I SEE ME IN ICT

As a young girl i was told science and technology was NOT for girls! at that time technology was really advancing few women were engineers despite more women paying a vital role in tech they were under presented i used to admire female in tech wishing i was like them but because my educational curriculum at that time didn't favour women was left admiring i would sneak to the library on the weekend to read women in tech who beat the odd to be like men that motivated me never to give up no matter how long it would take. so was invited to this even ' girls in ICT which is celebrated annually every 4th Thursday of april that was a wake up call for me . it gave me strength and courage because no one ever move without making a single step. thats how i team up with young women of (10) and engage with them for public, private and civic society sector meeting and with the help of my working tools and knowledge i got from the ICT event i had a tended earlier we discussed the importance of knowing more about the digital world , together we learned the importance of tech in women playing a big role .as we continue to come up with the a wareness , we realized that 63% of women in our community constitute the workform from different sector locally but only 3% of the women are in ict the gender gap is so vivid we could even name them because the male gender dominates the statistics. together we came up with highlights that can help bridge the gap that include increasing the enrollment ratio of girls and women through quality education, giving women the same opportunity without favouring the male gander more, creating awareness in local schools, churches , community events that are mostly attended by women. in addition we brainstorm how we can approach the national government body that can issue favorable strategies that will be adaptable to advance girls skills in tech. together we vision world where all girls and women of all ages are given equal opportunity in tech career so we wont feel left behind as female we look forward to diverse team improving , creating problem solving production that is headed by strong women. we also realize that most african countries never encourage girls or women in ict even those who are interested are never encouraged or are left to rot in villages because of lack of opportunity and as a result girls and smart women are less exposed to ict or those who advanced are sideline just because they are women . the system will find fault on them and deny them the opportunity to be great CEO of tech company. we also came up with idea of community tech lab/ hub that will help enroll those young girls in ICT by giving opportunity to girls from poor background but love tech .this will help girls to gain a strong voice in their communities it will also offer them flexibility in time and space and can be a better way for facing social isolation that affect girls / women sometimes . but with rapid advance in information and communication this will help address social and economic problems caused by the growth or urban youth population . it will open those closed opportunities to young girls/women in the community for better part of the future. as we were still discussing further this question came along ;how do boys and girls differ in their use of ICT the discussion was so heated but i like the answers ' girls use it for school work and getting information while boys use it for video games and how to make things , boys will be boys .i still support my girls because the gender gap in tech industry needs to be bridged because i remember wearing male clothes and hoodies to attend science conference that did not allow girls thats how desperate i was with my tech world. but one day i was busted and told to leave. thats why i wont want any girl with passion in my community to go through what i went through. the resources are brought to them on their door step! this has facilitated efficient communication i love it when a 7yo can talk about computer with bride it has enhanced productivity things that were never promised back in my days , business operations have been streamlined talk of vision 2030 we already there even before the 2030 wish. the young minds have come up with different innovations and collaboration from different sector .if i remember the struggle back in the days longing for this tech opportunity the struggle was so real . and now women are visionaries and change maker especially young women i testify to this. when women are empowered , well educated, motivated , encouraged , given opportunity like male something that was never a thing to them because of mythology and other stereotyping beliefs that they can do such kind of work !! they are capable of contributing towards development growth in the community , rapid investments in smart farming, E Business, they will generate more revenue through tech innovative ideas like how to tap rainwater for irrigation, how to fix things , this will see more tech hubs in community that offer ICT classes to those in need and especially women , it will lower poverty in the community because with ICT skills you can apply of an online remote job get paid and change your life for better.my dream is to see my community growing to be an ICT community in the next 10 yrs ,i want to see more women in tech field leading as the CEO of organization that was once managed by a male manager for many years i look forward to attending more women tech workshop with upcoming young professional women.