On Sunday, December 11, Kenyan software engineer turned philanthropist Nelly Cheboi received the 2022 CNN Hero of the Year Award, worth Ksh74 million.
CNN veteran journalist Anderson Cooper announced Cheboi as the winner at an event hosted at the American Museum of Natural History, emerging first among ten other nominees.
Cheboi burst into tears as she invited her family to the podium to accept the prestigious trophy with her.
She received a Ksh1.2 million cash reward as well as a Ksh12.3 million grant to expand her work as part of the award. Cheboi’s victory automatically confirmed her as the Elevate Prize winner.
She expressed her gratitude for the honor and stated that the funds would be used to realize her dream of bridging technological gaps in rural Africa.
Cheboi stated that she plans to expand her work to Uganda and neighboring countries.
Initially, the 29-year-old made headlines in May after she used her entire salary from her high-paying software engineering job to buy computers for Kenyan schoolchildren.
She sourced computers from the United States through her company TechLit Africa to equip laboratories in Kenyan rural schools.
Furthermore, the company hires and trains teachers to run the labs and pass on the same knowledge and skills to children in order to prepare them for the digital world.
