MINDS IN MOTION

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” once stated Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, July 16, 2003. True to the quote, Mandela’s weapon is currently being wielded in Ethiopia in attempts to improve the lives of autistic children and, thereby, those of their families. Autism which is described as a neuro-developmental disorder is characterized by permanent mental retardation that affects many areas of development, including social interaction, communication, and behavior in children. According to a study conducted in Ethiopia in 2022, about 600,000 individuals are said to be living with autism. For this condition, it’s been drawn that there is a huge lack of awareness in the country regarding this neuro-developmental condition, unfortunately even among health professionals. The stigma surrounding it, the enormous rate of under-diagnosis, the lack of specialists who can recommend appropriate treatment, support, and care (e.g. , speech therapy, support with social interactions and communication, support with behaviour and learning, and care to promote physical and mental health), and the frighteningly small number of schools that can teach these children with special needs, have been a burden that patients with this condition have been facing. It’s a battle against tough odds, but there are some very determined warriors on the front line. One of the young warriors in the front line is Liya Ayalew, a 12th grade student and the Founder and CEO of a youth-led initiative called "Minds In Motion". Her Youth-led initiative has recently been aiding in transforming the lives of children with learning disabilities through tech. Liya Ayalew and her team (Bethelehem Ayalew and Ihsan Shafi) won the ACC 2022 competition, representing the Addis Global Academy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for their velar works in this initiative. The ACC which stands for the African Code Challenge is a coding contest that spans across Africa, inviting all-young individuals from different walks of life from 8 - 16 year to develop a game using the Scratch programming language. In addition to scooping this award, Liya Ayalew and the team’s work was submitted to a global competition and managed to come in 6th place. Cognizant of the remarkable strides made by Liya and Co, Capital reached out to the charismatic and innovative founder on her initiative and her use of technology on spearheading awareness when it comes to autism. Excerpts;