When Nelly Cheboi was named the 2022 CNN Hero of the Year, her mother could not contain her happiness.
Cheboi, a software engineer, received the honor as a result of her charitable work with her company TechLit Africa, through which she provided computers for kids in her remote village.
The 29-year-old defeated 10 other nominees at the ceremony held at the American Museum of Natural History to take home the coveted prize.
In her acceptance speech, Cheboi stated that she was now aiming to reach more children and that she intended to give them computer skills at a young age, something she did not have the opportunity to do.
“Every year, graduates who cannot use a computer enter the corporate world, which forces them to return to the village with their education.”
The living conditions in her family’s home and the majority of homes in the communities, according to Cheboi in a previous interview with CNN, made her yearn to improve the area.
“I want to visit 100 schools, which is equivalent to 40,000 students. People can work glamorous jobs and still work in your community, so we need to rewrite what it means to grow up in rural Africa “she declared.
The 29-year-old will receive $100,000 (Sh12 million) as the CNN Hero of the Year to further her work. Through a new partnership with CNN Heroes, she and the other top 10 CNN Heroes will also receive a $10,000 (Sh1.2 million) cash award as well as, additional grants, training for the organization, and assistance from The Elevate Prize Foundation for the first time.
In addition, Cheboi will receive the Elevate Prize, which entitles her to a grant of $300,000 (Sh37 million) and additional assistance for her charitable endeavors totaling $200,000 (Sh24.6 million).
Carie Broecker, Richard Casper, Nora El-Khouri Spencer, Tyrique Glasgow, Teresa Gray, Meymuna Hussein-Cattan, Aidan Reilly, Debra Vines, and Bobby Wilson are among the other 2022 CNN heroes.
