We join the rest of the world to celebrate the times, lives, impacts and legacies of all the women around the globe in this year’s International Women’s Day. The place of a woman in the family as mother, sister and wife, as a role model in the society and as a nation-builder can’t be substituted. The invaluable contributions she has made in the world of technology can’t be overemphasized.
Every 8th day of March is International Women’s Day and this year’s celebration has the theme “Gender equality today for sustainable tomorrow” with the hashtag #BreakTheBias. It sets out to celebrate the social, political and economic as well as the technological achievements of women; spotlighting the issues that have long affected women in different parts of the world and how to bring a lasting solution to gender disparity, discrimination, as well as encourage all-inclusive participation of women.
As we celebrate Women all over the world this day, it is important to also make mention of leading organizations that have worked and are working assiduously to empower and engage women in the field of technology.
Women in Technology International (WITI) – is a non-governmental organization founded by Carolyn Leighton in Los Angeles USA.
WITI started from an email group in 1989, by 2012, it had become a leading organization for women in technology with an ecosystem of more than three million professionals, 60 networks, and 300 partners worldwide. It aims to foster the achievements of women and give inspiration, opportunities, and support to women in the field of technology. The name was later changed from the International Network of Women in Technology INWT to the WITI in 2001 due to its critical involvement.
Women in Tech Africa (WiTA) – Is the 2018 recipient of the United Nations Equals Award for Leadership in the Women and Technology Space.
WiTA is a technology-driven organization whose focus is on entrepreneurship development and increasing the number of females in technology in Africa. Founded by Ethel D Cofie, WiTA has a large membership base across 30 countries globally with 12 physical chapters in Britain, Germany, Ireland, Nigeria, Mauritius, Somalia, Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, Cape Verde, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. It is aimed at equipping women with technological skills for personal growth and leadership to drive sustainable development in Africa.
Women Who Code (WWCode) – is an international non-profit organization based in San Francisco, California, U.S.A started operations in 2011. WWCode is aimed at providing avenues and services for women pursuing careers in technology with relevant coding skills. Some of the initiatives of WWCode is iincludeviding free technical study groups for Javascript, iOS, Android, Python, Algorithms learning; career and leadership development initiatives.
Girls in Tech – This is a global non-profit organization that was founded in San Francisco USA in 2007 by Adriana Gascoigne with over 50 chapters covering North America, The Middle East, Africa, South America and Asia. GiT aims at engaging and empowering women in the field of technology.
These organizations and more, have not only engaged women to see their places in tech but have empowered them to create and own a place in the tech world thereby bridging the gap of inequality and fostering inclusiveness. I believe as more women become actively involved in the development of technology, the rate of technological advancements all over the world will grow exponentially and spread beyond imaginable limits.