Country of Residence
Kenya
Age
19
Project title
HerTech Hub
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
HerTech Hub is a mobile digital literacy and STEM mentorship initiative that travels to underserved communities in Kitui, Kenya, to equip women and girls with the skills to become creators, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the digital economy.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/145261370/admin/dashboard/
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
Growing up in Kitui County, I witnessed brilliant girls in my community drop out of school or be discouraged from pursuing sciences because of cultural norms. When I beat the odds to pursue a degree in Cloud Computing and Information Security at Machakos University, I looked around my lecture hall and realized I was one of the very few women from my region. The turning point, my "Aha!" moment, came during a teacher training session at my internship with Nyansapo AI. I watched a female teacher struggle to use a basic digital tool. It wasn't because she wasn't smart, it was because no one had ever given her the opportunity to learn. That moment sparked HerTech Hub. I realized that if I could equip women with digital skills, I could create a ripple effect that would change the trajectory of entire families and communities. I decided that I couldn't wait until I graduated to start making a difference. I had to start now.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
In rural communities like Kitui County, women and girls are significantly left behind in the digital revolution. They face three main barriers: limited access to technology, lack of digital skills, and cultural norms that prioritize boys' education in STEM. As a result, many women cannot access essential online government services, use digital financial tools like M-Pesa to grow their small businesses, or compete for remote work opportunities. Furthermore, young girls rarely see women in tech roles, meaning they lack the role models to inspire them to pursue STEM careers. This matters deeply to me because I have seen how this exclusion traps women in cycles of poverty. When women are left out of the digital economy, their communities lose out on their ideas, their leadership, and their economic contributions. Closing this gap is not just about fairness, it is about unlocking the full potential of my community.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
My solution- HerTech Hub HerTech Hub is a mobile digital literacy and technology mentorship initiative. Instead of expecting women to travel to urban centers, our hub travels directly to them. We have a three-part plan: 1. Basic Digital Literacy: We teach women how to safely use smartphones and computers, access the internet, use digital tools like M-Pesa and eCitizen, and protect themselves from online risks. 2. STEM Mentorship for Girls: We partner with local schools to introduce girls to coding, web development, and cloud computing through fun, beginner-friendly activities. We want girls to see technology as something they can create, not just consume. 3. Digital Entrepreneurship: We train women on how to use digital marketing, social media, and e-commerce to grow their businesses and earn income online. This connects directly to the skills I am learning through the Ajira Digital Women-Only Campus GigUp Program. The solution works by meeting women where they are, using the devices they already have (basic smartphones), and providing them with practical, hands-on skills that they can immediately apply to improve their lives.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
As HerTech Hub is currently in the New Idea stage, the impact I have made so far has been in building my own capacity to lead this initiative. I have completed certifications in Frontend Web Development and Professional Foundations from ALX Africa, and I am currently taking a Cybersecurity course at Cisco Networking Academy. I also completed an internship at Nyansapo AI, where I helped build offline-first educational tools for underserved schools. This equipped me with the technical skills to design the HerTech Hub curriculum. Over the next year, the impact I hope to achieve is to launch a pilot program in one ward in Kitui. My goal is to train 50 women in basic digital literacy and 20 girls in introductory coding. I will measure success by tracking how many women start using digital financial tools for their businesses and how many girls express interest in pursuing STEM subjects. By starting small and measuring our results, we can prove the model works and scale it to other communities.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
What makes HerTech Hub different is our mobility and our focus on offline-first technology. Traditional digital literacy programs are stationary they require women to travel to a specific center, which is often impossible for rural women who have farms, families, and small businesses to run. HerTech Hub flips this model by being mobile. We bring the training directly to the wards and villages. Furthermore, we use offline-first tools (similar to the technology I worked with at Nyansapo AI) so that women with limited internet access can still learn and practice digital skills using just their smartphones. Our focus on Digital Entrepreneurship is also unique. We don't just teach women how to use a computer; we teach them how to use digital tools to make money whether through e-commerce, digital marketing, or freelancing. This ensures that our training has immediate, tangible economic benefits for the women and their families.
How many people are on your team?
1
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Currently, I am leading this initiative on my own, but I plan to build a team. I will recruit fellow university students, especially women in tech, to become Digital Champions who facilitate training sessions. I will partner with local leaders and teachers in Kitui to mobilize women and girls. I believe in shared leadership and will work collaboratively with my team to adapt the curriculum to each community.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next three months, I will take the following steps to launch HerTech Hub: 1. Finalize the Curriculum: I will develop the lesson plans for the three core components (Digital Literacy, STEM Mentorship, and Digital Entrepreneurship) based on my technical training. 2. Build Partnerships: I will reach out to local schools, community organizations, and the Ajira Digital program to secure support and identify the first community for our pilot. 3. Recruit a Team: I will identify and recruit 2-3 university students to serve as my first Digital Champions. 4. Secure Resources: I will apply for seed grants, such as this one, to cover transport, materials, and data bundles for the pilot. Over the next year, my goal is to successfully run the pilot in Kitui, measure the results, and create a toolkit that can be used to scale HerTech Hub to other counties in Kenya.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I plan to encourage others to join HerTech Hub through a three-step approach: 1. Peer-to-Peer Recruitment: I will recruit university students as "Digital Champions." Many students want to make a difference but don't know how. I will offer them a structured way to volunteer, build their leadership skills, and give back to their communities. 2. Community Engagement: I will work with local chiefs, church leaders, and women's groups in Kitui to spread the word about our training sessions. These trusted community figures will help us reach the women who need our help the most. 3. Social Media and Storytelling: I will document our journey on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram. By sharing stories of the women and girls we train, we can inspire others to support our mission, volunteer, or start similar initiatives in their own communities. I will also share the lessons we learn so that other changemakers can benefit from our experience.
