National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
—To Vie For $100,000 Grand Prize
Cable News Network (CNN) has named a Nigerian youth, Ms. Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin, as one of its Top 10 Heroes of the Year.
The 10 finalists are “remarkable trailblazers who have truly changed the world,” according to CNN, and each of them will get $10,000.
This is as the CNN Hero of the Year will receive an additional $100,000.
Ajayi-Akinfolarin is a 2017 alumna of the United States government-sponsored International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) and she runs Pearls Africa Foundation, an organization with which she assists girls from underserved communities in Nigeria to gain relevant technological skills to transform their lives.
The beneficiaries of her initiative get training in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python and Scratch and visit tech companies to reinforce their learning and broaden their horizons.
Her GirlsCoding project has reached more than 400 beneficiaries, including girls from orphanages and correctional homes, in addition to young women fleeing the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram.
The GirlsCoding project is being supported by the U.S. Consulate General Lagos.
The honorees will also receive free capacity-building training from the Annenberg Foundation, a leading supporter of nonprofits worldwide.
In 2017, Ajayi-Akinfolarin also founded Lady Labs Innovation Hub, a female-focused tech centre which caters specifically to the technological needs of female university students enrolled in the STEM fields of study and female entrepreneurs.
The graduate of the University of Lagos participated in a three-week IVLP exchange program focusing on “Education and Activism for Young Women.” The International Visitors Leadership Program is the U.S. State Department’s premier professional exchange program.
To vote and select the CNN Hero of the Year, visit: CNNHeroes.com
