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Arfi Mohamud Abdi, an 18-year-old from Garissa County is among seven girls from Kenya travelling to New York for a hackathon. “I feel incredibly honored and excited to be selected as one of the seven girls representing Kenya in New York. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that makes me proud of how far I’ve come,” she said.
She got the opportunity through NIEHUB (Northern Innovation and Empowerment Hub), GirlUp Kenya and Hack Foundation in the USA.
Arfi said she was preparing herself by conducting research about hackathons, improving her presentation and teamwork skills.
“I’m also learning more about global tech trends so I can contribute meaningfully during the hackathon,” Arfi said.
Arfi, who completed her secondary education in November 2024 at Sumeya High School, this is a dream come true. She comes from a background where this level of success and access is rare.
Arfi hopes to join university and will be the first in her family. One of the reasons she chose to learn technology and digital literacy, she says, was because she wanted to transform lives in her home town of Garissa.
“After getting to know what other amazing women like Fatuma Dubow, founder of NIEHUB are doing to in order to bridge the digital divide and mentor girls, I wanted to be part of that change and inspire other girls to see that tech is not just for a few, but for everyone,” she said.
She was chosen as one of 15 girls for a three-month program. The program, run by NIEHUB, offered guidance and training in digital skills.
It was through this program that she was picked to represent Kenya. “I’m hoping to learn from other young innovators around the world, gain new technical and leadership skills.... I also hope to network and build lasting connections that will help me grow in my career,” she said.
“We don’t just train youth on tech skills. We work to build confidence, unlock potential and ensure that the young people of Northern Kenya can dream and lead just like anyone else,” said Fatuma Dubow, founder of NIEHUB.
“I want to start community workshops to train young people, especially girls, in basic computer literacy and coding. Technology can also help solve issues like unemployment by connecting youth to online jobs and digital entrepreneurship,” she said.
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