What is the name of your organization?
STEM Impact Center Kenya
What is the name of your solution?
STEM Mobile Tinkering labs.
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Our Mobile Tinkering lab brings hands-on STEM learning to marginalized Kenyan students through a fully equipped mobile lab
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Nairobi County, Kenya
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Kenya
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
We are addressing the lack of access to quality STEM education in underserved and marginalized communities across Kenya. In many rural and low-income areas, schools lack the infrastructure, equipment, trained teachers, and digital resources necessary to deliver meaningful STEM education. This contributes to poor student engagement in science and technology subjects, low performance especially for girls and children in remote regions.According to UNESCO, over 60% of schools in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity and digital learning tools, severely limiting their capacity to teach 21st-century skills. In Kenya, more than 70% of students in public schools do not have access to computers or structured STEM programs. There is also a gap of teacher training in STEM methodologies, limited exposure to hands-on learning, and cultural barriers that discourage girls from pursuing STEM fields. Our solution,the Mobile Tinkering Lab directly addresses these challenges by delivering mobile, hands-on STEM education to where it's needed most. Through robotics, coding and problem-solving activities, we are equipping learners with the tools and skills to thrive in a digital world .
What is your solution?
Our solution is the STEM mobile tinkering labs, which we use to set up temporary classrooms in schools and communities. equipped with various resources, devices, tools and resources that can support hands-on learning in after-school programs. Through the labs we move to different schools and communities to provide students with access to after school STEM education and technology opportunities and at a very low cost. Through the lab we bring together government agencies, donors, community organizations, schools, teachers, and parents to offer (1) curriculum and teacher professional development, in digital literacy. (2) STEM Impact Academy program available to schools Eldoret and Nairobi to engage learners in with an after-school STEM programs across the week. (3) STEM Lending Library equips partner teachers with ready-to-use, hands-on resources, and devices. (4) Tech exploration centers- physical spaces where schools or parents reserve spots for their students to explore and engage in hands-on activities. (5) Community outreach and exposure programs that includes competitions such as American Spaces Kenya STEAM Maker Faire, the World Robot Olympiad, and the VEX IQ Challenges in Kenya. (6) Creative Learning Ecosystem Kenya, to provide equitable access to digital literacy tools to community based organizations in low income communities.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Kenya’s education is characterized with very high inequality ranging from low socio-economic backgrounds, marginalized areas and those living with disabilities unable to access the same quality of education as in urban areas. Our in-school youth programs align with the Basic Education framework, which classifies school-going learners from grade 1 to grade 12 with primary school (5-13 years) and secondary school (14-18 years) and for teachers or educators aged 18 years and above. The out-of-school programs target post-secondary school (18 -35 years) for youths both in informal employment (unenrolled in any academic institutions), youths currently enrolled in tertiary institutions.
We aim to impact to; (1) introduce new pedagogical approaches that create engaging learning environments for learners (2) enhance equity and inclusion through access for all learners, especially girls and women who face cultural and societal challenges that discourage their participation in science and technology, (3) equip learners with in-demand employability, STEM and 21st-century skills (4) to empower teachers and stakeholders in emerging and high-quality professional development focused on effective STEM pedagogy and technology integration, and (5) enhance access to opportunities showcase activities such as competitions and innovations fairs to improve learners and teachers competencies and confidence in STEM.
