On May 30, 2022, a profile on Forbes highlighted the remarkable story of Nelly Cheboi, a 29-year-old Kenyan entrepreneur who has defied the odds to achieve monumental success.
Born and raised in Mogotio, Baringo County, Cheboi's journey to success began with her determination to get her family out of poverty. Through her persistence and drive, she has risen to become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of her own company, TechLit Africa.
Through TechLit Africa, Cheboi recycles technology products from the United States of America (USA) to build computer laboratories in Kenya. Her vision is to enable rural Africans to have the technical skills to easily make money online.
According to Cheboi, her biggest expense is importing the recycled computer parts into Kenya. However, she noted that her programs preparing kids for the digital economy have been successful, with students paying Ksh1,167 ($10) a month each to access the laboratories.
Currently, Cheboi has over 4,000 students and 20 teachers with only ten modern computer laboratories, translating to about Ksh4.6 Million a month. Her ambition is to open 100 more laboratories across the continent to enable children to access and learn digital skills.
Speaking about her journey, Cheboi noted, "I was born into poverty. I grew up watching my dear mom work tirelessly to educate my sisters and I. She did all kinds of informal businesses from selling goats to selling vegetables. For as long as I can remember, she worked hard day in and day out but our life never changed."
However, Cheboi's determination to succeed led her to work hard in school, earning a scholarship to study Computer Science at Augustana College in Illinois, USA. She got a job through the work-study program and in one year, she helped move her family out of the village.
Further, she saved 80 percent of her income from various campus jobs and invested it in setting up a school in Kenya, Zawadi. "I can’t exactly point at what inspired me, I just knew this was something I had to do. What keeps me going now, is I see how little investment it takes to empower people," she stated.
