A Letter from Our Founder

Dear iNERDE Family,

On July 8, 2023, we gathered to celebrate something extraordinary—10 years of iNERDE. Ten years of believing that every African child deserves access to world-class STEM education. Ten years of proving that talent is universal, but opportunity is not.

When we started in 2014, we were just a small team running a summer camp in Bamako with 30 fourth and fifth graders. We didn't know if it would work. We didn't know if we could sustain it. But we knew it mattered.

Today, we've served 600+ students across 10+ countries. We've built Team Mali—Africa's first robotics team—and watched them win silver at the FIRST Global Challenge. We've partnered with Dell Technologies, Gates Foundation, and UNESCO. We've evolved from summer camps to a scalable Teacher Multiplier Model that can reach millions.

But the numbers don't tell the full story. The story is in Diadji Diawara, one of our earliest students, who spoke at our 10th anniversary about how iNERDE changed her life. The story is in every facilitator who believes in their community's potential. The story is in every parent who sacrifices to give their child a better future.

The next 10 years will be our most ambitious yet. By 2030, we're committed to creating 1 million STEM alumni across Africa. It sounds impossible. But ten years ago, so did everything we've accomplished so far.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Here's to the next chapter.

— Mohamed Tiemoko Kante

Our Journey: 2014-2024

From 30 students in Bamako to 600+ across Africa. Here's how we got here.

2014

The Beginning: First STEM Camp

iNERDE held its first STEM Summer Camp in Bamako, Mali with 30 fourth and fifth graders. For seven weeks, we discovered that we were the ones inspired by the passion of our students for learning.

2016

Ntomo Innovation Academy Launched

Renamed from Colonie de Vacances STEM, we introduced CodeNERDE—a second-level program focused on robotics and programming. Expanded to Senegal.

2017

Team Mali Wins Silver at FIRST Global

Africa's first robotics team competed at the FIRST Global Challenge and won silver medal. International media coverage (CNN, BBC) put Mali on the STEM education map.

2019

African Robotics Challenge

Partnered with African Collective Impact Initiative (ACII) to organize continental robotics competition in Pretoria. Teams from across Africa competed.

2020-22

Dell Solar Learning Labs Partnership

Launched afterschool STEM programs in South Africa through Dell Technologies partnership. Reached 600+ students across 15+ community labs with 85%+ attendance rates.

2023

10th Anniversary & UNESCO Partnership

Celebrated a decade of impact. Became official UNESCO implementing partner. Announced iNERDE Academy platform launching in 2024.

2024

Teacher Multiplier Model Launched

Pivoted from camps to scalable Learning Pods model. Sira AI tutor and iNERDE Academy platform launched. 10 pods launching in Bamako.

Moments from the Celebration

Photos from our 10th anniversary event on July 8, 2023

Where Are They Now?

Meet Diadji Diawara, one of our earliest students who spoke at our 10th anniversary

Diadji Diawara

iNERDE Alumni | Team Mali Member

"iNERDE didn't just teach me coding and robotics. It taught me that being African doesn't mean settling for less. We can build, create, and compete with anyone in the world."

Diadji was one of our earliest students in the 2014 camp. She went on to become a member of Team Mali, helping the team win silver at the FIRST Global Challenge in 2017.

Today, she's pursuing a degree in computer science and mentoring younger students through iNERDE programs. Her journey embodies everything we work toward: creating pathways for African youth to thrive in STEM fields.

"When I was in iNERDE's program, I didn't know girls could be engineers. Now I'm proving that we can—and we will."

Looking Ahead: Our Vision for 2030

The next 10 years will be our most ambitious yet. Here's what we're building toward.

1 Million Alumni

Create 1 million STEM alumni across francophone Africa by 2030 through the Teacher Multiplier Model

Regional Expansion

Scale from Mali to Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and across francophone West Africa with sustainable Learning Pods

AI-Powered Learning

Deploy Sira AI tutors that deliver personalized, culturally-contextualized STEM education at scale

Thank You to Our Champions

None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of our donors, partners, volunteers, and supporters who have stood by us through thick and thin. Your belief in our mission has been the wind beneath our wings. You are the true heroes of iNERDE.