Nelly Cheboi, who warmed the hearts of many people with her grass-to-grace story, has been named the 2022 CNN Hero of The Year.
Online voters selected her from among this year’s Top 10 CNN Heroes.
The list included notable global figures like Adam Scott, Naomi Campbell, Aubrey Plaza, among others.
In 2019, Ms Cheboi quit a lucrative software engineering job in Chicago to create computer labs for Kenyan schoolchildren.
Cheboi’s nonprofit, TechLit Africa, has provided thousands of students with access to donated, upcycled computers and the chance at a brighter future.
TechLit is short for Technologically Literate Africa.
Cheboi accepted the award with her mother, who she said worked hard to educate them.
At the beginning of her acceptance speech, Cheboi and her mother sang a song onstage that she explained had a special meaning when she was growing up.
Congratulations to Nelly Cheboi, the 2022 CNN Hero of the Year!
Learn more about her at https://t.co/MkgzSoE3Zf #CNNHeroes pic.twitter.com/n6Dy3bQuPo
— CNN Heroes (@CNNHeroes) December 12, 2022
As CNN Hero of the Year, Cheboi will receive $100,000 (roughly Sh12m) to expand her work.
Nelly will also be named an Elevate Prize winner, which comes with a $300,000 (roughly Sh37m) grant and additional support worth $200,000 (Sh24m) for her nonprofit.
Earlier this year, Nelly posted the video of a young primary school pupil from Baringo county who stunned Kenyans after showcasing the website he built at
Bowen, a beneficiary of TechLit Africa, explained the website’s features. He showed some of the website’s features, including the hyperlinks and the code he wrote.
@techlitafrica Website tutorial in Swahili ???????? #kenyantiktok #cbc #techlitafrica ♬ Bowen_sofware_engineer_from_mogotio – TechLit Africa
