Young Engineers Uganda and their instructors at PARC in Dakar Senegal 2023
Fresh from securing a silver medal for Uganda at the Pan African Robotics Championship in Dakar, Senegal, Young Engineers Uganda, a pioneering STEM education program for children aged 4-17, has received a significant boost in the form of VEX Robotics Kits valued at $10,000.
This generous donation was made by Baxter Bernard Pittman, Sergeant First Class, in the US Army.
The Young Engineers programme is run by the African School of Innovations, Science, and Technology (ASIST) Limited founded by journalist Arinaitwe Rugyendo in 2016.
He founded it to inspire the next generation of Ugandan scientists and problem solvers through a LEGO and Robotics after-school Curriculum.
The consignment of kits was delivered this morning to the Young Engineers Uganda offices on Semwatta Road, Ntinda, Kampala Suburb, by Megan Diane Lavery, a biomedical engineer and volunteer staff in charge of mentorship and international relations with Engineers Without Borders. The kits were received by Young Engineers Uganda Chief Executive Officer Maureen Karamagi, accompanied by Chief Operations Officer Caroline Otaremwa.
“We are overwhelmed by this kindness,” said Ms. Karamagi. “As we prepare for a national robotics competition that will select more teams to represent Uganda at the VEX World Robotics Championship in the US next year, these kits will help us reach more children and inspire the next generation of scientists and innovators.”
Caroline Otaremwa, expressed her gratitude, emphasizing the importance of the donation in nurturing young Ugandan talents. “This means a lot to us as we continue to nurture the next generation of Ugandan scientists, innovators, critical thinkers, and problem solvers,” she said.
The VEX V5 advanced robotics kits are specifically designed for youth aged 14 to 18 years and provide an introduction to competitive and industrial robotics.
Allen Nanyonjo, Head of STEM at Young Engineers Uganda, highlighted the donation’s impact: “These kits will enable us to support teenagers struggling with the lower secondary competence-based curriculum, providing them with hands-on experience in robotics and engineering.”
Baxter Pittman first encountered the Young Engineers team during their participation in the VEX World Robotics Championship in Dallas, where they competed against teams from over 60 countries in May this year. The event, sponsored by top technology companies including the US Navy, Apple, Google, and NASA, identifies talented students for scholarships to leading technology colleges and universities worldwide. The Ugandan team won in the science category, competing against over 800 teams across more than ten categories.
“We are incredibly grateful for this support,” Ms. Karamagi added. “It will allow us to have five teams compete in the upcoming National Competition, further strengthening our commitment to STEM education in Uganda.”
By winning at the Pan African Robotics Championship in Dakar, Young Engineers Uganda has already secured a slot to represent the country during next year’s VEX World Robotics Championship, in Dallas US.
However, the organization is seeking to expand the scope to attract more teams to represent the country. A national competition is being organized to take place in November during which more teams from participating schools will be selected to showcase their STEM capabilities on the global stage.
“We will announce the details soon,” M. Otaremwa says.
