FAQ

Kuumba Code is for the underserved and less fortunate — minorities and communities too often left out of technology — of every age, from children in foster-care homes to elders in senior homes, living in Nigeria, Suriname, or the United States. Girls and women are the heart of our mission, and everyone who wants to learn is welcome: children, teens, young adults, and older adults. You do not need any coding or tech background. If you can use a phone, you can start. Organizations, homes, and community programs can also invite us to teach their students or residents — always at no cost. We teach AI digital literacy, AI music, and AI sales, in formats that flex with each community and its funding, from multi-week cohorts to short bootcamps and weekly workshops.

Yes — and both things are true at the same time. Every Kuumba Code course is open to everyone: all ages, all genders, across every community we serve. And because confidence isn’t handed to everyone equally, we also run classes, sessions, and bootcamps designed specifically for girls.

Girls are often expected to be perfect: to get it right the first time and never make a mistake. Boys are usually given more room to experiment, break things, and try again without being made to feel stupid or belittled. That gap starts early — and it shows up in who believes they belong in technology.

Our girl-focused spaces are built to make mistakes safe: room to ask any question, break things and fix them, and learn that being wrong is just part of building. Girls and women are the heart of our mission, and we teach boys and young men right alongside them. The girls’ sessions add a room — they don’t close one.

No experience is needed at all — every course starts from the very beginning. For equipment, a phone or a laptop plus an internet connection is enough to take part.

Classes are taught live in English and Dutch. The program is fully virtual, so you can join from home in any of our three communities — Nigeria, Suriname, and the United States. Nothing is tied to a physical campus; you just need to be able to get online.

Each course runs as an 8-week cohort, with four cohorts a year. Every lesson follows the same gentle rhythm — Learn, See, Practice, Your Turn — so you always understand an idea before you try it yourself. We keep things concrete with a running example (think easy jollof rice, no blender) and workbooks that include completed samples to guide you.

Real things you made — not just notes. Every course ends in something built, so you finish with published content, working skills, and by the end of The Path, your own website, brand, and platform. You leave as a creator and a founder. Our AI Video Bootcamp also awards a Certificate of Completion and a Certified Portfolio Graduate credential.

To apply, use the Apply button on this site or email apply@kuumbacode.com and we'll walk you through it. Cohorts open on a rolling quarterly basis, and dates are announced to applicants first. The program is funded entirely by grants and donations, and Kuumba Code is incubated at and fiscally sponsored by Canticle Farm, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 46-1484633), so gifts are tax-deductible. That funding is what keeps every seat free for every student.