2022 has been a very productive and eventful year for BeginIT. At the start of the year, we were joined by new participants from Africa; the project took off in four new countries; online and offline workshops were run; training courses launched; and lectures held for students and teachers, plus, at the end of the year, we held our GameFest.

• New participants from Tanzania and Nigeria joined us at the start of the year, and by now they have completed an entire course in computer science (informatics), web design, and game development. We hope that every one of them has gained some useful knowledge and learned a little more about IT.
• This year, we expanded our presence in Latin America - with two orphanages from Chile joining our project. Chile is the sixth country in the region that our project has reached.
• In Pakistan, together with the JDC Foundation, we opened an IT Center in Karachi for underprivileged kids where they can learn more about the world of IT. The project launched a programming course for 25 children, where they are introduced to computer science (informatics) and learn about web design and development.

• In Kazakhstan, a new project format was rolled out this year with training via an online platform, online career guidance by inDrive employees, as well as festivals, and hackathons for students who demonstrate excellent performance. 
  In Kazakhstan, the project is being implemented in collaboration with the iQanat Educational Foundation and the Training and Methodology Center for Education Development of the Karaganda Region. Over the course of this year, more than 250 schoolchildren have joined our project. 
   Also, as part of the new project format, efforts were initiated to create a community of computer science teachers. The first stepping stone here was the intensive class, "Innovative Methods for Teaching Informatics," which was held December 5-6 in Astana.

• In October and December, the InDrive workshops held in Nigeria, India, and Tanzania included: The Future of Mobility. Kids who participated in this event learned how to solve various problems and looked for ways to begin their own journey into the IT world. At the end of the workshops, our participants presented projects that demonstrated their ability to identify solutions relative to the transportation and mobility needs of their communities.

• The Game Fest BeginIT festival that was held in Kazakhstan on December 5 and 6 was centered around the game development industry. The project’s best-performing students were among the guests invited to attend this fest. This event was organized jointly with our project partner, the Astana Hub International Technopark for IT Start-Ups. The fest was attended by 38 rural students from 12 regions of the country.
• The kids visited the largest university in the country and the International Technology Park of IT Startups, as well as lectures and master classes from game development companies. The children learned about careers in game development and design, as well as learning to create digital illustrations and avatars, and developing some of the skills that AR/VR professionals should possess.

Although this year imbued the BeginIT project and its participants with new experience and new knowledge, we hope that next year will be even better! 
 We take this opportunity to wish our participants and teachers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 
 We wish you every success and many exciting new tasks and lessons to continue to grow in knowledge and expertise!