This image depicts a group of coding enthusiasts led by Duduzile Mashinini, a coach and friend to many young people in Mpumalanga Province. Duduzile Mashinini joined the Mpumalanga ICT organization as a volunteer to help with various coding projects that the organization has accepted and launched.
She travels with the Founder of the Mpumalanga ICT Club, Ms Nomusa Keninda, to assist schools in implementing Coding and Robotics Curriculum. Her journey as an Unplugged Coding Evengelist has influenced many changes in the mentality of the children she has touched. Coding, as we all know, develops critical thinking abilities, problem solving skills, and all the other amazing skills required in today's changing environment.
Her participation in these coding exercises has also given her the confidence to stand in front of a full-size classroom with more than 60 students and deliver a dynamic coding lecture, just like a licensed instructor. I was quite fortunate to have heard her polite voice pierce through the classroom.
"When I joined the club, I had no idea what was going on when you teach coding, it was really hard but I learned because I was determined," Dudu said. "There were no financial benefits, but I felt fulfilled to be part of the team that changes lives."
She was lucky to be assigned a role in the club to educate other Coding evangelists who had recently joined the club as Tangible Africa interns. They visit schools with other interns from the eMalahleni and Steve Tshwete Municipalities to explain unplugged Coding using cellphones and puzzle pieces produced by Nelson Mandela University. These interns are currently training teams of students in schools to compete in the Mandela Day Coding Tournament 2023. Last year, this competition was held at Witbank High School, and over 160 children participated in teams. We hope to see more schools celebrate Mandela Day with coding activities.
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