This is just awesome!
NAIROBITS
1999-2009, Africa
A Digital Design School where young people from Nairobi`s slums are trained as webdesigners and cultural entrepreneurs.
Original concept: Butterfly Works
The adventure of Nairobits started as 1 year training in web design, resulting in an exhibition.
The tremendous success of the initiative prompted the continuation of the program that overtime developed in a extensive curriculum that is constantly updated and adapted.
NairoBits is now run independently by a team of Kenyan managers and teachers.
With nearly 100% employment rate for their graduates, Nairobits represents a unique opportunity of life change for the youth of the slums.
On the successful model of Nairobits, Zanzibits and Addisbits were also developed. Butterfly Works is now happily busy developing Mamabits, the mother of all Bit`s, a franchiseholder and support centre that will ensure training and assistance to all Bit`s projects.
Slumdog digital design
Mark Kamau, the general manager of Nairobits, a digital design school that provides education to young people living in Nairobi slums. Calling himself the ‘Slumdog Manager’, he gave an inspiring talk on his journey out of the slums of Kenya and the future of African aid.
He estimated that 80 per cent of his school friends were either in prison or dead – two had been covered in petrol and set alight, suffering the ‘instant justice’ of the slums after they had been caught stealing.
But his message was hopeful and he argued that the way in which he had been helped by the Nairobits program could serve as a template for Africa: he was respected, challenged, supported and given responsibility and Africa needs this sort of intelligent engagement over aid, he said.
His simple and powerful speech earned a standing ovation."
About Mark
Mark Kamau was born against a backdrop of crime and hardship in the slums of Nairobi in 1980. Mark’s dream of a better future finally became reality in 2000 when he registered at web design school NairoBits.
Although he had never touched a keyboard before, Mark began as one of the first web design students in East Africa studying design, technique and African culture.
Following graduation he moved from creating his first website for an international client, to becoming a trainer at NairoBits, he set up his own web company, then became manager of Kilimanjaro Film School in neighbouring Tanzania.
Now Mark is heading back to Nairobi to become the manager of NairoBits (now a hub of technological innovation) where his next step is inspiring the next generation of Nairobits students.
In 10 years, Mark (and many NairoBits students like him) has shown what talent and drive can achieve when given exposure and fertile ground. Mark is excited about the future.
Nairobits is a unique web-design school in Nairobi, founded in 2000 by the Dutch foundation Butterfly Works.
