The Estonian organization Mondo donated Lego sets to Kenya to help educate girls
The Estonian nonprofit organization Mondo received about 50 kilograms of used Lego bricks and sent them to Kenya to spark girls’ interest in science, engineering, and technology. The pieces are already being used to teach children, particularly in robotics classes, according to ERR News.
Mondo representative Emily Mirelle Wutt, who spends much of the year in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, explained that hands-on learning materials and games are too expensive for many families in the country. She said the organization has been working specifically with girls to provide them with more opportunities, build their self-confidence, and help them envision a future in science and technology.
Wutt noted that software developers and programmers in Kenya are typically men. Therefore, Mondo organized a drive to collect used Lego bricks of various shapes and sizes. These can be used, in particular, for teaching robotics.
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In rural areas of the Kisumu region, the organization conducted robotics training for teachers. Afterward, the teachers lead robotics clubs for children at their schools. According to Wutt, girls who had never seen such bricks before immediately began thinking about what they could build with them—including a motorcycle.
One of the teachers told a Mondo representative that robots used to be just a concept from movies for her, but now she can build them with her own hands. Wutt also noted that some children in Kenya drop out of school because they need to help at home or support their families, as well as due to a lack of funds for education.
According to Mondo’s estimates, 50 kilograms of donated parts could amount to approximately 30,000 Lego bricks, assuming an average weight of 1.67 grams per brick.
