NairoBits Trust has its roots in Holland where it started in 1999 as a small cultural project to create a two-way channel of communication between Africa and the rest of the world and also reduce the digital divide while creating opportunities for youth in slum areas. The project founders were also concerned with the need to gain access to first hand knowledge on Africa, free from any third party manipulation.

Based at the Godown Arts Centre, NairoBits has since developed into a Digital Design School that creates websites, ITprojects and new business concepts.  The project focuses on enabling youth to tell their own stories through creative websites and also be able to access information through the internet sources. As a result, they have been able to creatively design and write on the day to day issues affecting them as Africans, Kenyans and more so, as young people living in informal settlements of Nairobi. They have been able to also look at their lives more positively and proven that theirs is not just a sad story, but also a story about people who are determined to live a better life.

Job Opportunities among Youth living in impoverished areas

The programme ultimately increases the chances for youth to find success in the job market. Since the year 2000,  NairoBits has managed to train over 300 youth in ICT at different levels of training. Over fifty of them who have  trained up to Level Four (or the MediaLab), the highest level, have secured jobs with leading web design and communications product companies including 3Mice, Globefinity, Webfundi, Wananchi Online, Metrocomia,  Dotsavvy, I4Design and Single click. Recently, one of the students secured employment with the UNEP as a Web Specialist.  Others have found scholarships or jobs abroad.

NairoBits is a DOT Kenya partner providing a training venue and participants for the Reach Up! programme. Twelve eager and willing participants began the training in early March 2007. Since then, five cycles of ReachUp! programming have since been carried out with 105 participants trained. The programme has been well received with an increase in enrollment for each subsequent class.

We wish to thank the management of the Nairo-Bits Digital Design School and look forward to fruitful partnership that is mutually beneficial.