The femCoders Initiative trains and mentors young students from Benin in robotics, engineering, and STEM — preparing them to represent their nation on the world stage since 2017.
Team Benin is not just a robotics team; it is a transformative launchpad for the country's future technology pioneers. Operating under the femCoders Initiative and the Rachael Orumor NGO, our program prioritizes bringing high-quality technical education to passionate young minds.
We believe that when given access to the right resources, mentorship, and opportunities, African youth can build solutions to global challenges. The FIRST Global Challenge is the vehicle to get them there.
Every season, a new cohort of students is selected, trained, mentored, and equipped to compete internationally — gaining not just engineering skills, but confidence, leadership, and a global perspective they bring back to their communities.
Through intensive mentorship, hands-on robotics training, and international competition, Team Benin transforms young students into engineers, leaders, and global citizens.
From student selection to international competition, every element of the Team Benin program is designed to develop the complete young innovator.
We scout schools across Benin to identify high-potential students from diverse backgrounds, prioritizing curiosity and drive over prior coding experience.
Selected students undergo rigorous multi-month training in mechanical design, logic loops, electrical configuration, and safe engineering principles.
The journey culminates on the global stage, where students run their robot, pitch their design configurations, and collaborate with teams worldwide.
Students learn analytical skills by tackling a brand new global engineering theme every single year — using science to engineer viable prototype solutions.
Public speaking, team communication, cross-cultural exchange, and confidence-building are embedded throughout — because great engineers are also great leaders.
After every competition, students return to share knowledge through robotics exhibitions, school outreach events, and mentorship programs — reinvesting international experience locally.
Each year, a new team. A new theme. A new challenge. The same determination to put Benin on the global innovation map.
The femCoders Initiative launches Benin's first official robotics delegation for the FIRST Global Challenge. Students undergo foundational robotics training and represent their nation internationally for the first time.
🌱 First International AppearanceTeam Benin tackled ocean health and sustainability through robotics. Students expanded their technical skills while deepening their understanding of global environmental challenges.
🌊 Ocean ExplorationFocused on renewable energy access, Team Benin's engineers designed and built systems addressing energy poverty — challenges very relevant to communities across Benin.
⚡ Renewable EnergyStudents connected engineering skills to a deeply local challenge — food access and agriculture across West Africa.
🌾 Sustainable FoodAn advanced hydrogen-fuel theme pushed Team Benin into frontier energy engineering. Students researched, built, and competed with more technical depth and strategic sophistication than any previous season.
💧 Hydrogen TechnologyTeam Benin's most recent season addressed global health challenges through robotics engineering — connecting the work of student engineers to real humanitarian outcomes around the world.
🏥 Global HealthThe Team Benin curriculum is comprehensive — going far beyond robot-building to develop complete, confident, globally-ready young professionals.
Students learn structural fundamentals, math-driven gear configurations, torque calculations, and physical prototyping strategies using modular professional parts.
The FIRST Global Challenge is the world's premier international robotics competition — a robotics Olympics that unites student teams from nearly every nation on Earth to solve real-world global challenges through engineering and innovation.
Each year, a new theme tied to a global challenge — from clean energy to ocean health — defines the engineering problem every team must solve. Benin competes alongside more than 190 countries, collaborating and competing to demonstrate that science and technology can transcend borders.
The impact of Team Benin stretches far beyond the competition arena — into classrooms, communities, and the careers of young people across Benin.
Empowering the next generation takes a community. We are incredibly grateful to the visionary companies, organizations, and institutional leaders who power our engineering team.
Every great engineer starts somewhere. Your support directly funds the training, tools, and travel that gives Benin's students the chance to compete with the world.
Directly fund a student's participation — covering their training materials, robotics kit components, and competition travel costs. Make an engineer's dream possible.
Sponsor a StudentHigh-quality robotics components are essential — and expensive. In-kind donations of FIRST-approved kits and engineering materials directly empower our training program.
Donate EquipmentFollow along with Team Benin's journey — training updates, competition news, and student stories.