Motivation Statement: Afopezi Moses

Growing up, I have always had an unwavering passion for technology. This passion led me to engage in developing a platform aimed at equalizing and digitizing education in Cameroon and across Africa.

Coming from a humble background, my parents could barely afford my school fees and those of my younger brothers, especially during the political unrest that erupted in our region of origin in 2018. My education was interrupted for two years, yet my parents consistently emphasized the importance of investing in education and leveraging technology to reach out to impoverished and affected communities. In 2019, over 80% of schools in my region closed due to the crisis, denying thousands of students, including myself, access to education.

Facing numerous disruptions in my own education, and as a young tech enthusiast passionate about promoting equal access to education, I recognized the urgent need for action. Consequently, I co-founded and developed Skolarr, which has become one of Cameroon's most successful educational technology platforms, currently serving over 15,000 students.

Through Skolarr, we provide a platform that enables students from both the English and French subsystems of education to study from the comfort of their homes. This is achieved through access to study notes and past examination questions with solutions from national exam boards. Furthermore, our machine learning algorithm allows students to take a final test to ensure their understanding of the subject matter. By partnering with MTN Cameroon Foundation, we are working towards making education more accessible to students in even the smallest localities and war-affected communities. These collaborations aim to bridge the existing inequality gap in Cameroonian education.

As an OD scholar, Open Dreams has been our powerhouse supporting this vision, as we source talented scholars from the summer academy program year after year to join our team, contributing to our vision of serving over 1,000,000 children by 2035.