Students
Courses built around a finished project
Students don't just memorise formulas. They program microcontrollers, train small machine-learning models and build solar-powered devices.
Young Africans can build the technology their communities need.
Leer is the learning platform from STEMi Makers Africa, a non-profit. It gives students practical science and engineering education: short lessons, real kits and mentors who have done the work. We started because too many students only ever see STEM on a blackboard.
Why we started
Africa has the youngest population in the world. But in many secondary schools and universities, engineering is still taught from a textbook. Students who want to build drones, solar systems or machine-learning models often never get to hold a microcontroller or solder a circuit.
STEMi Makers Africa began in 2018 with weekend maker workshops in community centres. Leer is how that work reaches more students: project-based courses that work on low bandwidth, kits for schools and mentors who work in the field.
Where the programme is today
120,000+
students reached
More than half are young women.
2.5M
hours of hands-on lab work
Time spent building circuits, solar kits and software.
3,400+
teachers trained
Running maker clubs in their own schools.
22
African countries
With active chapters and partner schools.
What we do
Three groups, one goal: more young people who can build things that work.
Teachers
Training and kits for science teachers
We give teachers a ready curriculum, lab kits and ongoing support so they can run practical lessons with what their school has.
Communities
Projects that solve local problems
Final projects are aimed at real needs nearby: irrigation sensors for farmers, low-cost health monitors, small solar grids for homes without power.
How we work
- 1
Build, don't just read
Every module asks students to write code, wire a circuit or put a prototype together. Theory sticks when you've used it.
- 2
Made for slow connections
Lessons are light enough for 3G and cheap phones, so a weak signal isn't a reason to miss out.
- 3
Shared across borders
Students and teachers from Lagos to Nairobi, Kigali to Accra learn from each other's projects.
- 4
Useful skills first
We focus on fields with jobs and needs on the continent: renewable power, farm automation, mapping and climate.
Supported by these organisations
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