A 29-year-old Nelly Cheboi has been named the CNN Hero of the year.
Cheboi was awarded for her philanthropic activities of supporting communities in rural Kenya with computer labs to facilitate computer literacy.
Techlit Africa Foundation, a non-profit organization, run by Cheboi, seeks to recycle faulty computers before stocking them in computer labs for free use.
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Announcing the winner of the award, CNN said that Cheboi’s project had helped thousands of Kenyan children by exposing them to computer skills.
“Cheboi’s nonprofit, TechLit Africa, has provided thousands of students across rural Kenya with access to donated, upcycled computers — and the chance at 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 and her mother sang a song onstage that she explained had a special meaning when she was growing up,” said CNN.
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Cheboi was voted online by CNN fans across the world, beating the other 10 shortlisted candidates for the Ksh. 12 million award.
Other nominees for the award are; Richard Casper (CreatiVets), Carie Broecker (Peace of Mind Dog Rescue), Nora El-Khouri Spencer (Hope Renovations), Tyrique Glasgow (Young Chances Foundation), Teresa Gray (Mobile Medics International), Meymuna Hussein-Cattan (The Tiyya Foundation), Aidan Reilly (The Farmlink Project), Debra Vines (The Answer Inc.) and Bobby Wilson (Metro Atlanta Urban Farm).
While receiving the award, Cheboi dedicated her success to her mother, who worked tirelessly to fend for her and her 3 siblings.
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