While attending tech events and hackathons, Zandile noticed the nominal participation of women in the events. That is when she decided to host a female-only hackathon.
Following the success of the first hackathon, GirlCode was born as a Non-Profit Organisation in 2014 and it became an annual event attracting more women each year and some who have never coded before in their lives.
Zandile Mkwanazi who is the Chairwoman and CEO of GirlCode realised that the organisation can grow beyond just the hackathons and into a platform that engages women in tech, facilitates the advancement of their skills in the industry and encourages others to join the tech revolution.
“Our mission is to create a network of women who are highly skilled in computer literacy, coding, and design, and who can leverage those skills to develop innovative and sustainable solutions within their communities,” said Mkwanazi.
Mkwanazi also mentioned that stats show women make up only 23% of the ITC sector’s workforce and this shows the huge disparity and it is their mission as an organisation to bridge this gap by making sure that they upskill women with digital skills and provide them with opportunities to get into the tech industry.
“We are passionate about empowering women and having realised the low participation of women in this industry, we aim to change it, one woman, at a time,” said Mkwanazi.
The organisation runs various initiatives throughout the year from The GirlCoder Club. A free nationwide network of weekend coding clubs designed for primary and high school girls in previously disadvantaged communities interested in pursuing STEM related careers.
Another program is the 3 months Free Online Coding Bootcamp for unemployed women learning cloud-related skills, which includes a 1-week Virtual Internship program with their corporate partners.
“This allows the students to gain practical skill sets that they can put on their CV. Anyone interested can visit our http://girlcode.co.za/ and apply for the programs they are interested in,” she said.
As a result of the lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisation experienced challenges connecting and reaching out to its beneficiaries as they did not have access to the Internet or laptops in their homes. Many of them however had smartphones either from a parent or sibling and it gave them an idea to launch WhatsApp Bot aimed at helping students with their studies. They have partnered with IQmates which is an edTech start-up that developed the app.
“As an organisation focused on using technology as an enabler, the lockdown has presented a unique opportunity for us to thrive and think about how we can innovate. As a result, we will be launching a WhatsApp Bot that will allow students to do unlimited practice questions for any subject and book a tutor to have live sessions via the platform. This is a very practical solution that is both accessible and cost-effective, but most importantly it puts education firmly in the hands of the students," said Mkwanazi.
She also said that the great thing about creating a WhatsApp Bot is that it does not require you to download any additional Apps. It is as simple as adding the WhatsApp number for the bot and the learners can start practicing questions and requesting a Tutor.
GirlCode will also be hosting a virtual hackathon ‘Hack from Home’ the seventh installment of the Annual Hackathon will have participants from all over South Africa who will stand a chance to win prizes ranging from laptops to tablets and a grand prize of R10 000. Individuals may enter the hackathon as part of a group of two and a maximum of four per group. Registrations are open and will close on the 24th of July 2020. To register use this link https://girlcode.devpost.com/.