UWC’s LenoKids Gains Global Recognition, Bridges Gaps in English Learning
LenoKids, an early childhood education start-up business driven by students in collaboration with the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), has been selected to compete at the prestigious Hult Prize Bangkok 2024 Summit.
This will be the project’s second international competition as it continues to broaden its international footprint.
Lenokids is a gamified English learning platform that mainly strives to help improve children’s reading literacy across Africa.
It’s an AI-driven WhatsApp application that creates an engaging learning environment for children to interact with a robot friend.
It offers interactive classes, games, storytelling, and handwriting activities to make learning enjoyable and engaging for children.
Through games, quizzes, and interactive exercises, children develop language skills while having fun. Mr Abe Oliver, Director at the UWC CEI, said he was pleased with the project’s growth and impact.
In February, Computer Science Master’s student Sange Mafinyongwana represented LenoKids in Nigeria as an international finalist at the 2024 Switzerland-Africa AIT Annual Conference. The start-up he co-founded was also selected as one of 12 businesses to participate in the Swiss Residency Week this month (May 2024).
Mafinyongwana said, “It all started with solving a social problem of illiteracy in South Africa, and then later we found that it’s a global challenge. We challenged ourselves in coming up with an innovative solution to address this issue.”
The Bangkok Hult Prize Summit in June this year will be hosted in partnership with Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, and more than 10 000 global entries have been received, while only 360 startups were chosen.
Lenokids was recognised for its exceptional potential to impact the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This achievement propels them towards the possibility of winning $1-million in startup capital.
The LenoKids programme develops storytelling and handwriting activities as it serves a crucial role in language development, enhancing children’s vocabulary and comprehension, while handwriting activities help improve fine motor skills and reinforce letter formation.
UWC serves as a vital partner in LenoKids’ journey, continuing to empower young learners as it exemplifies the power of collaboration in shaping a brighter future for South Africa’s children.