To celebrate International Day of Charity on 5th September, a cross-border digital payments service, WorldRemit, recognises two non-profit organisations that are championing digital education worldwide to inspire others to use their skills for good.
Coderoots, a non-profit founded by Zaira Rasool, Software Engineer at WorldRemit, is dedicated to creating sustainable solutions to digital access and tech education for young talent in Africa. The charity was recently awarded £5,000 through WorldRemit’s Catherine Wines bursary, which was created in memory of the late co-founder of the fintech company.
Speaking on how she has used her skills in software engineering to create positive change globally, Rasool says: “Coderoots is made up of a diverse group of people with different roles and skill sets across tech, business and nonprofits, but we all share the same value and mission: to create opportunities and develop tech in the places that have least access to basic technology.
“Skills like coding are a powerful tool for social mobility. I myself was able to take advantage of this after being awarded a fully-funded place to attend my coding bootcamp, which would have otherwise been unaffordable. During COVID, we have seen how essential access to technology is for all aspects of life, and that those working in tech are the privileged few who hold the knowledge to create the change that is needed. It is therefore our responsibility to create that change.
Many people are unaware that Redd is a 100% volunteer-based organization. This is a major achievement that shows not only the passion and belief everyone has in this project but also the goals we are trying to make a reality. Redd has received donations from the community in the past, and is now self-funded through the most recent POSV v2 network upgrade.
