“I hope to empower my community”

When inclusive programmes meet ambition, the results can be life-changing. Sharon Odongo, a graduate of the Sightsavers-supported IT Bridge Academy programme, is proof of this.

 Equipped with technical expertise and leadership skills, she has gone from student to community advocate, empowering others and championing disability rights across Kenya.

Before joining the IT Bridge Academy (supported with funding from Standard Chartered Foundation and GIZ), Sharon had already achieved academic success, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Education (English and Literature). She had worked as a research assistant for the National Cohesion Integration Commission, gaining experience in data collection and analysis. But despite her qualifications, she faced the same challenge many people with disabilities encounter: limited access to opportunities in a competitive job market.

The IT Bridge Academy changed that trajectory. It didn’t just provide technical training: students were hosted as boarders, with meals and accommodation provided free of charge. For Sharon, this created an environment that felt professional and inclusive — a space where she could focus on learning without worrying about basic needs.

“I got the best experience from the academy,” Sharon says. “I had the opportunity to become a full-time student hosted for free, eating for free with good meals and a lot of tea in between. That was a very good welcome for me. I also learned to interact with different fellow youth with disabilities, especially people with visual impairments and hearing impairments. I even gained the basic skills for sign language – I learned it from my fellow students. The academy really helped me to learn how to live with other personalities and other disabilities.”

Today, Sharon is more than an IT graduate – she’s a changemaker. As a community lead trainer in Kibera, one of Nairobi’s largest informal settlements, she is implementing a project to equip learners with basic digital skills and create awareness about opportunities for people with disabilities. Many young people with disabilities in Kenya miss out, because they don’t know these opportunities exist. Sharon is determined to change that.

“I hope to empower my community,” she says. “I always love to give back to my community… it is something that I enjoy, and it is something that I learned, and I think it is something that I can give out.”

This leadership extends beyond training. Sharon sits on the boards of three secondary schools in her constituency, influencing decisions that shape education and inclusion. She is a youth champion for Sightsavers’ disability rights campaign, Equal World, and recently represented Sightsavers at the Second World Summit for Social Development, held in Qatar in November 2025. She’s also planning to pursue a master’s degree, further advancing her career and impact.

Sharon is passionate about making sure other young people with disabilities can reach their potential. “Youth empowerment means giving job opportunities, mentorships to young people to enable them to be independent,” she says. “It is important because it drives economic growth and improves the living conditions of young people.”

For Sharon, the IT Bridge Academy was more than a training programme – it was a launchpad for leadership, advocacy, and community impact. Now she’s doing what she can to give back to the academy and her community.