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Women+Girls in C Computer omputer Science ence in Africa
Impact Report Report MAY MA AY 2015
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“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” ARUNDHATI ROY
Executive Summary Since its launch in 2013, the WeTech Seed Fund for Women + Girls in Computer Science in Africa has been a gateway for young African women to begin their careers in Information and Communications Technology, or ICT. With the goal of investing in nascent women’s groups and individual champions already taking impressive steps to support and encourage women and girls in computer science in Africa, WeTech has disbursed a total of 35 grants totaling $330,000 to 33 different groups and individuals in 16 different countries throughout the African continent. Through two separate funding rounds made possible by the support of Google, WeTech facilitated independent selection committees comprised of regional tech experts to help identify relevant organizations, providing them with small grants ranging from $2,000 to $20,000. These seed funds were used over the following months to either expand existing programming initiatives or develop pilot programs which engage women and girls in ICT in their local communities. The 33 grantees selected run the gamut in size and project scope, allowing the Fund to have a broad and diverse impact on its beneficiaries. To date, grantees have reported direct impact on over 4,800 beneficiaries and indirect impact on over 4,400. The array of projects and activities conducted by the grantees is just as diverse as the populations that they engage. Grantees partnered with primary and secondary schools, universities, local governments and each other to teach their beneficiaries skills and techniques to support the next generation of African leaders in Computer Science. Opportunities were also provided throughout the year for Seed Fund members to participate in professional enrichment activities through virtual meetings with WeTech staff, also giving them the chance to connect and learn from one another. The WeTech Seed Fund network will continue to thrive under the new direction of the newly formed Leadership Council, four stellar grantees that are committed to keeping collaboration and engagement alive amongst grantees. Through these organizations and individuals, the next generation of innovators and technologists are emerging. WeTech is excited to be a part of ensuring that change is happening not only on the community level, but within the broader landscape of women in tech worldwide.
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Executive Summary
Grantee List
Grantee Map
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Women+Girls in C Computer omputer mputer Science in Africa
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Activities & Results
WeTech Support
Sample Grantee Stories
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S NI TY COMMU ENGAGE MENT
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Sample Grantee Stories
WeTech’s Impact
Conclusion
S S & LEA DER E NTR EP RENEUR S
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Table of Contents
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18 Months
$330,000 Distributed
16 Countries
4800+ Women+Girls 3
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CAMEROON a. Get Ready b. Tassah Academy
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EGYPT a. Hypatia Initiative for STEM
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SENEGAL a. ImagiNation Afrika
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GHANA a. Africa ICT Right b. Emerging Leaders in Technology and Engineering (ELiTE) c. Mobile Web Ghana d. Soronko Foundation e. STEMbees
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SOUTH AFRICA a. Global Minimum Inc. (Code for Cape Town) b. Sci-Enza at University of Pretoria c. Women in Engineering (WomEng)
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TANZANIA a. Apps and Girls Foundation
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TUNISIA a. CoderGirls
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UGANDA a. Makerere University b. Outbox c. Protecting Women & Children Against Violence Uganda (PROWOCAVU) d. Women in Technology Uganda (WITU) e. Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
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ZAMBIA a. Asikana Network Limited
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ZIMBABWE a. TechWomen Zimbabwe
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KENYA a. AkiraChix b. Street Level Initiative c. The Dev School
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LIBERIA a. iLab Liberia
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MALAWI a. IMPACT Incubation Center
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NIGERIA a. Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) b. Nigeria Geek Girls Collaborative Camp c. The Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.Tec) d. Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF)
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REPUBLIC OF CONGO a. AZUR Development
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RWANDA a. Akilah Institute for Women b. TechWomen Rwanda
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13 TUNISIA
MOROCCO
2 ALGERIA
LIBYA
EGYPT
WESTERN SAHARA
MAURITANIA MALI
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NIGER ERITREA
CHAD
SENEGAL THE GAMBIA
BURKINA FASO
THE GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEA SIERRA LEONE
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LIBERIA
COTE D’IVOIRE
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BENIN TOGO
SUDAN
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DJIBOUTI
NIGERIA
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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
GHANA
ETHIOPIA
CAMEROON EQUATORIAL GUINEA GABON
SOMALIA
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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC RWANDA OF THE BURUNDI CONGO
REPUBLIC OF CONGO
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UGANDA
KENYA
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CABINDA
TANZANIA
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ANGOLA
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ZAMBIA
COMOROS MALAWI
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MOZAMBIQUE ZIMBABWE
NAMIBIA
MADAGASCAR BOTSWANA
SWAZILAND
Fund Recipients
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LESOTHO
MAURITIUS
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Students pose for a picture after a software developer class at Akilah Institute’s Rwanda campus RWANDA
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Activities and Results
Types of Seed Fund Grant Activities 0%
Programming and app development training programs Computer science workshops and training for women and girls Mentoring Programs
Coding Camps for women and girls Early incubation of female tech entrepreneurs
25%
50%
75%
100%
WeTech collected data from grantees through a final evaluation survey. The results are shared in the following tables and graphs. The majority of our grantees reported engaging in multiple program activities which included mentorships, hackathons, networking events, training workshops, educational forums, coding camps, and Technovation teams. Grantees also engaged in web design and development, robotics engineering, 3-D printing workshops, and other high tech activities.
Hackathons for women and girls Networking events for women in computer science or STEM fields Community education among parents and educators Sponsorship of Technovation teams
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0%
25%
50%
75%
Built a stronger network of support for girls and women in tech Increased awareness of existing computer-science opportunities Increased number of girls who feel they have a female mentor Shift in mind-set of women’s participation in tech opportunities Increased access to training offerings Increased skills relevant to ICT sector Increased visibility of organization Increased value of computer-science education for girls within the community Greater involvement of professional women who contribute to opportunities for girls Access to new resources Increased number of events in tech within the local community Greater contributions to a stronger local, regional and/or national networks Increased number of organizations supporting women and girls in computer-science Diversified training offerings or expand reach to new target communities Increased number of women who pursue computer-science degrees and/or secure a job More resources allocated to women and girls in the community More tech businesses launched by women
Outcomes Reported From Seed Fund Grant Activities
100%
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Impact of WeTech Services and Support Percentage of grantees who reported the following services making a difference in their organizational growth 100%
WeTech Support Despite the many differences in organizational size and scope and the variation of program activities, 96% of grantees reported that the overall impact of WeTech's support has made a difference to their work. Notably, the category which grantees reported as having made the most “significant difference” to the growth of their organization was “Communication from WeTech office (emails, general correspondence and support provided).”
75%
50%
Throughout the grantee cycle, WeTech has worked to create a culture of open communication between grantees and our office. We continuously encouraged grantees to contact us for guidance. WeTech considers this statistic as one of the greatest successes of our program.
25%
0%
Financial Stipend
Overall impact of WeTech support
WeTech Materials / Resources
Virtual Meetings
WeTech Communication
Public recognition via WeTech
Collaborations with other grantees
Selection Process
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AkiraChix participants pose for picture after 2015 Geek Girls Fest in celebration of Girls in ICT Day KENYA
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Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)
LOCATION
Northern Nigeria
PROGRAM SIZE
272 women and girls
PROJECT TIMELINE
May 2014 - Feb 2015
Program Description: Promote women’s entrepreneurship through ICT, network building and post-training development services CITAD conducted their work throughout secondary schools and universities in northern Nigeria. Participants learned to use technology as a tool to support entrepreneurship via graphic design, website development and desktop publishing. CITAD took a varied approach and conducted train-thetrainer workshops, mentorships and professional seminars on topics that included “Using Google Developers and Google Apps for Business.” The initial intent of CITAD’s train-the-trainer program was to have the 48 female instructors teach computer science classes at their respective schools. However, after completing the program some of the women saw the opportunity to take the learning opportunity beyond the walls of the school houses and engage a population that is often overlooked in the region female farmers. Some of the trainers involved with Women Farmers Network (WOFAN) saw the opportunity to promote computer literacy amongst rural women and children and worked with CITAD to create an instructional computer lab. The lab launched with over 100 community members in attendance and will be used as a tool to empower the local women and children to learn new skills and stay connected to a larger world.
Program Description: Hosted training in CSS, J Query, HTML 5 and leadership skills for secondary school-aged girls via workshops and mentor instruction
ImagiNation Afrika
Sample Grantee Stories Community Engagement The true depth of the WeTech Seed Fund’s impact is best illustrated by the stories that our grantees shared with us. It was inspiring to witness the beneficiaries of the Seed Fund grow beyond the bounds of the direct participants and expand to their family members, neighbors, classmates and, in some cases, an entire community. The following are case studies of our grantees that best reflect this spirit of shared knowledge.
ImagiNation Afrika hosted coding camps in partnership with professional training staff. The first cohort of 29 girls completed the curriculum and worked together to design their school’s website. An alumnus of ImagiNation Afrika’s previous tech training program now serves as a mentor for the girls enrolled in the coding camps. At just 18 years old, she has become a source of information as well as inspiration because not long ago she was sitting in the same seats as the young women that she now instructs. Two of the educators that chaperoned the program were so inspired, they learned to code right alongside their students and are now two of the organization’s most vocal allies in the school system.
LOCATION
Senegal
PROGRAM SIZE
29 Secondary school girls
PROJECT TIMELINE
Jan 2015 - Jul 2015
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“We have been amazed by the turnout. Our biggest group was 1,200 girls in the Volta region who, prior to us coming, had no idea [what] a software developer was.” REGINA AGYARE, FOUNDER OF SORONKO FOUNDATION GHANA
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Program Description: Worked with 30 girls from the neighboring slums of Nairobi to equip them with app development skills and organized community outreach and educational presentations in local schools
Street Level Initiative
One aspect of Street Level Initiative’s project was community education for parents and educators to foster support for girls in STEM, resulting in both students and parents beginning to champion this cause. One of their most noteworthy participants, 14 year-old Edda Max, participated in a coding camp with 29 other high school girls. She excelled at the curriculum and went on to win a coding challenge organized by one of Street Level Initiative’s partners. She is currently working on her first website with the help of her mentors. In addition to being a talented coder, she is also a youth advocate for increased funding for STEM programs for girls. She has addressed several policymakers and recently met with a member of the local County Assembly to stress the importance of training girls in technology. LOCATION
Kenya
PROGRAM SIZE
30 young women aged 15-21
PROJECT TIMELINE
Dec 2014 - Dec 2015
University of Pretoria Sci-Enza
LOCATION
South Africa
PROGRAM SIZE:
200 school-aged girls
PROJECT TIMELINE:
May 2014 - Mar 2015
Sample Grantee Stories Community Engagement
Ruth Ndunge is the mother of two girls enrolled in Street Level Initiative’s coding camps as well as a local leader and school board member. She became very involved with the organization and helped facilitate a meeting with the Ministry of Education to advocate for increased funding for the sciences and the creation of more laboratories.
Program Description: Worked with secondary school-aged girls from underserved communities to build basic computer literacy, connect with female mentors in STEM and expose them to hands-on computer science applications. Sci-Enza’s project “ICT: Girls dare to go there!” worked with schools in disadvantaged areas of Pretoria to identify girls that demonstrated interest in IT but were without access to computers in their homes or schools. 31 girls were selected through an application process to build on their existing interest with computer literacy workshops. Trainings included using the internet as an educational resource, interactive computer literacy games, a create-a-blog workshop and introductions to programming, HTML and mobile app creation. The girls were also connected to mentors and role models at several events that allowed them to interface with other women working in technology. The program was instructed by faculty and female IT graduates from the University of Pretoria. One of the graduates, Ofentse Lekwane, was so inspired by the experience as a tutor that she plans to duplicate the curriculum and set up a workshop in a neighboring township to expand the impact for disadvantaged children.
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Code for Cape Town student puts the final touches on website design CODE FOR CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA
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Interview with Ofentse Lekwane THE DEV SCHOOL PROGRAM MENTOR
WeTech: Can you tell us what motivated you to start your own program?
WeTech: What will you teach your program participants?
Ofentse: I would like to empower young kids in township neighborhoods to embrace computer technology and what it can offer- in terms of learning, opportunities to innovate and problem-solving abilities- and so that they can be empowered and better equipped to resolve the issues within their immediate surroundings.
Ofentse: I would like to teach them how to use technology to improve their lives through coding.
WeTech: If you were to describe life in a township to someone who is not familiar with the concept, what would you say? Ofentse: Townships are spaces typically characterized by a daily attempt at survival where oftentimes the most basic human needs are a struggle to meet. WeTech: Which township will you be working in?
WeTech: Who is your target population and how many do you hope to reach? Ofentse: I'm targeting girls ages 5-16 separated into two different classes with differing curricula. I’m hoping to reach as many students as possible, but initially starting with two classes of 15-20 students each. WeTech: If you could only choose one overall goal of your work, what would it be? Ofentse: To empower township children from a young age in order to bridge the gap in knowledge between them and their peers in suburban and well-resourced regions.
Ofentse: My intent is to work in the community of Ga-Rankuwa, in the Gauteng Province in South Africa. 14
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Nigeria Geek Girls Collaborative founder, Dr. Yetunde Folajimi, reviews student work after a hackathon NIGERIA
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Program Description: Formed teams in secondary schools for girls competing in Technovation and provided additional entrepreneurship trainings and mentorship training for educators.
TechWomen Zimbabwe
LOCATION
Zimbabwe
PROGRAM SIZE:
150 girls aged 10-18
PROJECT TIMELINE:
Dec 2014 - May 2015
TechWomen Zimbabwe is headed by a former IIE TechWomen mentee, Aretha Mare. The program organized 30 Technovation teams in 25 schools across two major cities- Harare and Bulawayo. Ten of the thirty teams were from underserved communities. The girls followed an intensive three month curriculum to learn how to design and develop mobile apps that provide solutions to real-world problems that benefit their communities. The girls submitted their entries to this global competition for the chance to pitch their start-ups to industry professionals. This experience seems to have had a strong influence on how the girls interpret the world around them. The girls not only learned valuable technical and entrepreneurial skills, they also learned to train their ears for opportunities. One participant reported that she overheard her aunt and neighbor complaining about how difficult it was to find a good pre-school for their children. The participant said she immediately went to work on a paper prototype for a mobile app which will help parents locate and rate pre-schools in their area.
Program Description: Trained young women in urban universities and secondary school-aged girls in rural communities in mobile and web application development
The Dev School
LOCATION
Kenya
PROGRAM SIZE
50
PROJECT TIMELINE
May 2014 - Oct 2015
One of the most inspiring grantee stories is that of 18-year-old Cynthia Anyango. After completing the Ruby on Rails training facilitated by the Dev School in Nairobi, Cynthia had an idea for an app. The prior year, in response to the Westgate Shopping Mall terror attacks, the Kenyan government implemented the Nyumba Kumi Initiative. The initiative was designed to enhance national security by encouraging Kenyans to know and be in contact with ten neighbors. Cynthia noticed that communities were still having a difficult time connecting and decided to design an app that would help facilitate the process. She named the app Ujirani (neighbors or neighborhood in Swahili) and designed an interface that allows neighbors to form groups, share contacts and messages, and call emergency services. Her app won a local competition and is now being incubated by Nailab. It is also available on Google Play for download.
Sample Grantee Stories Entrepreneurs & Leaders Among the many goals of the WeTech Seed Fund was the incubation of the next generation of female tech entrepreneurs in Africa. We looked for organizations that not only proposed to provide entrepreneurial and leadership training but the mentorship and support necessary to help participants develop their start-ups. We were impressed by how naturally some of the participants found ways to apply their learning to real-world applications. Whether it was addressing a market demand or addressing a need in their community, the participants rose to the challenge.
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Local high school girls listen to AkiraChix speaker during tech outreach presentation KENYA
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“We don’t need to wait until everything is perfect, we only need to start and everything will be sorted out as we go.” Noha Mahmoud, Program Lead at Hypatia Initiative for Women in STEM, Egypt, on what she learned from being a Seed Fund grantee
“…we created the first IT room in a small village named Nalassi. The majority (if not all) of the children there had never had the opportunity to use a computer. To quote the village’s chief, it was a ‘dream [come] true.’ ” Program Lead Nathalie Tekham, Get Ready, Yaounde, Cameroon
“I have always been dreaming of being an entrepreneur but had not yet gotten the courage to do so until last April when I finally decided to prepare myself for this dream. By the end of the second week I was able to develop a mobile app . . .” Program participant Irene Brown, Mobile Web, Madina, Ghana 18
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Outbox participants map out their business plan UGANDA
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“Code4CT was made possible solely because of WeTech's funding. The seed funding model proved to be very successful. Using WeTech's funding we were able to create enough momentum to garner local support which would otherwise have been difficult to achieve.” Emma Dicks, Code for Cape Town, South Africa
“We are happy to be a part of this community. WeTech has helped to connect ELiTE to STEMBees. Former ELiTE students are now volunteering with STEMBees for their outreach events in Ghana.” Chelsey Roebuck, ELiTE Ghana
“Without the support received from WeTech to run the 2014 Challenge, we would not have been in position to attract the partners we have to enable us run the 2015 Technovation Uganda Challenge. This grant is thus an important foundation on which we shall continue to build on our efforts for women and girls in STEM.”
WeTech’s Impact Public recognition as WeTech Seed Fund grantees: The WeTech Seed Fund’s impact is not just limited to each grantee’s program participants and other community beneficiaries. 88% of Seed Fund network members have reported that public recognition as a WeTech Seed Fund grantee has made a difference in the growth of their organizations. Many were able to leverage their connection with WeTech to obtain local funding sources.
Collaborations with other grantees in the Seed Fund network: The WeTech Seed Fund network has also enabled organizations to connect and collaborate on joint initiatives, combining resources and efforts to tackle the common goal of providing STEM access to more women and girls in their communities.
Dorothy Okello, Technovation Challenge Uganda 20
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“As a member of the Leadership Council, my work is no longer limited to the confines of my organization or country but rather across continent. We are envisioning building a movement for women and girls in STEM in Africa.” ARETHA MARE - LEADERSHIP COUNCIL MEMBER TECHWOMEN ZIMBABWE
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Creation of a Leadership Council Opportunities for learning and collaboration will only continue to grow through the recent creation of the Seed Fund Leadership Council. This Council is comprised of four outstanding grantees who have demonstrated their commitment to the WeTech network over the course of the program. The members of the Council will be responsible for maintaining and strengthening the engagement of all organizations in the network by providing a platform to further the sharing of ideas, advice, and support. The Council also plans to provide professional development opportunities, organize inter-regional competitions for organizations in the network, build a new website to highlight the projects of each grantee, work together to obtain further funding from tech companies and corporations, and even host a conference to celebrate African women in STEM.
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Students at Tassah Academy take a break from their classes during a coding camp 23
CAMEROON
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Reflections “I learnt anything is possible if you put your mind to it. This was an opportunity for me to understand what stereotyping can cost an individual, a team and a community at large. The excitement this event created in these women and girls was so touching I cried. It left me more motivated than ever before. I learnt from this experience that the ongoing conversation of the digital divide is more profound than anyone could imagine.�
Program Conclusion The WeTech Seed Fund for Women + Girls in Computer Science has blossomed into a robust network of organizations working together to provide more tangible opportunities for females to enter the technological space throughout Africa. Under the new direction of the Leadership Council, we are confident that this network will continue to broaden its reach and deepen its impact for years to come.
Leadership Council Member Janet Bih Fofang Shufor of Tassah Academy, Cameroon
Women+Girls in C Computer omputer mputer Science in Africa
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