Connecting and inspiring girls through ICT

By KIUNDU WAWERU

Early 2011, The Standard Woman’s Instinct Magazine carried the story of a group of ‘tech’ women who are using Information and Communication Technology to empower young girls.

The article generated such a buzz that the group was invited by the then US Ambassador, Michael Ranneberger to his residence for the 2011 International Women’s Day Celebrations.

When the ambassador was introducing the group to the gathered dignitaries and the group couldn’t hide their joy for rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty.

The ambassador, who always marked the day by recognising Kenyan women who are impacting their communities, said the tech group was a breath of fresh air, seeing as they had embraced ICTs, and went ahead to empower girls on the same, especially the underprivileged.

Well, a fresh breath of air they are — young, beautiful, energetic and intelligent. As they ululated at the ambassador’s residence, they lived to their name; Akirachix. Akira is Japanese for intelligent and energetic, and chix is a corruption of the slang chic, a trendy young woman.

When The Standard published the Akirachix story in February last year, they were only ten members but today they boast of 200 strong community of techies.

In 2010, they started training girls who had completed school and failed to further their studies. The girls were taught programming design and entrepreneurship and today, the first batch has graduated and is now working in the IT field. The Chix have also received grants, the latest from Google, to further their projects.

"Even though we are in an age where information is shared rapidly and fast, lots of communities are still not exposed to this info," says Marie Githinji, a Software Developer and Akirachix Communications advisor. "ICT can, and is providing enormous opportunities and more should be done to reach more women, especially the marginalised ones," she adds.

ICT, and all things tech, has always been seen as a forte of men, but these young Kenya women and many others in the country and abroad are breaking the glass ceiling, one app at a time.

According to the State of Kenya Population, 2011, women and girls constitute half of the country’s population.

Even though this presents immense potential for girls’ contribution to the country’s development, a study by the National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development says this is constrained by limited access to education, health, especially reproductive health, gender discrimination and also lack of capital.

And it’s this gap that tech players believe ICT can fill in order to empower the girl.

The Government and other stakeholders should help empower women in ICT if this country is to achieve Vision 2030.