Khadija Innovation Lab’s Digital Literacy and Coding Program continued with three hands-on sessions where Grades 7–9 students learned Scratch, built interactive projects, created calculators, and explored loops and automation. Through coding, students are gaining confidence, problem-solving skills, and a stronger sense of possibility, one block of code at a time.
If you want to understand how quickly curiosity can turn into capability, you only have to watch a young person write their first line of code.
Over our last three sessions at the Khadija Innovation Lab in Sheikh Ayach, Akkar, our Digital Literacy and Coding Program took a massive leap forward. We moved from exploring the basics of computers to putting real coding into the hands of our Grades 7–9 students through Scratch.
• In Session 3, the focus was entirely hands-on. Students learned to navigate the Scratch interface independently, creating their very first interactive projects. They brought sprites to life, mapped out basic movements, and learned how simple events, like pressing a space key, could trigger action.
• In Session 4, we pushed the boundaries of their logical thinking. The students built a fully functioning Scratch Calculator. They moved beyond simple motion to learn about variables (thinking of them as "boxes" to store information), "ask and answer" blocks, and the power of conditional IF statements.
• In Session 5, we introduced the power of loops and automation. Students learned to use "forever" and "repeat" blocks to build continuous animations, manage timing, and master the foundations of game mechanics. They explored how a system can run continuously based on the rules they define, turning separate commands into fluid, ongoing processes.
To watch a student write the logic that checks whether a user wants to add, subtract, multiply, or divide, and then see that math execute successfully on their screen, is incredibly inspiring. They are using technology and constructing it.
This progress carries a profound weight for us. In a region like Akkar and across Lebanon, young people are growing up amidst persistent instability, displacement, and economic hardship. For many of these students, the classroom is one of the few places where they can find structure, focus, and a sense of agency. In a world that often feels unpredictable, coding teaches them that they can solve complex problems, step by step.
Seeing these students proudly present their custom calculators, complete with their own unique sprites, backgrounds, and sound effects, is a powerful reminder of why we built this lab.
We are moving forward, one block of code at a time.