GiveBack Backpacks Expands EdTech Access for Young NigeriansTY
By Ndianaabasi Matthew At 14, Joshua Peters founded a not-for-profit on the belief that a student’s future should not depend on where they were born. Three years later, he has
At the age of 14, young Joshua Peters founded GiveBack Backpacks, a not-for-profit organization aiming to provide young Nigerians with the technology they need to succeed. Three years later, he has distributed 200 laptops to Nigerian students, including girls displaced from Chibok. In a country where many young people learn without computers, each laptop can make a significant difference.
At the Youth Empowerment Summit organized by the Society for Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN), GiveBack Backpacks presented the laptops, each accompanied by a backpack containing a water bottle, educational materials, and tech aids. The donation, valued at around $50,000, is part of the group's efforts to bring technology-led learning to students who have been left behind.
Joshua's initial motivation was not technology itself but fairness. He observed that two equally gifted students could end up on very different paths, not because of their abilities, but due to the resources they had access to. His goal was to address this disparity by providing laptops, which he sees as a starting point for students' educational journeys.
The laptops are not just gifts; they are tools that can open new lessons, teach skills, test ideas, and give students a voice. Joshua emphasized that a laptop can open doors, teach valuable skills, test concepts, and enable students to express their thoughts. He highlighted that with practice and persistence, a tool received today can lead to future opportunities.
One particular group of young people stands at the heart of GiveBack Backpacks' mission: the girls of Chibok. The organization, through its partnership with SPAN, supports digital learning for young women whose education has been disrupted. Joshua stressed that while they cannot replace the time lost due to disruption, they can stand with these students, invest in their future, and extend the same opportunity to other young people who deserve a fair chance.
Joshua's speech at the summit was not about the size of the donation but highlighted how the students will use these resources to shape their futures. He urged them to be curious, ask difficult questions, learn how the world works, and imagine how to make it better. He challenged them to use these resources to study, create, and help others find their way forward.
The organization's efforts aim to bridge the digital divide in Nigeria, which remains a significant barrier for students across the country. Access to computers and reliable internet is uneven, particularly in rural communities and among families affected by displacement. GiveBack Backpacks addresses this issue with a practical model, providing each student with a laptop combined with everyday learning resources to ensure they can fully participate in school and beyond.
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