I often think about what happens when a child has the ambition to build something meaningful but never gets the tools, guidance, or opportunity to develop that ambition. As a skeleton athlete, I know what it feels like to enter spaces where you have to learn, adapt, and believe in yourself. I also know that talent alone is not enough. Children need access to the right skills and people who help them see what is possible.
The Gap Is Bigger Than Technology
When we talk about preparing children for the future, we cannot reduce it to putting a computer in front of them. UNICEF identifies AI literacy, digital literacy, critical thinking, creativity, and online safety as important capabilities for children growing up alongside AI. Yet access to those opportunities remains unequal. At the same time, UNICEF reports that about 1.3 billion school-age children do not have internet access at home.
For me, the skills underserved kids need go beyond knowing how to use technology. They need curiosity, communication, problem-solving, confidence, and the ability to question information instead of accepting everything they see. Those skills can help a child adapt even when the technology around them changes.
Skills Can Change What a Child Sees for Their Future
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies analytical thinking, resilience, leadership, creative thinking, and technological literacy among the capabilities employers value as work changes.
That matters because a child who never gets exposure to these skills may have fewer chances to discover what they are capable of. Mentorship matters too. Sometimes a child needs someone to say, I see something in you, before they can see it themselves. As Ghana’s first skeleton Olympian, I understand how powerful that kind of encouragement can be.
Opportunity Should Not Depend on Where a Child Starts
This is one reason my wife, Erica, and I founded Hope Of A Billion. Through programs that encourage, engage, and empower young people, we create opportunities for children in underserved communities to build resilience, explore new possibilities, connect with career-related learning, and develop the confidence to lead.
I believe every child deserves access to the skills underserved kids need to navigate an AI-driven future. Not because every child needs to become a technologist, but because every child deserves the chance to understand the world around them, imagine a bigger future, and have the tools to pursue it.
My wife, Erica, and I founded Hope Of A Billion to help children in underserved communities recognize their potential, develop the skills underserved kids need, and grow into future leaders through our programs around the world.
As a skeleton athlete as well as Ghana’s first skeleton Olympian, I know how much the right opportunity and encouragement can change a child’s path. I am also honored that our work has been featured on the Olympics’ official Instagram alongside legends and icons including Simone Biles, Carlos Alcaraz, and others.
Visit the Hope Of A Billion website to see exactly how we work with children, then donate now to help us reach more young people with opportunity, mentorship, and hope.
Follow our journey:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/akwasifrimpongfanpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frimpongakwasi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akwasifrimpong86/