Vodafone Foundation Reached Over 400 thousand Children with “Coding Tomorrow”

Vodafone Foundation reached over 400 thousand children across Turkey through the “Coding Tomorrow” project launched 8 years ago to raise generations ready for the digital future. The total social value achieved in one year amounted to nearly 14 million TL. The Foundation organized the “Coding Tomorrow Supports Social Life” project in 11 cities most affected by the earthquake and provided coding training to more than 107 thousand children.

Committed to lead social change and development, Vodafone Foundation continues to prepare young generations for the digital future. Vodafone Foundation launched the “Coding Tomorrow” project 8 years ago in cooperation with Habitat Association and provides theoretical and practical trainings on topics such as introduction to programming and algorithm logic under the supervision of volunteer trainers to children aged between 7-14 across Turkey. The project has reached over 400 thousand children in 81 cities so far, the total social value achieved in one year amounted to nearly 14 million TL. Through the “Coding Tomorrow Supports Social Life” project carried out in 11 cities affected by the earthquake, Vodafone Foundation provided coding training to more than 107 thousand children in those cities.

Hasan Süel, the Chair of Vodafone Turkey Foundation, expressed his views as follows:

“As Vodafone Foundation and Habitat Association, we launched the ‘Coding Tomorrow’ project 8 years ago to raise generations ready for the digital future. We want to raise a generation that produces rather than consumes. So, we provide theoretical and practical training to children between 7-14 years old all over our country on topics such as introduction to programming, algorithm logic, developing apps, creating stories, and designing games. During these trainings, our children get an idea about programming, work on projects that will unleash their creativity, create imaginary worlds, and design games. We have provided coding training to over 400 thousand children in 81 cities. We redesigned our project to meet the needs of the earthquake zone and launched a sub-project called ‘Coding Tomorrow Supports Social Life’. Thanks to this project, we have surpassed our target by reaching over 107 thousand children. As Vodafone Foundation, we will continue to work for our children’s future with the “Technology for the Greater Good” principle.”

Sezai Hazır, the Board Chairman of Habitat Association, shared the following remarks:

“We are proud and delighted that our ‘Coding Tomorrow’ project, which we initiated in cooperation with Vodafone Foundation, is broadening its horizons by reaching more and more children and young people every day. As Habitat Association, undertaking important activities focusing on digital transformation, we contribute to preparing children for the digital world of the future. Indeed, it is among the things that made us proud that 2 out of every 5 children trained in Scratch in Turkey receive training as part of the ‘Coding Tomorrow’ project. We know that the most important way to reduce the devastation caused by the earthquake is to support education in the affected regions. That is why, through our ‘Coding Tomorrow’ project, we organized 4 container classrooms, 7 technology classrooms, and mobile tent schools in 11 cities in the earthquake zone. Furthermore, we established 49 village technology classes to support the disadvantaged groups in rural areas. We will work harder than ever to support more students in their competencies in digital transformation.”

Growing with sister projects

Vodafone Foundation has expanded the scope of the “Coding Tomorrow” project with sister projects. One of these projects, “From Waste to Code” is designed to transform electronic waste into added value, thereby creating both social and environmental impact. As part of the project, e-waste brought by Vodafone employees, business partners and customers from their homes is collected and recycled, and coding classes are set up in schools with the economic income generated from recycling. More than 21 tons of e-waste has been recycled with the support of 53 business partners, 10 coding classrooms have been opened and nearly 10 thousand children have gained access to digital tools.

Another sister project, “Green Planet”, provides face-to-face and online trainings on climate change, e-waste recycling, recycling, sustainability, and disaster issues to children aged 7-14 in different cities across Turkey. The project has reached about 21 thousand children to date. Apart from the trainings organized under the project, an ideathon on “Eco-Friendly Cities” was organized. A total of 30 students in 10 teams competed in the ideathon, where students developed projects to improve the environmental sustainability of their city.

Through the “Village Schools” project, one of the sub-organizations of “Coding Tomorrow”, fully equipped technology classes were opened in 45 village schools in different parts of Turkey. As a result of the technological trainings given in these schools, more than 10 thousand children and approximately 5 thousand parents, including the surrounding villages, were reached in one year. Furthermore, 360 villages were visited with mobile trainings, reaching approximately 10 thousand more children.

Coding training in the earthquake zone

Vodafone Turkey Foundation implemented a new project called “Coding Tomorrow Supports Social Life” in the earthquake zone. As part of the project, music and fairy tale workshops, coding trainings, and various social activities are organized for children aged 7-14 in container technology classes set up in Adiyaman, Kahramanmaras, Malatya, and Hatay as well as in the mobile tent school visiting villages, tent cities and container cities in 11 cities affected by the disaster. Children also receive psychosocial support through play therapy. The project has so far reached over 107 thousand children. Moreover, the “Hackathon for Technological Solutions to Natural Disasters” was organized for high school students.