Teen Robotics Whizz Shares Her Coding Skills With Durban Children

Photo Credit: Reddam House Umhlanga

After winning international recognition for her inventions, Sinead Kaidence Samputh is helping disadvantaged children discover that they can create technology.

Durban, South Africa (25 October 2026) – Sinead Kaidence Samputh finds building robots exciting, but helping other children discover their own potential might be her most rewarding project yet.

The Grade 9 learner at Reddam House Umhlanga has twice won her age category in the Inspired Education Group’s global robotics competition. She is now using her skills to introduce children with limited access to computers to the world of coding.

Through BAYMIN LABS, a free youth-led initiative, Sinead teaches children aged nine to 13 practical coding and problem-solving skills. She partnered with The Seed Fund, which supports families in Durban’s Malacca Road informal settlement community, to bring the programme to life.

Sinead developed a six-week syllabus and secured R13,650 in corporate donations to buy three Samsung tablets and protective cases. Her first group included nine Grade 3 and 4 learners, many of whom had never tried coding before.

Using Scratch, a beginner-friendly programming platform, the children learn to create animations, stories and interactive projects.

One learner, Nkosinati, initially struggled with the lessons and lacked confidence. By the end of the programme, however, he had created an animated story about himself and a friend going to play games, earning third place in his class.

Sinead says watching shy learners raise their hands, answer questions and celebrate solving difficult problems has been especially meaningful.

Her own inventions have also earned international attention. Her robot BAYMIN was designed to make basic health screening more accessible, while her latest competition-winning prototype, BAYMIN AIR, uses an air-quality sensor and LED indicator to display environmental conditions that could be associated with the spread of airborne illness.

Despite balancing schoolwork, sport and robotics projects, Sinead teaches her coding classes on Saturdays. She hopes to expand BAYMIN LABS to more underserved communities and eventually establish BAYMIN Academy, a paid enrichment programme that could help fund the free lessons.

Reddam House Umhlanga head of college Shelley Peringuey praised Sinead for using her passion to uplift others, saying her compassion reflects the school’s motto, “We Shall Give Back”.

Success is no longer only about what she can build herself. It is also about giving other children the confidence and skills to create something of their own.

“I don’t want to win if winning means leaving others behind,” she says. “The greatest journey is the one where we rise, learn and change the world together.”