Shabbona woman named CNN Hero of the Year sets her 2023 goals: 100 computer labs for Kenya schools

SHABBONA – Nelly Cheboi, a Shabbona based software engineer who was born in Kenya, said she just assumed she wouldn’t win when she found out she was nominated to be CNN’s Hero of the year.

Cheboi was on a New York stage when she was named the 2022 CNN Hero of the Year.

“I really did not believe I was going to win, and so when I heard my name I don’t know, I was just overwhelmed,” Cheboi said.

In 2018, Cheboi started TechLit Africa with her husband, Tyler Cinnamon. The nonprofit organization distributes recycled technology to build computer labs in Kenyan schools.

Cheboi, originally from Mogotio, a small village in Kenya, said TechLit Africa is helping students in Kenya create computer and online skills that will make them more employable as they enter the work force. TechLit Africa has about 4,000 students and 20 teachers but Cheboi has dreams of expanding.

Using the award money earned in December – $100,000 as CNN Hero of the year, and a $300 from the Elevate Prize Foundation – Cheboi hopes to establish 100 computer labs in Kenya with TechLit Africa.

Cheboi’s mission to give her community useful skills for a tech based workforce has sometimes received pushback when communities have never heard of the skill sets Cheboi’s organization is helping to cultivate. That can present roadblocks on TechLit Africa’s road to expansion.

“I really think with this award it will be a lot easier, because now so many people in the community, in our community in Kenya have heard about the award, and they are more likely to give us a chance,” Cheboi said. “So before it was really hard to go into a new community and tell them about our projects because they’re thinking ‘hey, who are you?’ Like what am I talking about? But I know that like so many people in Kenya have heard about the award its going to be a lot easier to expand to a hundred schools.”

Cheboi, who was on Forbes’ 2022 Social Impact List of “30 Under 30″ for her work with TechLit Africa, said she didn’t think she had a chance when she found out she was nominated to be the 2022 CNN Hero of the Year.

“It was really nice but I wasn’t sure. As an entrepreneur I’m just used to disappointment so I wasn’t, I didn’t have high hopes for it,” Cheboi said.

As a part of the vetting process, CNN produced a video that explains what TechLit Africa does. That, at least, was something Cheboi knew she could count on. She said she just kept thinking that the best thing she could get from the nomination was the video.

“It’s really hard to explain to donors what our work is and we didn’t have a good video. So I kept trying to get someone to do a video for us,” Cheboi said, happy to have the video. “They captured our story really well.”

That video, Cheboi hopes, will help TechLit Africa to expand into more schools in Kenya.

“Our hardest thing has been convincing schools to work with us. So when we talk about. So what we’re trying to do is train these kids, give them enough skills so they can work online when they’re ready for the workforce. But there’s no reference, right? They don’t know anyone who’s worked online before,” Cheboi said.

Cheboi said because there’s no reference, it can be hard for the community to believe that what she’s helping students learn will be useful. She’s hopeful, however, that her recent award will help her sway former naysayers.

“So I’m excited to go back and see if they’re a bit more receptive, you know, to see if they are a bit more like open now that I’ve gotten this big brand name behind us,” Cheboi said.

Cheboi said she confided in Cinnamon, also her husband, when she didn’t think she had a chance at winning CNN’s annual award.

“So I told my cofounder, Tyler [Cinnamon], I was like, ‘you know what, I’m so glad my mom will be traveling to New York. I’m so glad we made it this far,’ and Tyler was like ‘what are you talking about, why don’t you think we have a shot at this,’” Cheboi said.

When the award was announced, her mom joined her on stage. The two of them then got to spend time together, away from their hectic lives.

“I kind of took a vacation instead,” Cheboi said, when asked if her work life had gotten busier since the award’s announcement. “You know, I just hung out with my mom. Now I’m just getting back to email and to work. But for me I think it’s been overwhelming because my inbox, my phone was ringing all the – I turned everything off and just spent time with my mom.”