InDrive Empowers Underprivileged Kids with IT Skills
Mary Nnah
A few lucky underprivileged kids in Nigeria were recently empowered with Information Technology (IT) skills during a one-day training programme by BeginIT, a programme spearheaded by inDrive.
The BeginIT programme is an initiative from inDrive, one of the world’s fastest-growing online ride-hailing services, targeted at identifying and providing future career guidance for capable children from orphanages, boarding schools, and rural schools in the sphere of new technologies.
To this end, 33 young persons drawn from three schools owned by not-for-profit organisations were groomed on different technologies, including Embedded Systems (Physical Computing with Arduino kit).
At the end of the session, the enrollee presented projects to demonstrate their ability to identify solutions relative to transportation in their environment.
In his remarks, the Director of Transport Operations, Lagos Ministry of Transportation, Olasunkanmi Ojowuro, who represented the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, commended inDrive for the initiative, which he said would go a long way to bring about innovations needed to transform not only the transportation sector but other sectors in the state.
“Whatever you learn here today, make sure you take it seriously because the more you understand, the better for us all. So, it is good to seize this opportunity as kids so that Nigeria can match up with technological advancement as it is in many developed societies. For instance, transportation has changed from what we witnessed in the past. Now, we use technology to manage transportation,” he said.
Speaking on the theme, “inDrive: Future of Mobility”, InDrive’s BeginIT Representative & Driver Acquisition specialist, Mrs. Onuzulike Clementina, explained that the initiative, which has registered its presence in 15 countries, including Nigeria, is geared towards catching kids young in the field of technology to stimulate their problem-solving skills and prepare them for the future of work.
“We believe strongly in the potential of every child regardless of the circumstance of their birth. We feel they need to get the knowledge in time to ensure that they can compete with their counterparts in the developed world. This is why we have come up with an initiative to enable them to reach their potential”, Clementina said.
She stated that the training would further help to deepen knowledge around transportation and automobiles by helping to groom a new generation of engineers, designers and creatives.
Also speaking, the Programme Associate, STEMCafe, Daye Omona, stated that the organization was partnering with inDrive on the initiative to impart the kids by implementing a STEM-based program focused on the future of transportation.
According to Omona, the training session would afford the kids the opportunity to learn concepts such as design thinking, conceptualization, and working with microcontrollers and sensors necessary to create, for example, a driverless car or blue tooth control boat.
The list of not-for-profit institutions that participated in the session includes Amazing Grace, Precious Jasper Foundation and Mayzer Memorial Foundation.
InDrive, a global IT and transportation platform, services are available in over 700 cities in 47 countries throughout the world. The Company’s app has been downloaded over 150 million times. inDrive offers other services, including intercity transportation, freight and cargo services, as well as delivery services in different markets of operations.
inDrive is based in Mountain View, California, and operates regional hubs in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the countries of the CIS, and employs over 2,000 people.
