ZimGirlsCode

The biggest concern is notably evident in the local tech industries which do not have adequate female representation and leadership. While the number of women in technology is on the rise in Africa, the gradient remains low, resulting in issues of dependency syndrome and falling prey to early marriages. The other challenge  encountered has largely been due to logistical arrangements like getting the buy in from schools whose female students have limited exposure to computers and yet still expected to grow and work in tech influenced industries. ZimGirlsCode is determined to break the barriers by setting up operational code clubs in schools for tech skills, career exposure and contributing to technology creation not just limited end users. We believe the same girls will go on to pursue tech majors in universities and create a global impact in the tech industry.

ZimGirlsCode aims to introduce and expose young girls to technology skills  in an effort to broaden them with tools for the modern world. Zimbabwe’s government reported nearly 5,000 teenage girl pregnancies in January and February of 2021 and about 1,800 entered early marriages during the same period. ZimGirlsCode has a vision to equip the same young girls with skills to unlock their potential and broaden their career exposure. It is imperative that we contribute to the rising generation of self sufficient young women who can make their own income through transferable skills gained from our trainings.

1.We design the ICT curriculum as per identified need and consider geographical discrepancies, by meeting the students at their point of knowledge and exposure and do not impose a cut and dried teaching approach on them. For example, some rural students have never seen a computer, it will be unreasonable to start teaching them web design, so we start with basic introduction to computers. Topics include  web design, hour of code, resume building and digital communication skills. 

2.We have already identified the schools we want to work with ( owing to their technocrat school principals) and now need to implement the set up of  ZimGirlsCode clubs in the school.

3.We engage Computer Science students in the local  university to volunteer and be subsequently assigned as club patrons as they gain experience too.

4. The volunteers are duly trained in line with the curriculum and objectives are articulated as they contribute their expertise and articulate requirements.

6. Reports on trainings are sent  every quarter for monitoring and evaluation to identify  gaps and areas to focus on.

Our goal is to equip young girls in Zimbabwe aged 10-23 with modern technology via the education sector. The solution targets girls in primary school, secondary school and universities. The support we have from the government gives us leverage on use of public schools and some of their basic facilities. Having university students on board as our patrons and facilitators ensures that our curriculum and trainings are abreast of modern technology and methodologies. Our trainings are accessible because they are already embedded within the school facilities at no cost, giving the beneficiaries confidence to try new activities in a familiar territory. Due to the fact that 80% of universities are state owned, our relationship with the government guarantees us furtherment of our programs at university level such as admissions into STEM faculties, career guidance day and also becoming privy to the projects that final year students showcase. 

Our problem, solution and our target population are within the stipulated objectives of the Challenge. Our solution entails tech education, skills equipment and career exposure. Above and beyond the skills they get, we believe we are reducing the number of girls who are blinded by the illusion of early marriage due to dependency syndrome. The target population are young girls of adolescence into adulthood, aged 10-23. ZimGirlsCode is a tech education organization designed to provide young girls with technology skills  in an effort to broaden them with tools for the modern world.

We have piloted our solution to two types of communities, rural-who lack resources such as electricity and students who have barely operated a computer and urban affluent-students who are well equipped and exposed to tech gadgets and devices. Our organization is now established in that it was tested and reviewed by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary education and we were granted permission to access all schools in the second largest city in my country- Bulawayo. We now require capacity to scale our solution and increase our impact.

ZimGirlsCode is innovative because its model provides inclusivity of its beneficiaries and works its curriculum based on the social standing  of the individual. The young girls come as they are and we help build up their skills in confidence into a woman who can contribute meaningfully to the tech industry. The fact that our model includes university students as facilitators  and that we are in partnership with the ministry of education feeds off our relationship with local universities. Site visits during project showcasing at  local universities are part of the learning process therefore, invoking curiosity and encouragement to do better.

We are currently serving 39 learners from different schools off our last hackathon held before Covid-19.  In the last quarter of 2021 to the end of 2022, as Covid lockdown regulations ease off we plan to go into 5 schools to work with a total of 125 girls-20 from each school. We also plan on hosting a workshop for university girls for tech skills relevant in the Covid environment. In 5 years, our model would have scaled immensely across African regions, we believe we will be serving 1000 young girls.

Monitor skills from time of onboarding:

1st Group- Girls who come with zero knowledge or skills to operate a computer

a. We monitor their confidence and skills  after the first quarter

b. What they initiate to learn on their own after curiosity has been invoked

c. Uptake in basic introduction to computers

2nd  Group- Girls who own a gadget like a smartphone and have some sort of knowledge through social media on how to use technology

a. We measure their ability to grasp concepts of web design in HTML/CSS

b. Interview career aspirations to measure exposure 

For both groups, we then evaluate after a quarter;

a. What they can create from their skills

b. What careers they want to choose now

c. What opportunities they ask about e.g STEM scholarships, university life and events, tech industry site visits 

4 people our staff members, contracted on need basis because of financial constraints and occurrence of activities per quarter.

5 Volunteers join us every quarter.

Our team is well-positioned to deliver this solution because of their  individual successes in their own capacity. Our team comprises of three women and one gentleman. The two ladies are established programmers, one works with the Ministry of Health and the other recently completed her studies in Computer science. The team leader has 10 years experience in business, worked with international partners and was awarded a certificate in Civic Leadership by the US Department. The gentleman in our team is a renowned software developer, administration and leadership come easily for the team, like minds who are community driven and fully equipped to make our solution a success.

Our organizational values are built on respect, integrity, inclusivity and transparency. Our leadership team works in multicultural environments hence emphasis is always on treating everyone with respect whatever their culture, race, gender, religion and beliefs. 

Zimbabwe is known for its high literacy rate of over 90% and equally for being one of the poorest countries in Africa. Covid-19 worked against our service delivery and internet poverty saw our beneficiaries idle for over a year, failing to access online classes hence the teen pregnancy reports. With this prize, we will mobilize workshops and visit schools for training with the  intension of reaching over 300 girls. 

Zimbabwe, like most African countries, is grossly influenced by first world technology. Having mentors and advisory assistance from the first world will help us with best practices and consistency. Public relations will be an asset in improving our social media strategy and visibility, while technology will keep us updated in optimising our systems and relevant curriculum.

From the Solve Members, we would like to partner with Code Nation. We also indicated in our areas of support that we need Human Capital which counts for mentors that will help us upskill and scale our model.

Our mission and continued work of fighting against dependency syndrome and early marriages, equipping girls with technology skills for the modern world   qualifies us for the Innovation for Women Prize. Covid-19 created a huge  gap in our service delivery as schools were closed for over a year, internet poverty was our greatest obstacle as our beneficiaries had no access to online classes.  The prize money will help us close this gap and increase our reach of over 200 students.