CODENGWANA – Coding to escape the cycle of poverty.
Lives were changed through a MEETCHANGEMAKERS-sponsored CodeNgwana Coding Week held in the Johannesburg inner-city suburb of Hillbrow during the school holidays in 2023.
By the end of the week the participants had learned the four components or pillars of computational thinking.
CHANGING LIVES BY MAKING COMPUTERS AND PROGRAMMING ACCESSIBLE.
“We chose a community of Hillbrow in Johannesburg and had kids from +-15 schools in the surrounding areas. Hillbrow is one of the neglected areas in Johannesburg with a high crime rate,” says CodeNgwana founder Noluvuyo Gqadu.
“Children from this community grow up surrounded by crime,” she adds.
The program introduced the youngsters to basic computational thinking principles and an introduction on coding using Scratch. They learnt how to create their first programme using Scratch.
“At the beginning of the program, the kids will never have touched the computer before. They are scared and excited at the same time.
USING SCRATCH
Designed for ages eight to 16, Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children. It is a coding language with a simple visual interface that allows young people to create digital stories, games, and animations.
It is designed, developed, and moderated by the non-profit Scratch Foundation.
According to the foundation, the ability to code computer programs is an important part of literacy in today’s society.
When young people learn to code in Scratch, they learn important strategies for solving problems, designing projects, and communicating ideas.
MAKING CONNECTIONS BUILDING PUZZLES
The first activity at the MEETCHANGEMAKERS-sponsored workshop was pillar one which is decomposition. “We played games that taught the youngsters to break down problems into smaller tasks,
“We did this through playing puzzles which also allowed us to practise the second computational thinking principle which is abstraction which is all about focusing on the important information and ignoring the unnecessary details,” says Noluvuyo.
Through doing puzzles the participants learned pattern recognition which guides students to make connections between similar problems and experience.
The youngsters were also introduced to algorithms. “Algorithmic thinking involves developing solutions to a problem.
“Specifically, it creates sequential rules to follow in order to solve a problem,” she says.
CodeNgwana, literally translated as code child, is an organization that offers coding and computational skills to African children between the ages of three and 12 years.
“Specifically, it creates sequential rules to follow in order to solve a problem,” she says.
CodeNgwana, literally translated as code child, is an organization that offers coding and computational skills to African children between the ages of three and 12 years.
“With a spotlight on the African child, our impact extends far beyond the children we teach, to their communities and the wider coding community, and contributes to a future-ready South Africa.
“CodeNgwana is driving a digital culture in kids through various programs such as coding camps, holiday programs and private coding lessons. We help children solve everyday problems and get set up for a lifetime of opportunities by teaching them coding. The nearly endless ways of coding and solving problems can inspire kids to grow.
“CodeNgwana teaches children how to remodel the technological world around them and help them become creators rather than just consumers of technology,” says Noluvuyo.
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Collaboration helps stimulate thinking while teaching life skills.
There was active participation from all the pupils.
Learning the basics of coding through an interactive class.
Future coders solving coding problems
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