Tech mentors meet South African girls
2 February 2015
Promising young girl coders from Khayelitsha met the Twitter vice-president for
engineering, Nandini Ramani, to discuss how to pitch a business idea and how to use
social media to grow their success.
Ramani was among a group of 40 of the top women in technology from around the
world at the gathering, which took place on 29 January at the Bandwidth Barn. The
women, from TechWomen, are in South Africa to meet the country's leaders in
information and communications technology and discuss women's roles in the sector.
TechWomen is a mentorship programme that supports female leaders in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem). "The idea is to bridge connections
and encourage women and girls to pursue careers in Stem," said TechWomen
representative Kelsi Ward.
About 60 girls and women joined the meeting, where the TechWomen shared their
experiences of working in some of the biggest and most innovative
companies in the
world.
The young coders were from GirlHype, an organisation that aims to empower young
women and girls with digital and media education skills. The Bandwidth Barn tests
incubation models that work best in a community environment and that support the
local community's needs.
The visitors included professionals from Symantec, Juniper Networks and Twitter.
Ramani spoke about programming and opportunities for women in technology. "I'm
here to learn and share some of my own experiences," she said. "I grew up in India
where there are a lot of obstacles for women and I still persevered. I fully believe
technology is as important as good clean water and housing."
The visitors showed the girls how to put together a motherboard. They also
discussed programming languages and how to turn technology into a business.
Successful TechWomen outreach programmes also took place in Johannesburg and
Pretoria, and the women met a team
from Silicon Cape. "Cape Town is similar to
Silicon Valley with the amount of start-ups it has," said TechWomen mentor Diane
Manning.
TechWomen, a US initiative launched by former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in
2011, empowers, connects, and supports the next generation of female leaders in
Stem from Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East. It provides them with the access
and opportunity they need to advance their careers, pursue their dreams, and inspire
women and girls in their communities.
It works through mentorship and exchange and exposes girls to female role models in
Stem. Stem skills, the group says, are widely needed across a variety of trade and
professional occupations. "Students who choose a Stem-related major can expect to
enter a market where the number of jobs is projected to grow twice as fast as jobs
in other fields over the next five years, according to the US Bureau of Labor
Statistics."
In addition, women in Stem
jobs earn 33% more than those in non-Stem occupations
and experience a smaller wage gap relative to men. Stem careers also offer women
the opportunity to engage in some of the most exciting realms of discovery and
technological innovation. Increasing opportunities for women in these fields is an
important step towards realising greater economic success and equality for women
across the board.
SAinfo reporter
Mentors from TechWomen meet girls from GirlHype in Khayelitsha. (Image: Twitter: US consulate Cape Town)
