A Coding Program for Orphanages!

The Dig-Group Corporate Social Responsibility program supports 3 pillars including: ‘Financial Inclusion’, ‘Investment in youth’ and ‘Open Innovation’. The Digi-Dojo program is our CSR initiative to develop coding skills in orphanages and underprivileged schools in the markets where Digi Group operates.

We understand that technology opens the door to the future and that children are the key. We also see the large gap in coding skills and have identified this as a mechanism to support underprivileged children to be included in the financial systems through their coding skills.

Digi Dojo is a white to black belt coding program which will use a combination of classroom training, e-learning and mentoring through remotely connecting hour of code donors with our students.

We are seeking donors to provide computers, software, content and their mentoring time to support the program. Digi Dojo coordinators will setup donated laptops with donated software and LMS systems in the orphanages and schools. A purpose-built delivery platform will enable hour of code donors to remotely donate their time to the students without having to leave their desk. We will then be tracking and reporting student belt certifications as well as donor hours provided by organisation via a donor dashboard.

What is the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code is designed to do this. It is global movement reaching tens of millions of students in over 180 countries. The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to de-mystify “code”, to show that anybody can learn the basics. The aim was to broaden participation in the field of computer science. Starting with an hour of coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. This grassroots campaign is already supported by over 200,000 educators worldwide.

Why Computer Science?

There are at present 500,000 new computing job openings annually but 43,000 computer science graduates, we need more coders!

Every child, however disadvantaged should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st century career path. Moreover, in a future that will be heavily influenced by artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics, having exposure and a basic understanding of computer science and coding is of paramount importance to today’s youth.

Resources

As with all charitable endeavours the success of Digi-Dojo is reliant on the generosity of you, the donors. The greatest need at present is the hardware so that the children have the computers to carry out the training. They also require the software for the computers. Both basic software and Learning Management Software (LMS) to create the training modules. The most valuable resource we require is time. We need people willing to give their time to help bring this program to life and to educate these young minds.

Digi Co-ordinators

The most vital role is our Digi-Co-ordinators, they are link between the professional software engineers, developers and designers with the children who need these skills. The co-ordinators role is to create a plan which will engage the students and teach them best practice in coding for the future. The co-ordinator will take this module through and track its success and the children’s progress as they expand their knowledge of this new frontier.

Digi Structure

We have created this program to offer genuine career paths for the participants. The coloured belt system then it comes to the more senior and higher levels is all about receiving formal certification as a software engineer. The Digi-Dojo program offers more than just qualifications because there is a commitment from Digi Group and Digi-Dojo partners to find students who complete the process of an internship with the Digi Group or Digi-Dojo partners. The Digi-Dojo is part of an ongoing, long-term social initiative with objective, measurable outcomes.