Impact
Since 2000, AITI has affected the lives of its MIT participants and its African students in unknowable ways. Some of our African students have come to the US for undergraduate or graduate studies. Others have secured jobs in multinational corporations, or started their own technology-oriented businesses. Simultaneously, our MIT student/instructors almost universally believe that AITI was the best experience of their MIT education. The student/instructors leave the program with a new perspective on the world and a new direction in life.
AITI began as an ambitious idea in the minds of three Africans students who came to MIT for undergraduate studies. In the years since the first pilot program in Kenya, the organization has expanded well beyond the founders' initial expectations. Briefly:
- AITI has sent over 100 MIT student/instructors to Africa.
- AITI has instructed over 1200 African students in technologies appropriate to their local environment.
- Over the years AITI has operated programs in multiple sites in four countries (Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zambia).
- We have created a Mobile Application Development curriculum. The materials include lectures, labs, projects, and software platforms.
An important goal of AITI is to promote entrepreneurship and small business development. For an example, we can look at our Kenya 2009 program. Two companies were founded by students shortly after the program ended:
- MobiTechno, the team that won first prize at our Mobile Application Competition, developed their AITI project into a registered Kenyan company. They have also copyrighted their idea. More exciting, their service is now hosted in Kenya with an SMS service provider. The service has an SMS shortcode that allows users to access their service via SMS with a short, 5 digit number. They are meeting with advisors and venture capitalists, contacts they made through the AITI course. The service is currently being tested through a limited rollout.
- Simon Ndunda, a distinguished graduate of our Kenyan
2009 program has started a business with 3
colleagues. Simon describes the business as
a software development business where we are focusing on SMS solutions among other IT services
. The name of the company is Equisoft Technologies. Simon writes:My gratitude to AITI, and more so the group that came to Kenya this year, is not measurable.
Teaching appropriate information and communication
technology to African students is important. However,
what is more important is leaving our students with a
positive and inquisitive attitude. Often the biggest
challange our teams face is the defeatist attitude of the
African students. Our students are intelligent and
incredibly eager to learn, but sometimes they have an
attitude of That will not work in Africa.
AITI
believes the most important component of its mission is to
teach the students that they can positively affect their
environment through hard work and unfaltering
determination.
Media Coverage of AITI
Through My Eyes
MIT's The Tech
February 26, 2008
Working at Alliance High School in Kikuyu and
Strathmore University in Nairobi, the MIT team taught the
students computer knowledge and skill they could apply to
community service or entrepreneurial endeavors.
We
developed strong relationships with teachers and students,
especially at Strathmore University where the students
were essentially our peers, and remain in contact via
email and Facebook,
Gleb wrote in an e-mail. When Gleb
contacted his students post-election troubles, he learned
that the media had been sensationalizing the events to
some extent, though not to understate that people have
been losing their lives and others are being displaced
from their homes.
Gleb found that his students had the
advantage of access to resources and information which
allowed them to absorb information from around the
world and analyze the happenings in their own country from
a broader perspective, leading to greater understanding
and more responsible means of dealing with the
issue.
The African Internet Technology Initiative
Digital Divide Network
December 10, 2004
The program is enhancing the lives of MIT students as
well as African students and teachers. Students and
teachers at the participating African institutions are
equipped with skills to obtain employment and assist in
community service initiatives. The courses offered
introduce them to the latest Information Technology tools
and entrepreneurship skills. Students are expected to
share these skills with their peers and to use these
skills to assist in the development of IT in their
respective countries.
Student Initiatives
GhanaWeb
October 6, 2004
AITI has been impacting Ghana for the past three
years, teaching students from Presec, Achimota and
Legon. The reason why these schools have benefited is
because old students from these schools have taken the
initiative. It is not exclusive to these schools and AITI
led by its student innovators are in the process of
expanding.
MIT AITI offers IT summer training to AAU
students
Ethiopia News
August, 2004
The training is believed to help enhance the various
courses offered by the faculty and introduce new
innovations of the Information Technology (IT), Dr. Abebe
said. Trainers' representative, Nesrudin Abbas said the
MIT-AITI has the objective of improving the process of
teaching learning in the field in Africa. AITI had
conducted similar training programs in Kenya and Ghana,
Nesrudin said, adding the courses offered are of huge
importance, especially to students of engineering. The
trainers who are citizens of U.S.A., Kenya or Ethiopia are
students of the MIT who show academic excellence, he
indicated. The MIT-AITI is an innovative program started
by MIT students to integrate computers and Internet
technology into the education of students in African
schools.
GNVC holds a one day workshop
GhanaWeb Business News
July 23, 2004
Given that information technology carries the
potential to empower people around the globe with
knowledge; African students need to be equipped with the
tools and skills needed for the development of
information technology. This year, [MIT AITI] decided to
include a component on entrepreneurship because of the
need to help these young people transform their skills
into ventures that will go a long way to help
Ghana.
AITI project. Africa MIT students landing in Africa
Indure (Italy)
May 31, 2004
A real experience, therefore, distance
education.
I would say yes. Students in Kenya are
connected to our site and attended the lectures of
Introduction to Computer Programming -1 - in groups of
five. After the lesson, we sent via e-mail their
questions and addressed related to the tests studied.
So we finished the course in Kenya without our physical
presence.
Open Source Software May Be the Key to Spreading
Information Technology in Africa
ReadMe
April 23, 2004
The cost reduction of open source makes it
affordable for African students,
says Eston Kamini,
the President of MIT's MIT Africa Internet Technology
Initiative. MIT-AITI is a student-run program which uses
free open-source systems to introduce African students to
computers and the Internet.
Networked Learning
DePaul University
2004
International organizations such as MIT-AITI and
local organizations such as SchoolNet Africa and
Direqlearn are working in conjunction to translate OSS
into local languages to make it more user friendly. The
cost reduction of open source software makes it
affordable for African students. MIT-AITI uses open
source software to introduce African students to
computers and the Internet.
DOT-COM Activity: Ghana and IT policy
Dot.com Alliance
July 2003
MIT-Africa Internet Technology Initiative
(MIT-AITI) is an innovative program started by MIT
students to integrate computers and Internet
technology into the education of students in African
schools.
Students Spend Summer Travelling, Volunteering
The Tech, MIT
May 16, 2002
Emig, who is anticipating his experience aboard,
said that through the MIT-AITI,
I can volunteer and do
a good thing.
Two MIT students win Rhodes Scholarships; Both plan to study economics at Oxford
MIT News Office
December 2001
Njoroge first envisioned the MIT-AITI project while
attending a LeaderShape summer program after his
sophomore year. He developed the idea, he said, with the
help of his advisor, Paul Gray, professor emeritus of
electrical engineering and computer science and president
emeritus of MIT.
Student group hosts conference on closing digital divide
MIT News Office
April 11, 2001
About a hundred students and professionals working
in the fields of technology and development got together
for
Bridging the Digital Divide: The Role of Students,
hosted by students of the MIT-Africa Internet Technology
Initiative (MIT-AITI).
Profile: Paul Njoroge
Leadership Online
January 2001
To build on his idea, Njoroge sought assistance
from one of his LeaderShape group leaders, a respected
electrical engineering professor and president emeritus
at MIT, Paul Gray. Professor Gray became a mentor,
sounding board, and ultimately one of the financial
supporters for Njoroge's idea. Njoroge also had the help
of his friend and fellow Kenyan, Martin Mbaya who shared
his vision. With the help of two American-born MIT alums,
Eric Traub and Andrew Nevins, the MIT Africa Internet
Technology Initiative (AITI) was born.
Grad student sets up program to teach Java course in Nairobi
MIT News Office
October 2000
Mr. Njoroge, Mr. Traub of Florida, Andrew Nevins, a
graduate student in linguistics from California, and
Kenyan Martin Mbaya (SB 2000) traveled to Nairobi in July
after spending much of the previous six months planning
the curriculum and raising the money for the
project. Other students at MIT involved are Solomon
Assefa, a graduate student in electrical engineering from
Ethiopia who helped prepare the curriculum and will help
with future planning, and Saria Hassan, a senior in
biology and chemistry from Sudan who is helping to plan
the next phase of the project.
Testimonials
African Students
I attended Achimota School back in Ghana. Somewhere in 2002, I had the golden opportunity to learn from a group of talented students from MIT who came to teach Java. I gained a wealth of experience and the program left an indelible print on my plans in life. I remember meeting Evita, one of the students from MIT who happens to be a Ghanaian. This enamored me so much that it strengthened my resolve to dream big and apply to MIT. God being so good, everything turned out great and I was accepted into a host of schools including MIT.I chose MIT in order to come through AITI to my motherland and do what Evita did: so that another kid sitting in the AITI class will also find the courage to dream big!- Sadik Antwi-Boampong (MIT Class of 2009, AITI-Ghana participant 2004)
Irene's sister was a student at Strathmore College in 2002 and participated in the AITI program. Her sister told her about MIT and the program and she decided to look into MIT when she was applying to school in the fall. Irene was admitted to MIT and matriculated in the Fall of 2003. She has since been very involved in AITI, wanting to give back to her country and the program that first opened her eyes to the opportunities available at MIT. In the summer of 2004 she participated in the AITI-Kenya program as an instructor. She also led "How to apply to college" discussions at high schools in the Nairobi area to expose students at an early age to the opportunities that are available to them in U.S. and Kenyan universities. As a Kenyan who made it to one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, she provided inspiration to many. She has continued her influence in AITI and served as Vice-President.- Irene Murimi (MIT Class of 2007, Chemical Engineering)
MIT Student / Instructors
Teaching in Ethiopia was an eye opener for me. We were constantly impressed by the energy and commitment of our students, regardless of how busy they were with outside commitments. AITI taught me how to plan and teach a course in a developing country and how to live, work and travel in a very foreign culture.- Jeremy Franklin (MIT Instructor, AITI Ethiopia 2006)
The zeal and energy shown by the Zambian students was amazing. They not only learned about principles of programming but also acquired the skills useful in applying their technical knowledge through the Entrepreneurship program. My participation in AITI has given me a new appreciation for the opportunities available to me studying in the United States. The challenges involved implementing the program arms one with teamwork, mentoring and leadership skills that will definitely be invaluable in the future.- Edward Mabonga, Zambia 05
The MIT AITI experience is a true embodiment of what an MIT education is all about. The combination of team work, engineering application and community service through empowering brilliant African students was a great learning experience. I really enjoyed teaching and helping students acquire skills that will make a difference in their lives. AITI was definitely one of the most rewarding things I have done at MIT.-Bilha Ndirangu, Kenya 05
AITI is a very organized student organization. It breathes and practices excellence and impact. AITI was an invaluable resource in preparing me and my team for our summer assignment. The summer assignment was very exciting for me and I loved living out AITI's goals. AITI is an initiative that is going places and I want to go places with them.- Ato Ulzen-Appiah, Ghana 2004
Taking part in AITI this summer has been my most rewarding experience in college. AITI gave me the chance to influence the lives of brilliant African students and empower them with skills that will greatly help them advance their professional lives. I was also given the chance of experiencing the culture and hospitality of the Ghanaian people, who showed a lot of appreciation for the initiative that we took in taking this course to Africa.- Samuel Gikandi, Ghana 2004
MIT AITI has been one of the most eye opening experiences I've had at MIT. People often complain that students here are too caught up in the Tech bubble to realize there is life outside of Athena and school work. The MIT AITI program will teach you the world is a huge but wonderful place. From road blocks due to donkey and sheep crossings to teaching students about Java and P. Diddy, a few sentences can not convey the amazing six weeks of emotional growth I experienced in Ethiopia.- Qian Wang, Ethiopia 2004
"I believe that every MIT student should be blessed with an opportunity to participate in AITI. It is a life changing experience that will not only give a full sense of satifaction, but also a keen sense of awareness and realization of how blessed we all are here in the USA.You will find yourself working harder than you ever have because of the responsibility that you will assume."- Jamal Isa, Ethiopia 2004
AITI was one of the most challenging and enriching experiences I had while at MIT. It showed me that I could use my engineering skills to help and empower other students a world away. My career vision has dramatically changed as a result of AITI, and I look forward to working on similar challenges on the continent in the future!- Bryant Harrison, Kenya 2004
My AITI experience in Ghana was an all-around enriching experience. I greatly enjoyed both teaching and learning about Ghanaian history and culture. Despite some difficulties with the language barrier and outdated computer technology, we were proud to complete an extensive curriculum and lay a foundation upon which the students could build. To this day, I still get emails from past AITI students about the new projects their pursuing using the knowledge and tools we gave them. It was well worth the time and effort.- Greg Dennis, Ghana 2003
One of the most culturally enriching, fun-filled, educational and productive trips I have ever been to. AITI enabled us to teach useful skills to Ghanaian students, while learning a lot about the local people and their way of life. Ghanaians are simply one of the friendliest and most beautiful people I have ever met. An AITI trip is a great service opportunity that complements the MIT experience.- Jehanzeb Noor, Pakistan, Class of 2004
The summer I taught in Ethiopia is one of my most memorable and rewarding experiences. The enthusiasm of the students and their thirst for knowledge was truly unbelievable. At the end of the course, over 100 students had gained important programming skills and knowledge. Although we had successes, we were limited by the facilities of the Institute. Most computers were old and not equipped with the necessary software. Also, our student-teacher ratio was high, which made it difficult for us to interact with the students. Overall, we learned to solve these problems and the summer was a great success.- Mohammed Haji, Ethiopia 2003