This CNN Hero upcycles old computers to open new worlds for young Kenyans
When a Kenyan inventor who previously sold his children’s toys to make a living started designing smart devices for sale over the Internet in 2014, the reaction was decidedly mixed. Many saw it as a way for the government to sell products to its citizens without needing to go through the approval process at the traditional brick-and-mortar retail level.
But the inventor saw it as a way for him to build upon an invention he had started in his garage back in 2001, when he was 14, that had yet to reach commercial market.
It was a personal computer that could be loaded with games, but that used a special chip for security purposes – the kind that was used in credit card encryption. It was a personal computer that could only be used on the internet.
“I realized that I could create something better than what already existed,” says Kenyansimulator co-founder John Amalang.
It was an idea that had once been dismissed as fantasy, but one that, if put into action, could bring to life the dream of connecting the world to each other through the Internet, the foundation of the global economy.
A man in Kenya holds up a box containing his “Kenyansimulator,” a personal computer that is only capable of Internet usage, during a press conference held by the Kenyan government to show off its efforts to use the Internet more effectively as a tool to deliver education, health services, and other government services. (CNN)
The prototype device, called the “Kenyansimulator,” was on sale from a local retailer for 100 Kenyan shillings (just over $3). But its launch was a long time coming.
A man in Kenya holds up a box containing his “Kenyansimulator,” a personal computer that is only capable of Internet usage, during a press conference held by the Kenyan government to show off its efforts to use the Internet more effectively as a tool to deliver education, health services, and other government services. (CNN)
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