Mentoring girls to 'click' with IT

Dorcas Muthoni runs a consultancy firm that provides business solutions to companies and mentors students interested in Computer Science. She spoke to NJOKI CHEGE

When Dorcas decided to pursue a degree in Computer Science at the University of Nairobi, she raised eyebrows in her community. They did not believe that she would get a good job with such a career.

When she was pursuing the course, they were few in her class, as it was still new and few people knew about it. Thus, there was nobody to mentor her on the same.

Dorcas Muthoni

Fast-forward to today, and Dorcas (now an accomplished Computer Science expert) runs her own technology consultancy firm — Openworld Ltd. It is a regional e-government and business technology solutions provider.

Embrace technology

The firm, which she started in 2005 at the age of 25, provides open source software, special business applications, information and technology service management and server and consultancy solutions.

"My dream was always to run my own Pan-African company and inspire younger girls to do the same in future," says Dorcas.

Apart from that, the go-getter also runs a technology mentorship programme for girls in high school.

"I want women to fall in love with technology. Women have to embrace technology to advance in their careers. We encourage high school girls with an interest in computing careers to pursue their dreams and build fulfilling careers," says Dorcas.

The mentorship programme was birthed in August 2004, after the Software Freedom Day was launched.

The Software Freedom Day is an annual worldwide celebration to increase awareness of free software and its virtues and encourage its use. After its launch, Dorcas saw the need to inform young women, especially those in high schools, about computing careers.

Workshops

In September 2005, Dorcas teamed up with women colleagues and invited several girls’ schools to a workshop at the Catholic University dubbed The Annual Computing Career Workshop for High Schools.

The agenda was to expose these students to the computing profession and encourage those interested to excel in related subjects such as Physics.

They also shared their experiences to encourage and challenge the girls. Since then, the event has been held every year.

"By sharing our experiences with them, we are debunking the myth that only men can thrive in this industry," says the IT guru.

To be successful in this career, Dorcas stresses that it’s important for women to be as dynamic as the ever-changing technology.

"Technology is on the fast track. There are advancements with every dawn. Women have to keep up with these changes in spite of commitments such as family and children," challenges Dorcas.

At the workshops, the girls are also exposed to challenges in the profession.

"We remind them that technology knows no gender. Nobody will give a woman a chance based on her gender. This chance is only given based on merit," she quips.

Girls who pursue this career might feel outnumbered and intimidated by the boys, but Dorcas encourages them to push on.

For instance, in her time, there were only six girls in a class of 35. Even today, girls are still outnumbered in such classes.

Incorporate boys

So what are some of the achievements of this mentorship programme?

Last year, a Muslim girl who was a beneficiary of the first workshop in 2005 called Dorcas and thanked her for enlightening her on this fulfilling career.

The girl is now in her final year at one of the public universities pursuing a degree in Computer Science.

"Even after they finish college, we still follow up on them and mentor them. We also guide them through the steps of running a successful business," she says.

She also plans to bring boys into the mentorship programme.

"We discovered that it is not only girls in high school that require such vital information, but boys too. Soon, we will incorporate them in the programme so that they can also make informed decisions," Dorcas says.

Her ultimate dream for this mentorship programme is that it grows into a congress for all high school students interested in computing careers.

So what’s her career background?

After completing her High School education at Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls, she pursued a degree in Computer Science at the University of Nairobi.

After campus, Dorcas worked for a non-profit organisation in the education sector for several years before going into consulting.