Kenya is set to shine on the global stage as six outstanding young girls prepare to represent the country at the Athena Award Hackathon, the world’s largest all-girl hackathon taking place in New York City from November 14th to 16th, 2025.
This milestone is part of a transformative partnership between Girl Up Kenya, an initiative of the United Nations Foundation, and Hack Club, through the Athena Award Program.
The programme empowers girls to gain critical coding and leadership skills by completing 30 hours of coding and developing three innovation projects, earning them scholarships to attend the global event.
The partnership between Girl Up Kenya and Hack Club began earlier this year after a successful Hackathon dubbed ‘Jua’, hosted at the Nairobi Game Development Center. The collaboration has since grown into a powerful platform for empowering girls in technology.
“After the Jua Hackathon in April, we decided to partner with Girl Up Kenya to support girls to participate in the Athena Award and get the opportunity to travel to New York,” said Louisa Mulei, a 17-year-old Hack Club Kenya representative and experienced coder.
The six Kenyan participants are: Nyabiya Syekei (13) -a talented singer and actor, Marya Chepkorir Mosonik (14) – Girl Up Kenya’s Environmental Champion of the Year 2025, Arfi Mohammed (17) – From Garissa, passionate about tech for inclusion and Lankenua Ikovo (13) – Aspiring software developer.
Others are Gabriella Lekoti (13) – Budding game designer, Randy Turi (14) – STEM enthusiast and golfer.
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Over 200 girls from across the world will gather at the event to collaborate, innovate, and build solutions addressing real-world challenges through technology.
Among the Kenyan delegation, 14-year-old Marya Chepkorir Mosonik stands out as a passionate advocate for environmental conservation and girls’ empowerment. A Grade 9 student at St. George’s Primary School, Marya has planted over 5,000 trees across nine schools and leads the Girls Tubonge
The Initiative, which provides menstrual health education and has donated over 1,000 sanitary pads to girls in underserved communities. She also serves as an ambassador for the Green Schools Project at Youth Care Africa.
“I’m passionate about climate justice and believe that young people have a responsibility to protect our planet,” said Marya. “Through tree planting and environmental education, I’m showing that small actions can make a big difference.”
“Tech skills are no longer a luxury but a necessity,” added Mwende Mutinda, Partnerships Lead at Girl Up Kenya.
She added: “This experience has been so fulfilling, seeing the girls work hard and thrive. A huge thank you to the Hack Club team, especially Christina Asquith, Co-founder of Hack Club, and the Athena team led by Reem and Louisa for their incredible support. When girls rise, we rise.”
As the girls prepare to travel to New York, they embody the power of collaboration, innovation, and the unstoppable spirit of girls leading change from Kenya to the world.
By Philip Koech
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