On every fourth Thursday of April, girls and young women all over the world join hands to celebrate international Girls in ICT Day. A day set aside to empower and encourage girls and young women to consider studies and careers in the growing field of information and communication technologies.
In the world of today, technology is taking up most of the career opportunities. From art and history to law, primary teaching, and graphic design, therefore learning tech skills at a young age will set the girl child up for economic independence. Plus this will contribute to the increase in the number of girls and women in the ICT sector which would be of great benefit to communities.
For this and every year for the past eleven years, the International Telecommunication Union together with its partners comes up with themes for the year. And this year’s theme is “Access and Safety”. This theme is set to highlight the need of having safe and reliable access to the internet and digital tools to ensure girls and young women thrive in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.
Various women and organizations have come together this year and organized webinars, seminars, and workshops that will feature inspiring young role models who have made in the tech space. Who will also share their experiences and testimonies on access and safety in STEM/ICT? Is there any event you are attending? Let us know in the comment section.
Here are some events that you should look forward to; Microsoft ADC (West Africa) will be celebrating the International Day of Girls in ICT by hosting young women who are enthusiastic about a career in tech, SAFG Community Roundtable event-click here to join, plus so many other events. Please do attend and share the knowledge you will gain from these events.
Girls of all ages have the potential to use technology to make a positive impact in their communities. Aisha and Ruth are good examples of young girls who have used tech to make a positive impact in their community. Having studied ICT at the Technical University of Mombasa, in which they made up 50% of the program’s female population, they decided to do something about the involvement of girls in tech.
They founded a social enterprise by the name Pwani Teknowgalz, to empower young Kenyan women in the STEM fields. Through this great initiative, they realized that many women in Kenya, are not fortunate enough to be given opportunities to study STEM-related courses but through their social enterprise, they are able to teach these. They carry out web development training, workshops, and mentorship for girls in secondary school, university, and college. Workshops are also affordably priced, and 10% of proceeds go towards teaching underprivileged girls.
Also read: Girls In ICT Day 2021: Connected Girls, Creating Brighter Futures
Did you know that 65% of children entering primary school today will have jobs that do not yet exist? That is why it is very important to encourage young girls to learn tech skills as they grow up. Through empowerment initiatives such as the one by Aisha and Ruth, more young girls can gain the needed tech skills that will make them more financially liberated.
There are still many steps needed to get girls in Sub-Saharan Africa and around the world into the ICT field. But through physical and digital tech spaces that will allow women to interact, network, and brainstorm innovative ideas, more and more women can get into the ICT space. Happy #InternationalGirlsinICTDay 2022.
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