonprofit Peace of Mind Dog Rescue.
Two teens who made a difference in their communities were also honored as 2022 Young Wonders:
Ruby Chitsey, a 15-year-old girl from Harrison, Arkansas, started “Three Wishes for Ruby Residents,” a project that donates personal items to nursing home residents who would otherwise not be able to afford them.
Sri Nihal Tammana, a 13-year-old from Edison, New Jersey, started Recycle My Batteries, which uses a network of collection boxes to keep used batteries out of the ecosystem outside.
The show also honored the lives of two Georgia poll workers, Shaye Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, who were arrested after spreading false allegations on social media. subversion.
CNN partnered with GoFundMe to donate to this year’s top 10 honorees. GoFundMe is the world’s largest fundraising platform, enabling people and charities to give and receive help. Supporters can make online donations to the CNN Ten Heroes nonprofit directly from CNNHeroes.com. Subaru will match all donations up to $50,000 for each of this year’s recipients through January 3, 2023.
Do you know someone in your community who is doing something amazing to make the world a better place? Follow CNN.com/heroes and consider nominating this person a CNN hero in 2023. You can also read more about many of the past 350 CNN Heroes who have helped more than 55 million people in all 50 US states and 110 countries around the world.