On the Tracker team, I love hearing great stories about our users and the things they are able to accomplish using agile methodologies and collaboration. I’m also a woman in tech and have a keen interest in supporting other women as well as other diverse groups who work persistently to reach their goals in tech. One story I’ve been following lately is the story of Tracker user Martha Chelimo Njeri Chumo (“Njeri”) and her teammates.
After raising funds, Njeri was set to attend this summer’s Hacker school in New York. Unfortunately she was denied a visa by the U.S. consulate in Kenya, curtailing her original plans.
It’s very easy when facing something beyond your own control to give up or to become discouraged. Njeri, however, was able to completely turn the tables on this setback by looking towards her own community and reaching for collaboration. Today, Njeri and her teammates are making plans to set up Nairobi’s own hacker school: Nairobi Dev Camp.
While I’ve given the Nairobi Dev School some support on my own, I decided to take a lesson from them and rope in my own team to support her cause.
Unsurprisingly, the rest of the Tracker team was also inspired by Njeri’s determination and wanted to pass her story along. While she still has a lot of work ahead of her to make this camp a reality, she also recognizes that she can’t do it alone, which is why she launched a campaign for Nairobi Dev School on Indiegogo.
We hope that you will be as moved as we are and help the Nairobi Dev School anyway you see fit. We wish Njeri and her teammates success.
