In celebration of Women’s Month this August, pan-African coding NGO Code for Change is offering free coding training for African girls and women between the ages of 11 and 20 through their platform www.codejika.com.
Since the launch of the free-to-use CodeJIKA platform in 2018, the majority of users have been male students. Recognizing the need to upskill young women and attract them to careers in Computer Science and Technology, CodeJIKA has also created a dedicated hashtag for girls interested in coding: #CodeChikas.
The #CodeChikas campaign was created to encourage girls to embark on an exciting coding learning journey that will expose them to career options in the fourth industrial revolution. The lack of women representation in information communication technology (ICT) is evident in recent research by the South African Institute of International Affairs, which shows that, in South Africa, women comprise only 5% of CEOs in ICT companies, as compared with 22.5% in the United States.
Moreover, according to UN Women, half of the 3.7 billion people who do not yet have access to the internet are women.
Since the launch of the #CodeChikas campaign, the programme has seen a 32% increase in female participation, with girls-only coding groups having been established across several schools in South Africa. One such coding group is at Diepsloot Secondary 3, located in Johannesburg South Africa, who decided to enter a CodeJIKA web design competition with only weeks of coding training, while their opponents had been coding for three months.
Demonstrating their dedication, the girls requested weekend coding classes, and were rewarded for the commitment – two of the top three final-round winners were members of the Diepsloot 3 girls coding club. Their victory has since inspired other girls from the school to join the programme and create their own female-led coding clubs.
“My first time switching on a computer was during my first lesson with CodeJIKA.com. I never knew I would enjoy coding as much as I do now. I am thankful to Dell Technologies for donating this lab to my school, it has allowed me to learn a new skill. My wish is to own a computer of my own, so that I can practice and discover new opportunities.”
Ledile Matlala, Grade 9, Bokamoso Secondary School, Tembisa, South Africa.
“The CodeJIKA programme was a stepping stone in my career and now I am studying a Bachelor of Computer Science at the University of South Africa. Gender doesn’t define anyone’s capabilities, and my goal is to introduce coding to young girls from disadvantaged areas.”
Maggie Matemo, CodeJIKA Alumni, University of South Africa.
“I come from Mpika, in Zambia, and growing up I was not exposed to a lot of technology. When I left Mpika to go to Lusaka for university, I was in awe of the different types of technology that are out there. I initially enrolled for a teaching degree, but then decided I wanted to add computer science to my course. My goal is to be a computer science teacher and I want to start with the girls in Mpika, Zambia. I want to open their eyes to the array of opportunities that come with coding literacy. I have started introducing coding, using the CodeJIKA offline curriculum, to some schools in my area and the students are enjoying it.”
Encourage girls to start a coding club with their friends or classmates. Visit .www.codejika.com/clubs to see how you can get started.
Advocate for more girls to join the CodeJIKA free coding programme and learn how to complete fun projects using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Visit www.codejika.com
