Even though more girls are consuming technology in grassroots communities, very few of them are actually thinking about creating it themselves.
This is according to Nyari Samushonga, a business analyst at software company ThoughtWorks.
ThoughtWorks Africa's South African Black Girls Code (BGC) events focus on increasing the number of black women in IT.
"We want to show them at an early age how much fun it is to write code so that, when they are considering career options, IT is right up there at the top of the list," said Samushonga.
BGC, founded by electrical engineer Kimberly Bryant in partnership with ThoughtWorks, aims to expose girls of school-going age from underprivileged backgrounds to the world of software engineering and to hopefully get them thinking about careers in IT.
Earlier this year, ThoughtWorks partnered with two non-government organisations (NGOs) - the Tomorrow Trust and the Kliptown Youth Program - for two events to identify girls with an interest in computers. Fifty percent of the girls returned for BGC 2, triggering a change in emphasis for the ThoughtWorks team and volunteers, states Samushonga.
"We realised that for BGC to be an effective tool for capacity building, we need to go further than just introducing girls to IT. We need to nurture their interest and growth in the field. So, instead of each BGC event covering the same material, in the expectation that there would be new girls each time, we would like the same group of girls to progress through an informal curriculum and develop practical skills."
However, to achieve this, and also keep attracting new girls to the initiative, more volunteers, equipment and venues are needed.
"In order to provide as much personal attention as possible, we like to have one mentor for every two girls," Samushonga says. "A class of 48 girls therefore stretches our team - and making available 24 computers for five hours over a weekend can be difficult when we have project deadlines to meet.
According to Samushonga, these logistical issues have resulted in the formation of partnerships with local colleges, universities and corporations, which allow BGC to access their computer laboratories during their downtime. With more volunteers from outside of ThoughtWorks, the company could run multiple venues simultaneously - even in different cities - reaching more girls.
"We could also have more frequent BGC events. Most underprivileged girls don't have access to computers at home. But they need practice time to consolidate what we teach. More frequent events would not only provide that, but also enable continuity in the mentoring of each girl."
ThoughtWorks' approach to teaching girls to write code is based on the principle of encouraging them to express themselves through technology.
"Writing code is about deciding what you want to achieve, planning your path to that outcome, and then executing your plan, so we're teaching a life skill and building personal confidence," Samushonga concludes.
ThoughtWorks will host the third BGC event on 14 September. To sign up as a volunteer, click here.
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