About Tekwetu
A community built on the belief that technology belongs to everyone.
It Started With a Question
It started with a question in a family chat group. Christine Abernathy — engineer, educator, and self-described Tech Explorer — had been thinking about AI literacy long before it became a mainstream conversation.
The spark didn't come from a boardroom or a business plan. It came from years of watching people give up on technology and then seeing their eyes light up when someone explained it in plain language. From explaining React to developers who'd written off coding. From accidentally volunteering to rewrite Facebook's developer docs after complaining they were confusing. From picking up her father's technical books as a kid and wanting to crack the code.
Tech had always been Christine's passion. But helping others fall in love with it turned out to be an even bigger one.
Tech has always been my passion, but helping others fall in love with it has been an even bigger one.
Christine Abernathy, FounderFrom a Family Group Chat to a Course
A Podcast Idea
Christine started planning a podcast to teach AI concepts, without quite knowing how to run a podcast. She asked Claude what she should cover. The curriculum it generated made her think: what if I made this into a course?
Posted in the Family Chat
She shared the curriculum with her family and asked: "Anyone want to join?" The response was bigger than expected. Her sister suggested a sign-up page, and things grew from there.
Tekwetu Was Born
What started as a chat message became a complete website, a structured curriculum, and a community. The name brings together Tech and Kwetu — a Swahili word meaning "our home" — reflecting the belonging and unity at the heart of the project.
Community in Action
After the first cohort finished, Christine invited students to join a hackathon on a whim. Together they built a mobile app for sickle cell advocacy, cementing the community and giving learners a chance to apply what they'd built.
Built for People Who've Been Left Out
Immediate wins matter
Something cool in the first five minutes. Build first, explain second. Confidence comes from doing, not listening.
No jargon without explanation
Plain language isn't dumbing things down, it's respecting your audience. Every technical term gets unpacked before it gets used.
Learning is better together
We're convinced that learning in a peer community is one of the best ways to grow. You're not just gaining skills, you're gaining people.
Real skills, real life
Every exercise is built around something useful. Nothing goes to waste, every session produces something you keep and actually use.
Tech Beginners. Not Just AI Beginners.
Tekwetu was designed for people who are new to AI, but more specifically, for people who've felt like technology wasn't made for them. People who are anxious about tech. People who just want to get comfortable.
Our goal has always been for learners to leave with three things: a sense that AI is approachable, something tangible they built themselves, and the confidence to keep going on their own.
No one is turned away due to cost. Tekwetu is donor-funded so that access is never a barrier.