Kenyans Nelly Cheboi and Teresia Wanjiku Win the Prestigious Elevate Award in the US

CNN's 2022 Hero of the Year Award winner Nelly Cheboi has bagged another top award in the United States.

Cheboi, a 29-year-old Kenyan software engineer based in the US, is among the 12 winners of this year’s Elevate Prize. 

She was recognized for her role in building technology labs in rural Kenya and was selected as part of The Elevate Prize Foundation’s collaboration with CNN Heroes.

As CNN Hero of the Year Award winner, Cheboi received a cash prize of $100,000 (Sh12 million) to expand her work. Her nonprofit TechLit Africa uses recycled computers to create technology labs in schools. 

Another Kenyan Teresa Wanjiku Njoroge was also among the winners of the 2023 Elevate Prize announced in New York on Monday. She runs Clean Start Solutions, a social enterprise that works with women and children impacted by the criminal injustice system to support successful reintegration.

Each winner will receive a $300,000 unrestricted grant to continue their work and $200,000 in support services to help them reach a wider audience, as part of the foundation’s goal to “make good famous.”

“I want to work with them. I want to go on this journey with them. I just want them to reach their potential and they all just have massive potential and passion and purpose,” said Joseph Deitch, the chairman and founder of Elevate Prize Foundation.

Other Elevate Prize winners include Crystal Echo Hawk (USA), Dr. Cynthia Fast (Belgium), Atif Javed (USA), Elijah McKinnon (USA), Sana Mustafa (USA), Namya Mahajan (India), Rachel Silverstein (USA), Piyush Tewari (India), Bianca Tylek (USA), Cindy Eggleton (USA).