Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Steve Jobs, who changed the way we live, all had this in common: Access to technology at an early age.

A Washington, DC nonprofit called CodeNow is teaching underrepresented youth the fundamental skills of computer programming. While taking free courses, the city kids — almost 40% are girls —  build robots, Twitter apps, and a better future.

Since launching in 2011, CodeNow has provided nearly 2,000 hours of free training and distributed 41 Netbooks to students who otherwise might have minimal access to a personal computer.

"During trainings, we were amazed to watch students take to programming," said one CodeNow staffer. "They were like sponges ready to soak up everything we gave them. Their thirst to learn was far greater than we ever expected."

To better equip volunteers and the kids, who each receive a Netbook upon graduation, CodeNow has launched a campaign to raise awareness. Get more info on their IndieGoGo campaign where they are halfway to their goal of raising $15,000.

(WATCH the video below)