Challenge
Northern Samar is the 9th poorest province in the Philippines, with a 61.6% poverty incidence rate as of 2012. The slow rate of economic growth is a result of poorly designed anti-poverty interventions, weak education system, high youth unemployment, underperforming agricultural sector, and natural disasters. Although the Filipino federal government has recently launched a computerization program and invested in ICT infrastructure, challenges such as limited teacher training, inadequate access to software, and poor internet connection persist. Consequently, computer classrooms remain underutilized, and students are not exposed to potential IT careers.
Description
CodePhil aims to teach, empower, and connect the youth in Northern Samar, Philippines, through digital literacy skills. By teaching typing, computing, and programming skills, CodePhil aims to enable decent jobs for youth, foster community resilience, and break the cycle of poverty. The project includes teaching visual programming languages like Scratch and Sphero, and aims to close educational gaps between developed and developing countries.
