Destiny Trust Centre unveiled to train less privileged kids on programming

AS part of its empowerment and social inclusion drives, The Destiny Trust has opened a coding and innovation development centre, ‘Kids Innovation Hub’ at Ibeju-lekki, Lagos for less-privileged children.

The initiative, launched on Saturday, is aimed at empowering rehabilitated street children and other young people from low-economic backgrounds with computer programming skills and to support them in developing their ideas of relevant technology solutions, especially for education and entertainment.

In the pilot phase of the project, the centre targets equipping about 500 less-privileged children with digital skills. Chil- dren with specialized interest in computer programming will be enrolled in the Hub’s advanced programmes for coding and programming.

The project is taking-off under collaboration with Codelagos (Lagos State Government initiative to train one million programmers), Gamaliel & Susan Onosode Foundation, Flying Doctors Nigeria and Mind the Gap, a key STEMS education stakeholder providing personnel and technical resource at the Hub. The Centre will implement the Lagos State’s Coding Education Framework and also sign up as a Cisco Academy Centre providing opportunity to participants to obtain Cisco certification after successfully un- dertaking Cisco’s online certification programmes.

In a statement signed by its co-founder and coordinator, Abimbola Ojenike, the organization stated the potential impact of this intervention. It reads: “We believe strongly in the potential of every child irrespective of their circumstance of birth. This is why we are committed to enabling them to be their best. As the ability to interpret information and solve problems using technology becomes one of the most valuable skills in the world of work, we cannot say we are empowering disadvantaged children without equipping them with technology skills.”