Africans rising
Ghana Code Club offers coding lessons to kids
Ghana Code Club, a coding initiative is making laudable efforts to empower children with digital literacy skills. The programming lessons are currently being offered in five schools and the club aims to launch in 20 or more schools within the first quarter of 2016, reaching no less than 20,000 children.
A Ghanaian non-profit organisation, Ghana Code Club, a volunteer led initiative, which aims to equip children between the ages of 8-17 years with coding skills is making laudable efforts to empower kids with digital literacy skills.
The initiative was founded by Ernestina Edem Appiah, who rose from IT secretary to programming expert.
Edem Appiah received coding lessons while working for an IT firm, and would practice programming and web design in her own time before she resigned to set-up her own start-up.
Ernestina Edem Appiah Photo: Ghana Code Club
Ghana Code Club was founded after Edem Appiah realised the need to create a programming platform to teach future innovators and prepare them for careers in the technology industry. The children are taught to create computer games, animations and websites.
Edem Appiah told one.Org that the initiative, which is being offered in five schools will expand this year. “We aim to launch into 20 or more schools within the first quarter of 2016, reaching no less than 20,000 children,” Edem Appiah said.
According to the website, the Club trains ICT teachers and volunteers to start a code club in their areas.
The initiative faces a number of challenges, such as lack of internet connectivity, financial and hardware resources. As such, most of the class is taught on paper, relying “solely on project print outs that serves as guides for kids to learn from”.
Despite the challenges, Edem Appiah remains upbeat that Ghana Code Club will continue to grow and expose children to the coding world.
Source: Ghana Code Club
