Over a 7 week period TVL conducted a distance ed, basics of coding, class for a group of 15 high-school girls from two different villages in rural Sierra Leone. How did we pull this off? Here's how:

• We recruited a Silicon Valley coding expert volunteer to create the course curriculum and conduct weekly classes;
• Classes were taught over Skype;
• We partnered with World Vision as the internet service provider so we could have a connection once a week;
• We partnered with a local, Sierra Leone run nonprofit located in Bumpe to provide the laptops and local teacher assistance.

Coming out of this course we learned a lot and most importantly we ignited an interest for a globally employable skill-set in these girls. Upon completion of the course they all asked about continuing. We're currently in the works of planning a follow up class to add on to the foundation of this intro to coding course.

This time, we've partnered with our local tech partner, LamTech, based out of Freetown to build a curriculum that will give the girls that excel in the next course an opportunity to take part in a paid internship with LamTech.

Eventually, our goal is to build a network of girls and boys with a strong knowledge of coding and digital literacy that companies like LamTech can outsource some of their work to the rural regions - providing job opportunities and creating economy. 

Learn more about what the girls learned each week by clicking on our blog posts below.

Journal Entry - Girls Learning to Code

Journal Entry #1 – Girls Learning to Code in Rural Sierra Leone

Journal Entry #2 – The Future of Sierra Leone

Journal Entry #3 – Girls Coding Update

Journal Entry #4 – Repetition leads to learning

Journal Entry #5 – Learning With Spirals and Smiles

Journal # 6 – Girls Coding Course Conclusion