Written by Alice Njoki
1.5 billion children worldwide are growing up in a digital world that wasn’t designed with them in mind….
On February 11, 2025, Mtoto News in partnership with Qhala, Child Fund Alliance and Africa digital media institute (ADMI) Soft-launched the KUTUNGA initiative. The Launch took place during the session on AI and African Children at the Africa AI Village in Paris.
Leading the session, Upendo Nabwire, a trained child journalist and a child researcher of Mtoto News soft launched the initiative, highlighting the program’s focus on children’s safety.
The KUTUNGA program is addressing these challenges by aiming to train 50,000 software engineers across the global south including Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean in a span of 3 years to design child friendly products that prioritize safety, inclusivity and engagement,and the initiative is build around the five main pillars:
- Child-Centric Design Training: Equipping developers with skills for safe digital product design.
- Evidence-Based Research: Informing design decisions.
- Collaboration with Tech Companies: Partnering to embed child-friendly principles.
- Ethical Design Principles: Prioritizing child safety in product development.
- Real World Impact: Ensuring products meet real-world needs through continuous evaluation.
By empowering local developers from these regions themselves , KUTUNGA by human for human promotes self-sustaining solutions tailored specifically for local contexts rather than relying solely on external interventions which might miss cultural nuances or regional specifics essential for effective implementation. This approach not only addresses immediate concerns but sets groundwork for long-term change where technology enhances lives without compromising safety or dignity ,a future where every child can thrive digitally without fear or harm.