Latest Posts

1. Women In Tech and StartUps Meet Up.

   20 August, 2015 12:35 Comments Off

   Barbara curating the discussion

   Last Friday evening, women in the tech and business world met up at Hive Colab to share and network and this time, the ratio of women to men was equal. Barbara Birungi, Director of Hive Colab, Founder of Women In Technology Uganda and curator of the event welcomed everyone and stressed the need for such meet ups to be held often so as to encourage and inspire as they share stories and learn more about the field.

   Barbara appreciated the presence of the gentlemen and said they were part of the solution to the technological gender gap. The conversation was soon made interactive and solutions to this gender gaps were offered. Here are some:

   -Women need other women to encourage them so they were encouraged to find mentors.
   -Students were encouraged to take up personal growth, self-taught practical projects to prepare them for the field.
   -Women were encouraged to always speak with confidence especially about their skill and that even if they weren’t really confident, the confidence would catch on with time and practice.
   -Free time: use your free time to grow your skill and level up as opposed to just passing time watching telenovelas.
   -Social media: it was noted that many young women use social media platforms to post pictures and lifestyles which same platforms can be used as a self-marketing tool. Young women were therefore implored to for example: post pictures of their work to their social media platforms, look out for users in similar fields and engage with them so as to promote themselves. The importance of having a professional LinkedIn account was also stressed.
   -Women were encouraged to always carry their business cards to the invents they attend and endeavor to give them out to attendees. Women in tech and startups should also look out for events where they might learn a thing or two about their fields, but also as a networking strategy.

   Some of the ladies and gents that were in attendance

   -Start ups at Hive Colab expressed the willingness to support,mentor any young women in tech that are ready to grow.

   Many lessons to pick from all these solutions, a number of people including WITU and the startups at Hive Colab ready to render their support. It is now up to every interested young woman to take up the initiative. Be inspired. Take Initiative!

2. Appsafrica Innovation Awards 2015

   17 August, 2015 14:37 Comments Off

   http://appsafrica.com/appsafrica-innovation-awards-2015/appsafrica-innovation-awards-2015-categories/

    

   Appsafrica Innovation Awards 2015 Categories

   

   Appsafrica Innovation Awards 2015, welcomes applications for the following award categories;

   1. Best disruptive innovation
   Business models are being disrupted across the continent using technology and innovation. This award seeks to recognise the disruptive innovations and new business models that are changing Africa now. Apply now

   2. Best mobile innovation
   This award is open to all MNO’s, VAS providers, manufacturer’s, service providers, developers and entrepreneurs who have created innovative mobile services for African businesses or consumers. Apply now

   3. Best non data mobile innovation (using SMS/USSD/ IVR)
   While smartphone penetration is increasing, the majority of African’s still use basic handsets. This award recognises mobile innovations that do not use mobile data and utilise either SMS, USSD, IVR or other non-data driven services. Apply now

   4. Best African app
   App development has exploded in Africa. This award recognises the best applications successfully launched on any platform to target African consumers or businesses. Apply now

   5. Best fintech innovation
   Africa is the birthplace of some of the world’s most innovative fintech solutions. This award recognises the best fintech innovation including digital currency, venture capital, mobile money, wallets, P2P, money remittances & transfers, point of sale or funding platforms. Apply now

   6. Best health innovation
   This award recognises innovations which are improving the health of Africans using mobile or other technologies. Apply now

   7. Best educational innovation
   Delivering education has many challenges in Africa. This award recognises innovations which are striving to improve education by utilising mobile or other technologies. Apply now

   8. Social impact award
   This award recognises an inspiring use of technology that has a positive social impact for an African community while contributing to economic and social development. Apply now

   9. Best entertainment innovation
   Mobile Entertainment is now a burgeoning industry across Africa. This award seeks to recognise the best entertainment innovations. Examples include music, literary, gaming, children’s entertainment, lifestyle and video. Apply now

   10. Women in tech award
   This award seeks to recognise the women who are driving technology and innovation in Africa. This might include entrepreneurs, developers, executives, program managers or any women making a positive impact. Apply now

3. Women In Tech and Startups Meet Up

   12 August, 2015 17:31 Comments Off

4. The Knight-Mozilla Fellowships

   11 August, 2015 10:09 Comments Off

    

   The Knight-Mozilla Fellowships

   The Knight-Mozilla Fellowship places creative technologists in newsrooms to work on open-source tools and support reporting that strengthens the web and changes people’s lives.

   The fellowships are paid positions and applications for the 2016 cohort are open now. The deadline to apply is August 21 at midnight EDT.

   BEING A FELLOW

   Knight-Mozilla Fellows spend 10 months working with newsroom technology teams to write open-source code, analyze and visualize data, and explore tough problems facing journalism. Fellows have the financial support and time they need to explore journalism code, collaborate on open-source projects, and share their work at conferences around the world. In past years, fellows have doneresearch about security and analytics and built tools for extracting data from PDFs and crowdsourcing document analysis. They build strong relationships with the other fellows in their cohort as well as a growing community of alumni.

   We embed fellows with a partner news organizationthat provides space for the fellow, intriguing projects to work on, and an immersion into the culture of that newsroom. Fellows in 2016 will be placed with: Los Angeles Times Data Desk, NPR, Vox Media, Frontline, Correct!v, and The Coral Project (a collaboration between the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Mozilla). Want to join them? Apply now to become a 2016 Knight-Mozilla Fellow.

   WHY WORK IN JOURNALISM?

   Journalism influences the web we inhabit. Journalism shapes the web through code that was developed in newsrooms, like Django and Backbone. Journalism drives web content, stories that amuse and enrage as well as reporting that leads to meaningful changes in our communities. Journalism works at a scale that few other industries can muster–millions of readers engage with reporting every day.

   The Knight-Mozilla Fellowship is a chance to be immersed in this work. Working in journalism means you do challenging work that is deeply gratifying. As advocates of the open web, we also see our work as a way to help make open technology a realistic and attractive option for newsrooms, technically and culturally.

   JOINING THE FELLOWSHIP

   Applications to become a 2016 Knight-Mozilla Fellow are open until August 21. This fellowship affords a chance to experiment with technology in journalism and work on projects that interest you and your host newsroom. As a fellow, you would live for 10 months in the city where your host newsroom is located and work as a member of the newsroom team.

   The kinds of projects fellows work on day-to-day are chosen by the host news organization and the fellow, and have included projects focused on data, mapping, elections, and impact analysis. If you already have ideas that interest you, whether it be news games or civic data crunching, that’s great. We’re looking for people who want to experiment with technology in journalism, and fellows get plenty of room to figure out what those experiments should be.

   You can learn more about the financial and timing details of the fellowship and the application process. If you don’t see your questions answered, please email us.

5. JOB Opportuntiy in Tech

   17 July, 2015 17:40 Comments Off

   JPO Opportunity on Women and ICTD

    

   We have a P2 level (2-4 years experience, with Masters Degree) JPO position (person from the south) in UN Women to support our gender and ICT work. If you can help us find a qualified candidate by sharing the opportunity on your networks we would be most appreciative. This is being funded by the Netherlands and there is a specific list of countries from which people can apply. There is a link to the list in the job advertisement (see the link below) but some of the countries include: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, CAR, Cambodia, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

    

   We should be able to find a great young woman who would really benefit from this opportunity and that can help us advance this important area of work. The deadline for application is 5 August.

    

   http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=54903

    

6. 6th CLSP Training Program Intake

   7 July, 2015 08:00 Leave a Comment

   CLSP is a 3months Training for women from disadvantaged communities. Our next in take starts September 2nd 2015. If you are Interested, please visit our offices on Plot 18 Kanjokya Street or call +256414531659 and ask for Leticia.

7. WITU celebrates Girls In ICT Day.

   4 May, 2015 15:58 Comments Off

   

   On 23^rd April 2015, Uganda joined other member states of the International Telecommunications Union (I.T.U) in celebrating the international Girls in ICT day.

   Uganda Communications Commission (U.C.C) in conjunction with Women in Technology Uganda (WITU) and Hive Colab organized the event under the global theme “Expanding Horizons, Changing Attitudes.” The event took place at the U.C.C head office in Bugolobi.

   The day started with the arrival of pupils and students of select primary and secondary schools at the U.C.C offices. They were then briefed by the organizing committee and whisked to visit the tech departments of two leading companies; New Vision and Airtel Uganda.

   The primary school pupils were taken to visit the New vision offices while the Secondary school students were taken to Airtel Uganda. While touring these companies, the students interacted with tech professionals who shared vital information with them. They got a feel of what it’s like to be in a tech environment. The girls were so thrilled by all the tech stuff they were seeing; it is no wonder that many were reluctant to head back to UCC for lunch and the afternoon session.

   After a delicious lunch, it was time to join the university students, recent graduates and young working ladies in ICT for panel discussions. As part of the event, women role models from select tech companies in the country gave motivational talks to the students on emerging career areas in ICT.

   Access Mobile’s Lynn Asiimwe shared her tech journey with the girls. She talked to the young women about being aggressive while seeking opportunities in the job market. She also encouraged them to do personal projects that they can use to show case their ability to develop software.

   The MD Laboremus, Lucrezia Biteete encouraged the girls to “Focus on the new technologies and become more attractive on the job network.” She also put emphasis on acquisition of management skills because “Women make the best project managers”

   ThoughtWorks’ lead Project Manager Bbira Kafumbe talked to the girls about merging ICTs with business and motherhood. She also shared about her experiences working in a tech field and the challenges of working and studying abroad.

   Dr. Nora Mulira a board member of UCC started her talk with a quote from the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that says “Equality for women and girls is not only a basic human right, it is a social and economic imperative. Where women are educated and empowered, economies are more productive and strong. Where women are fully represented, societies are more peaceful and stable”

   She also pointed out that the British conquered the world because of the technology they had at that time. They used that technology to build steam ships. Today technology is that steamship. And just like the steam ships were vital for the British to conquer their colonies, technology too is that important. Therefore women should utilize this time to get involved in building new technology or else we’ll be left behind.

   The day ended with a panel discussion where the young women got to ask questions, discuss issues and opportunities in the tech market. UCC and Laboremus shared internships and job opportunities available in their organizations for University students and fresh graduates.

   

   UCC CERT team leader Ronald talks to WITU’s code girls about computer forensics.

8. Girls in ICT day Volunteers needed

   4 March, 2015 12:15 Comments Off

   WITU is planning to participate in the ITU Girls In ICT day and is looking for 2 Volunteers.

   

   Please see below about the day.

    

   What is Girls in ICT Day?

   International Girls in ICT Day is an initiative backed by all ITU Member States in ITU Plenipotentiary Resolution 70 (Guadalajara, 2010) . It aims to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in the growing field of information and communication technologies (ICTs). International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated on the 4th Thursday in April every year.

   On International Girls in ICT Day all stakeholders are encouraged to organize events with the vision to empower and encourage girls and young women to consider studies and careers in the growing field of ICTs. The ITU Secretary General invites ITU Member States and Sector Members to organize events attracting as many girls and young women as possible. Ministries of ICT, Education, Labour, Youth, National ICT Regulatory Authorities, ICT companies, academic institutions, relevant UN agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders are all encouraged to celebrate and commemorate the day.

   There is no a specific model for the organization of the event. All stakeholders are invited to hold events tailored to their local context and means. The main goal is to make girls and young women aware of the vast possibilities offered by ICTs and give them the confidence to pursue ICT studies and careers. In addition to focusing on girls, the initiative aims to raise awareness among parents, teachers and others influences in girls’ lives.

   If interested in volunteering, please respond to us by emailing [email protected]. with your name and contact.

    

   The volunteer roles will mainly include participation in event planning and management.

    

    

    

9. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

   1 January, 2015 01:19 Comments Off

   Many young women graduating with STEM degrees don’t have the skills needed by most employers. We have been approached by employers looking for skilled young women to offer an opportunity and many have come short of their requirements. We have researched the desirable skills for the Ugandan market and want to equip these young women with these skills and send them to employers as qualified candidates they will want to hire. We will be working with academic institutions, Employers and young women to increase their chance at a fulfilling career in STEM.

   WITU CODE GIRLS LEVEL UP is a new program at WITU for young women currently enrolled in STEM courses at learning institutions or have recently Graduated.

    

   If you think you are the candidate we are looking for, Please apply here

    

10. OUR IMPACT IN 2014

    31 December, 2014 23:27 Comments Off

     

    

    This year at WITU, our focus has been to bring Technology closer to young women and reduce the technological gender gap in Uganda and collaborate with sister orgs in Africa to reduce the divide on the continent.

    We focused on girls that have dropped out of school and live in underserved communities on one side. On the other to work with ever growing number of girls that are graduating with STEM degrees but not ending up in STEM professions or are still unemployed and not sure of where to start.

    Opening up a women Tech and Business hub that is entirely focused on working with young women and creating women entrepreneurs in the tech industry and women businesses that are technology savvy in Uganda. We wanted a space that young women felt belonged to them and they could open up without fear of redicule at anything they shared. A sanctuary that brought out hope to the hopeless and brought out talent in young women.

    Our training was in Technology( from Basic to Computer Science, Networking, Digital Safety), Entrepreneurship, Business Management and Life skills. We felt that these three were a whole package.

    

    Understanding the problem with few women in Technology on the continent is paramount to us solving this gap. Working with the young women themselves, employers, tech business owners and the community leaders has helped us understand where the real problem is and how we can solve it.

    I do not think Training in STEM alone is going to solve the problem, We realized Young women need much more, They need career support and Life skills. With in this life skills, you have to deal with Esteem issues, sexual and reproductive health issues and confidence build up. Ultimately these contribute to the advancement in Her tech/Business career, her life as a woman and what she passes on to the next generation.

    

    We worked with a number of partners for the different programs in our portfolio to achieve the results we did. Intel, Hive Colab, ITU, Microsoft and Forward Foundation

     

    Our results

     

    Many young women have found Jobs in the Technology Sector in Uganda through our referrals and preparing them with technical employability skills

    Over 300 Young women have started or scaled or revamped their businesses with the business knowledge we offered and are using technology in these businesses for better results. As a result they have been empowered to leave abusive relationships, smarter with their bodies and knowledgeable in Sexual and reproductive health. We know what this knowledge is not only going to improve their standards of living but also reduce teenage pregnancies, abortions and deaths due to early pregnancy. They are confident of themselves regardless of their backgrounds. The savings clubs are helping these young women manage their finances and prepare for the future.

     

    The Hub is more than a work place, its a safe haven of sisterhood where these women and girls open up, share life challenges and are inspired by others success after being in the same situation. WITU HUB has been and will continue to bring hope, confidence, help them find employment, start their own businesses and advise them and give them Hope.

     

    We Believe for an even bigger impact in 2015. We are introducing new programs and improving our existing programs from lessons learned in 2014.