Empowering Youth through the Design Thinking and Innovation Course at the Camp
In briefAI summary — tap to read
Matabishi Narukako, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo living in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp, founded the Kakuma Vocational Center in 2020 to equip refugees and host community members with practical and digital skills. The center runs programs including BitSpace (hands-on creative workshops for ages 9-16), Maker Space (digital literacy and coding), ChangeMAKER courses (leadership and entrepreneurship), and early childhood development, serving over 3,587 beneficiaries to date.
Key takeaways
- BitSpace and Maker Space programs teach youth ages 9-16 hands-on design thinking and innovation through game-making, flower crafting, and digital coding using tools like Scratch and Circuit Playground.
- The vocational center operates a pathway that moves children from early childhood development through BitSpace to Maker Space, with academic tracking to ensure programs improve school performance.
- ChangeMAKER courses in ethical leadership and economics help youth launch their own businesses, with successful examples including soap-making enterprises run by single mothers and soda-selling businesses.
- Major challenges include limited electricity, inconsistent internet connectivity, and insufficient equipment, though solar systems like Sun King are becoming viable solutions in the camp.
- The center partners with international organizations like CO-UK and Amala Education for capacity building and funding, while coordinating with local government for child protection policies and school partnerships.
About Matabishi NarukakoMatabishi Narukako is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who has lived in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp since 2012 and founded the Kakuma Vocational Center in 2020.
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Program: Empowering Youth through the Design Thinking and Innovation Course at the Camp
Speaker: Matabishi Narukako
We bring you a new program every week on innovation, entrepreneurship, and education and how they contribute to service to others.
Today we will hear about the Kakuma Vocational Center (KVC), and how the founder's interactions with community members in the Kakuma Refugee Camp revealed challenges faced by the population, particularly youth and young women. As one example of the socio-economic and education challenges these women face, it became clear that a holistic education option would help young women who lacked support after becoming mothers, particularly single mothers. KVC was founded to make a positive impact on the lives of youth and women in Kakuma.
The KVC includes a range of services and programs to refugees in Kakuma Refugee Camp including an innovation course, a makerspace, a soap-making program, child development and learning activities, and more.
The founder is Matabishi Narukako, also known as Mata. Mata is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who fled his home country in 2012. In the DRC, he earned a diploma in Business Administration, and after seeking refuge in the Kakuma Camp, he actively participated in various international NGO training programs, including Applied Human Rights from the University of Geneva. This program allowed Mata to earn certificates related to managing non-profit organizations.
While in Kakuma, Mata's passion for computer applications, coding, and IT grew significantly. In 2018, he founded the Kakuma Vocational Center (KVC), which serves as the first makerspace for youth in Kakuma, Kenya. As the Founder and CEO of KVC, he is working to drive positive and sustainable change in the community.
Members and guests, please welcome Mata Narukako!
To learn more, go to:
https://m.facebook.com/kakumavcenter/
To donate to the Kakuma Vocational Center, go to:
https://reframe.network/rlo/kakuma-vocational-center
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