“If you educate a man, you simply educate an individual,but, if you educate a woman you educate a nation.” Those were famous words by Dr James Emmanuel Kwegyir Aggrey as he was speaking on the girl-child education and how much of an improvement is required in Africa for a brighter future.
In Abuja, Nigeria a non-profit foundation by the name Visiola is promoting female education, helping females bridge the gender gap in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields to help boost Africa’s technical skills base for long-term economic transformation. Through the organizations support and mentorship 400 students attending 15 public schools in Nigeria are exposed to coding, robotics, and mechanics through its high quality after-school STEM Clubs for girls.
The main focus of the foundation is to target female youth who are exceptionally bright but come from a poor or disadvantaged backgrounds and equip them with the skills that will help them maximize their potential as change agents who leverage technology in their respective communities, and indeed across Africa.
Recently they got awarded the GOOGLE RISE AWARD which supports supports informal education organizations around the world that promote computer science for K-12/university age youth and the program emphasizes participation from girls, youth in low-income communities, and minorities who have historically been underrepresented in the field of computer science.
Called the “Programming for Beginners workshop“, the program is aimed at encouraging more girls to pursue technical careers by empowering them with vital knowledge to facilitate their success.
The three-day coding workshop will see the participants learn computer programming using Python programming language and web design. They will be able to hand-craft their own websites, become career coders and enable them to start their own technology business.
Applications are open until March 22, 2017. The applicants are expected to take an Aptitude Test at 9:00 a.m. on March 25, 2016.
