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Barracks damaged on stilts in polluted water. Canoes must be transported in the maze of narrow canals. Okpoe's father is a fisherman. His mother sells smoked fish and makes a living on the sidelines of Africa's largest city.
Lagos has a thriving economy based on oil, finance and manufacturing. And the city is now considered the Silicon Valley of Nigeria, with the opening of Facebook and Google offices earlier this year.
Yet, it is estimated that nearly two – thirds of the city 's 21 million inhabitants live in shantytowns devoid of electricity, reliable drinking water and sanitation.
"When I went to Makoko for the first time, I was surprised to see the living conditions of human beings," recalls Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin, a computer programmer from Lagos. "Most girls are trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty.Many of them do not think about education, a plan for the future."
This is the vision of Ajayi-Akinfolarin, who has left a successful career to devote himself to this work. She noted that few women were working in this fast-growing field – a 2013 government survey found that less than 8% of Nigerian women were employed in professional, management or technology occupations. She wanted to bridge the gender gap.
"Technology is a male dominated space, why should we leave that to the guys?" she says. "I think girls need opportunities."
Now, after school and during the summer, dozens of girls aged 10 to 17 receive training in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python and Scratch. Students come from shanty towns or other difficult circumstances, such as orphanages, correctional homes and even a camp for those who had to flee Boko Haram.
"I believe you can still find diamonds in these places," Ajayi-Akinfolarin said. "They need that we show them another life."
To do this, his program includes getting students to visit tech companies, not only showing them what technology can do, but also helping them visualize themselves as they join the industry.
Okpoe, for one, took this to heart. She helped create an app called Makoko Fresh that went online this summer, allowing fishermen like her father to sell seafood directly to customers. She wants to become a software engineer and hopes to study computer science at Harvard.
"One thing I want my daughters to keep is that no matter where they come from, they can do it," she said. "They are coders, they are thinkers, their future is promising."
CNN spoke to Ajayi-Akinfolarin about his work. Below you will find a modified version of their conversation.
CNN: How did you discover your love of computers?
Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin: Life has been difficult for me. Losing my mother at the age of 4 (being) beaten by my father – life was completely crazy. I learned to fend for myself.
My first experience with a computer took place at school break, at the age of 10, in a business center run by my brother 's friend. Learning to type and edit text in Microsoft Word was simply beautiful. But I really discovered my love of computers by joining a computer company after high school. When I first discovered the world of computer programming, I was quite natural with that. He just sank. It's about solving problems. I never knew I would look for solutions to the problems of less favored girls.
CNN: Is problem solving not at the heart of your program?
Ajayi-Akinfolarin: That's the reason GirlsCoding is. We also want girls to be leaders and agents of change. We code for a purpose, so they try to solve problems related to what they see.
For example, a project that I like very much is called Hope Sneakers. The girls wanted to deter beggars from the street and therefore created a website to serve as a bridge between the rich and the poor. They wanted a way where someone could unclutter their house and phone them. Then they take what they get rid of – food, clothing, educational material – and give it to those who need it.
We have another project called Break the Blade, which aims to stop female genital mutilation. These girls believe that there is a lot of ignorance about it and want to be ambassadors on this issue. Eventually, they want a bracelet on which you can press a button and he calls the local authorities to come if a female genital mutilation is about to happen.
The fact that they can create solutions to problems makes them feel bold. It's not just about coding anymore.
CNN: What do you hope to do in the future?
Ajayi-Akinfolarin: At present, we are expanding into different states in Nigeria. One day, we also hope to have a facility called Girls Village – a residential program that would provide all kinds of training for girls. We also gave them the opportunity to bring out their ideas on how to solve the problems of their communities and to learn how to present them. You could call it a bigger version of what we are doing right now.
CNN: You have abandoned your career in a growing industry to do this job.
Ajayi-Akinfolarin: We want girls to be creators of technology, not just users. Watching them write code is beautiful. Many of them have never touched a computer before arriving here. This is hallucinating. The joy on their faces is more than just money. I can not buy it.
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