Angélica Durán

Colombian educator bridging tech access gaps for marginalized youth

Introduction

Angélica Durán is the driving force behind TechBridge Colombia, an NGO providing free coding education and internet access to Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities. Since 2020, her programs have empowered over 15,000 young people in conflict-affected regions.

Innovative Approaches

Her signature Ciudad Digital Móvil (Mobile Digital City) project deploys solar-powered buses equipped with:

• High-speed internet hubs
• VR learning stations
• 3D printing labs

Social Impact

Key achievements include:

• 92% employment rate for program graduates
• Development of 40+ community apps addressing local challenges
• Partnerships with Microsoft's AI for Good initiative

Awards and Recognition

Recipient of the Silicon Valley Innovation Award (2022) and featured in National Geographic's March 2023 issue. Her documentary Codebreakers won the 2023 Sundance Film Festival's social impact award.

Global Expansion

Current initiatives:

• Launching programs in Guatemala and Peru
• Developing AI literacy curricula with UNESCO
• Creating a blockchain platform for digital credentialing