Goal: Working with WITU to give young women in Uganda quality digital education.
Background: Over 60% of the population in Uganda is below the age of 30, and 74% of Ugandans between the ages of 15-25 are unemployed. The majority of them are young women who have either dropped out of school or did not acquire quality education due to poverty. Even if they are able to attend school, the education offered by public schools does not offer digital skills education to enable learners to benefit from the global shift towards technological jobs.
Partner: For the last 5 years, Women In Technology Uganda (WITU) has trained and impacted over 3,500 underprivileged young women in Uganda. WITU’s mission is to support young women and girls to become innovative technologists and entrepreneurs. WITU empowers young women by training them in technology, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills to enable them to find gainful employment or start their own business.
Project: Team4Tech’s October 2019 project supported WITU in launching Uganda’s first fully-fledged open community maker space for the underserved communities around Kampala and its outskirts. Specifically, the aim is to empower through the provision of an open community maker space where young women and girls can come innovate, collaboratively learn, and build solutions for their communities.
The Cadence team supported WITU in:
- STEM teacher training (3D printing, MicroBits, and VR headsets)
- Technology and business/finance skills training for entrepreneurs
- Overall plans and the launch of WITU’s new maker space!