Teach 100 Nigerian Girls Coding & Robotics

The Coding Workshop in Enugu was designed to provide girls in the southern parts of Nigeria with technology skills which are necessary in the 21^st Century. The camp was a 6-day program aimed at introducing young women to the field of computer programming and educate them on how to leverage technology to develop technology solutions to problems in the society. The objectives of the camp focused on providing students with:

1. An introductory foundation in Computer Science.
2. Develop technology skills required to drive advancements in the society.
3. Developed web, desktop and mobile applications and programs.
4. Greater interest and would be well equipped to pursue high-wage technical careers.

The Coding Workshop taught 46 girls from underprivileged backgrounds the fundamentals of programming in Python, Mobile App Development and Web Design using HTML and CSS. Students were also mentored by female software developers.

LESSONS LEARNT

1. Having successful female mentors and instructors engage with the students boost their self-esteem and self-confidence, while exposing them to role models who look like them, to whom they can aspire.
2. It is helpful to students to own their laptops so that they can practice at home and can keep learning and working after the camp. The Foundation will seek donations of used laptops to ensure that students can progress.
3. Practical work experience helps to further deepen students' knowledge and understand. The Foundation has established good relationships with a number of local tech companies and organizations that are willing to provide competitive internship opportunities for our graduates.

CONCLUSION

Participants acknowledged that the camp exposed them to a new world of bigger and better possibilities. They were excited about how they could control and determine their careers with technology. Students were motivated to explore this career path, while others seek to become tech-enabled entrepreneurs. The participants have been added to the Foundation's online community of students to continue learning and practicing. Further camps are also planned to teach new topics and support their long-term learning and development.

Links:

• The Visiola Foundation's News Page
• The Visiola Foundation's Quarterly E-Newsletters
• The Visiola Foundation's Facebook Page