19/08/2026
One thing I have come to realize about Africa is that we have one of the largest and youngest populations of young people in the world.
But there is one question that kept me awake at night:
What happens when the largest population of young people is being taught to consume technology, but not to create it?
That question stayed with me.
On one side, I saw businesses struggling with digital solutions. Businesses with real problems that could be solved through technology, but without the right people, systems or digital tools to solve them.
On the other side, I saw young people curious, talented and full of potential who were growing up surrounded by technology but had never been given the opportunity to understand how it works or how to create with it.
I kept asking myself:
What if we could connect these two worlds?
What if we could create an environment where young people donāt just become users of technology, but become developers, engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs and problem-solvers?
That thought eventually became Code and Play Studios.
In 2023, we decided to take the first step.
We didnāt have a large budget.
We didnāt have an office.
We didnāt have a large team.
A lot of what we did in the beginning was personally funded because we believed that if we wanted to see change, somebody had to be willing to start.
So we started small.
We went into schools and communities.
We conducted outreach programmes at Broadmind Secondary School, Chongwe Secondary School, orphanages, Boys Brigade and other communities, introducing young people to coding, robotics and technology.
The goal wasnāt simply to teach them how to write code.
It was to change their perception of technology.
To make a child who had only ever used a phone realise:
āI can build something too.ā
As the journey continued, Code and Play Studios grew.
We became a Raspberry Pi Certified Code Club, giving us an opportunity to provide structured coding education and introduce more young people to programming.
We continued working with schools, communities and young people through coding, robotics and STEM programmes.
We also began providing STEM tutoring services, including working with families connected to the American Embassy in Zambia.
That was a significant moment for us.
Because something that started as an idea funded from our own pockets was becoming something people were willing to trust and pay for.
But we didnāt stop there.
We started participating in robotics competitions and challenging the young people we work with to take what they learn and turn it into something tangible.
In 2025, we achieved 2nd place at the national Robotics Youth Challenge.
Then in 2026, we achieved 3rd place at national level.
Those achievements are special to us because they represent more than positions on a leaderboard.
They represent young people who were given an opportunity to build.
They represent hours of learning, experimenting, failing, rebuilding and trying again.
And they reminded us that the talent is here.
Zambia has the talent.
Sometimes what is missing is simply the opportunity, the environment and someone willing to believe in that talent.
Our journey also took us into entrepreneurship.
This year, Code and Play Studios was selected among the top startups in the AUGTENFORD programme, giving us an opportunity to receive support to strengthen our business operations and take the organisation to the next level.
That experience reminded us that what we were building was bigger than just an educational programme.
We were building a technology ecosystem.
A place where a young person can discover coding.
Where a student can build their first robot.
Where an innovator can find a community.
Where a business can find someone capable of solving a digital problem.
And where technology can move from being something we consume to something we create.
Last year, we also organised Innovators Playground.
It was small.
But sometimes, small beginnings carry very big dreams.
Our vision is to grow Innovators Playground into a platform where Zambiaās technology ecosystem can come together.
Where startups, established companies, developers, engineers, students, innovators and technology enthusiasts can sit in the same room.
Where people can showcase what they are building.
Where ideas can meet opportunities.
Where someone with a small startup can sit next to someone running a much larger company.
Because we donāt believe that the size of your company determines the value of your idea.
Small startup or big startup we believe there is room for everyone at the table.
And then came Give Me 5 for a Smile.
This programme is very close to our hearts because it represents where we want to take this mission next.
We want to work with universities, NGOs, companies, schools, communities and other institutions to discover and connect with young talent across Zambia.
One of our ambitions is to create a Youth Immersion Week.
Imagine a young person who has never stepped into a university being given the opportunity to spend a week experiencing university life.
Imagine that same young person meeting lecturers, students, engineers, entrepreneurs and other innovators.
Imagine discovering a young programmer, designer, engineer, robotics enthusiast or entrepreneur who has never had the opportunity to show anyone what they can do.
Then imagine connecting that young person to the right mentor, institution, company or opportunity.
That is the kind of ecosystem we want to build.
And today, we are not coming to ask for money.
We are asking for partnerships.
We are asking for opportunities.
We are asking for mentorship, connections, platforms and open doors.
If you are a university, NGO, company, technology organisation, school, investor, community leader or simply someone who believes in the potential of young people, we would love to build with you.
Open your doors to young people.
Share your knowledge.
Give them a platform.
Connect us to people who can help.
Give a young person five minutes of your time.
Because sometimes, the most valuable thing you can give someone isnāt money.
Itās an opportunity.
That is the spirit behind Give Me 5 for a Smile.
Looking back at this journey, I realise that we have come a long way.
From personally funded outreach programmesā¦
To schools and community programmesā¦
To becoming a Raspberry Pi Certified Code Clubā¦
To robotics competitionsā¦
To STEM tutoringā¦
To working with families connected to the American Embassy in Zambiaā¦
To Innovators Playgroundā¦
To being recognised among Zambiaās emerging startupsā¦
To launching Give Me 5 for a Smileā¦
And we are still building.
We are still learning.
We are still figuring things out.
We are still a small organisation.
But we have learned something along the way:
You donāt need to have everything figured out before you start.
You just need to be willing to start.
And when things donāt go according to plan, you donāt necessarily go back.
You learn. You adapt. You recalculate. And you keep moving.
Our story is not a story about having everything.
It is a story about believing that something is possible and being willing to work toward it.
Because Africa doesnāt just need young people who know how to use technology.
Africa needs young people who can build it.
And that is the future we want to help create.
This is Code and Play Studios.
We Code. We Create. We Change Lives.
And we are only getting started.
https://codeandplaystudios.com
