Coding for change: how Richard developed a successful technology initiative through the Amala Global Secondary Diploma

Richard is an Amala alumnus from the second cohort of the Global Secondary Diploma in Kakuma, Kenya. Two years ago, Richard started Codewithus Hub, an initiative which fosters gender equality in education through empowering women and youth to develop skills in technology. 

It was fellow Amala alumna Sudi who recommended Amala to Richard. At the time, he was already teaching technology in the community, and Sudi knew that through Amala Richard could transform his idea into a project which will help the community. We spoke to Richard about his experience of Amala and how he is creating change in Kakuma through Codewithus. 

Can you tell us a bit about what you do?

I am Richard, Burundian by nationality, and I founded CodewithUs. Codewithus involves women and youth in technology through coding, but we also do websites and graphic design. We connect our graduates with freelancing work so that they can become self-sufficient once they’ve finished the course. 

As well as this, I connect youths with their culture through Murimigwa Club, as many young people have been disconnected from their traditional customs. 

And there are many street kids who don’t have a chance to have any kind of formal education, so Codewithus provides them with the basics: food, and an introduction to technology through basic computer skills like typing. 

Where did you get the inspiration to start Codewithus?

Before Amala, I was an ICT teacher in Kakuma. I noticed that the girls were better at coding than the boys. But lots of them drop out before high school and don’t get the chance to continue their education. Then when I went to Amala, they taught us how to identify a challenge in the community and work on it. The idea for Codewithus came from there. Initially, the programme was working exclusively with women. But the facilitators at Amala gave me some valuable advice: to work effectively you have to include everyone. 

And how did Amala help you to develop the project?

At Amala, we were encouraged to do research in the community and become changemakers. I wanted to try and include women in technology, so I looked into why women and girls don’t come to class. When I discovered more about the Somali and South Sudanese communities, for example, I found out that according to some of their cultural beliefs, women are not allowed to study. So to work through these cultural barriers, I worked with community leaders and parents to convince them to allow the women and girls in their communities to study ICT. 

What kind of changes do you see happen in the students through Codewithus?

High numbers of beneficiaries of Codewithus are women, and I witness significant change  among them. Several NGOs in the camp seek out the top students from Codewithus to employ or enrol them in their own courses. 

Codewithus offers six-month courses that cover the basics, followed by an advanced six-month course for those who wish to deepen their skills. Initially, our courses lasted three months, but I realised that this wasn't enough time for students to develop the coding skills necessary to compete with college or university graduates. Through Codewithus, I want to equip people with the same skills as someone who’s studied in a formal setting. 

Codewithus mainly works with HTML, CSS and Javascript, but we are also starting to work with Python. 

What was your experience of the Amala Global Secondary Diploma, and what skills did you gain?

It was a privilege to work with Amala. I had experience in technology already, and I was also working with youth in the community, so the kinds of community-based projects we did at Amala came naturally to me. 

At Amala, I learnt about identifying a challenge and working on it. The leadership skills and entrepreneurship courses broadened my skill set. I got a chance to help facilitate the Raspberry Pi technology course at Amala, and through this I helped students with learning how to use online technologies.

Richard on Amala graduation day with family and friends.

Where do you see Codewithus in the future?

Codewithus is growing, but it’s still facing a number of challenges, like budgetary constraints and power supply issues. In the coming years I want to see Codewithus expand to other areas of Kakuma and even internationally,establishing partnerships with other organisations. 

The host community here in Kakuma faces similar challenges, for example most of the orphans in an orphanage where we work are actually from the local community. I realised that we have to work hand in hand to make meaningful change; we must empower the Kenyans as well as refugees in our community.

Find out more about Codewithus on their YouTube channel.