Monthly Archives: October 2012

WITU HACKATHON, WHAT WAS

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WITU Hackathon,

Last Month Women In Technology Uganda held its first Hackathon that was a woman only with a theme: WOMANAPP: building apps for women by women!

For us it was about Fun, Meet people and build stuff!

From the team ladies came up with three application ideas

1.Neighbourhood watch

2.Motherapp

3.LAPP (ladies all round APP)

We wanted to build applications that will solve a problem in a woman’s life in Uganda and the world, one of the biggest reasons we identified in Uganda was a high child mortality rate and part of the reason for this is that many pregnant women in Uganda do not go for antenatal care during their pregnancy and will prefer to give birth at home due to high costs involved in antenatal checks and delivery, and the free services for pregnant mothers are often characterized by long lines that most mothers decide to go back home without receiving treatment, trusting in TBAs and not knowing where to go for certain complications during pregnancy.

From these two were combined into one and a team is building an application that will address the issue of the high child mortality rate in Uganda by working with pregnant mothers and new mothers on child care, pregnancy care and pregnancy advice.

 

The ladies worked in teams, a mobile app development team, the marketing, PR team and the web development team. These teams each worked to build the product that is going to be both a web and mobile application.

This app is where form meets function, has an innovative design and it will not only solve a problem but solving it in a new and innovative way.

We hope to launch this product in March 2013.

 

 

GSMA mWomen Design Challenge

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User Experience and the Smartphone

 

The objective of The GSMA mWomen Design Challenge: Redefining the User Experience is to meet the needs of resource-poor women by improving the smartphone user experience.

Designers, programmers and innovators of all kinds are invited to consider the user experience of resource-poor women to reimagine a smartphone’s core user interface to be more intuitive and accessible. The more a woman can use her phone, the more value she’ll be able to realize from the pre-installed apps, widgets, and other functionality that can enhance her and her family’s lives.

Before I was in the dark, now I am in the light!

New female mobile phone owner, Papua New Guinea

Today, most mobile users in developing markets rely on basic feature phones, which generally offer little beyond basic voice and SMS functionality. But smartphones will drive the next stage of the mobile revolution, offering access to more phone features, as well as being the primary tool for internet access for many in the developing world. As competition grows and the phones become more popular, manufacturers will realize economics of scale and will reduce prices, creating a cycle that will ultimately lead to affordable smartphones throughout the developing world.

More info and how to enter here!

http://designchallenge.mwomen.org/en/challenge/mwomen-design-challenge

The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship

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Anita Borg

“Her capacity to mix technical expertise and a relentless vision inspired, motivated and moved women to embrace technology instead of avoiding or ignoring it.”

Dr. Anita Borg (1949–2003)

Anita Borg believed that technology affects all aspects of our economic, political, social and personal lives. A technology rebel with a cause, in her life she fought tirelessly to ensure that technology’s impact would be a positive one. It was this vision that inspired Anita in 1997 to found the Institute for Women and Technology. Today this organization continues on her legacy and bears her name, The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (www.anitaborg.org).

Dr. Anita Borg

The Scholarship

Dr. Anita Borg devoted her adult life to revolutionising the way we think about technology and dismantling barriers that keep women and minorities from entering computing and technology fields. Her combination of technical expertise and fearless vision continues to inspire and motivate countless women to become active participants and leaders in creating technology.

As part of Google’s ongoing commitment to furthering Anita’s vision, we are pleased to announce The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship: Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Through the scholarship, we aim to encourage women to excel in computing and technology, and become active role models and leaders.
Multiple scholarships will be awarded based on the strength of candidates’ academic performance, leadership experience and demonstrated passion for computer science. A group of female Bachelors, Masters, and PhD student finalists will be chosen from the applicant pool. The scholarship recipients will each receive a €7,000 (or equivalent) scholarship.
In June 2013, all scholarship recipients and finalists will be invited to visit a Google office in Europe for a networking retreat. It will include workshops with a series of speakers, panels, breakout sessions and social activities, and will provide an opportunity for all finalists to meet and share their experiences.

Eligibility requirements

Candidates must:

  • Be a female student enrolled in a Bachelors, Masters or PhD programme (or equivalent) in 2013/2014.
  • Be enrolled at a University in Europe, the Middle East, or Africa. Citizens, permanent residents, and international students are eligible to apply.
  • Be studying Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Informatics, or a closely related technical field.
  • Maintain an excellent academic record (e.g. a First Class Honours degree).

How to apply

The scholarship for 2013 is now open. The closing deadline will be 1 February 2013.

Please complete the online application and submit all requested documents by 1st February 2013. All application documents must be in English. Scholars and Finalists will be notified in April 2013.

You will be required to submit the following:

  • Up-to-date copy of your CV
  • Answers to the following questions (Suggested word count is 400-600 words per question. You should treat question 1 and 3 as technical reports or research papers):
    • Describe a significant technical project you have worked on. If you have worked on a major independent research project (such as research for a Master’s or PhD programme), please describe that work here. Give an overview of the problem and your approaches to the key technical challenges. If this was a group effort, be sure to specify your individual role and contributions.
    • Give one or two examples of your leadership abilities. Explain how you were influential and what you were trying to achieve. These need not be demonstrated through formal or traditional leadership roles. Feel free to think broadly and examine the many ways you impact members of your technical community.
    • Suppose someone gave you the funding and resources for a 3- to 12-month project to investigate a technical topic of your choice. Write a short version of a proposal, including a description of the project, your planned methodology, and your expected results. Please pick something other than the project you described for the first question.
  • Transcripts
    • Bachelors: A copy of your current academic record.
    • Masters: A copy of your previous and current academic records.
    • Phd: A copy of your previous academic records.
  • Enrollment confirmation for 2013/2014 or confirmation of graduation date
    • Please include with your application an official enrollment confirmation or a confirmation of your graduation date issued by an official authority of the university e.g. your departmental administrator or a professor.
  • Recommendation letters
    • Two strong referral letters from individuals who are qualified to evaluate your academic and leadership accomplishments, e.g. from a professor, adviser or supervisor.

For specific questions not answered on this page or in the FAQ section, please e-mail[email protected]. We look forward to receiving your application!