2023 Pass It On Award Winners
Celebrating a Community of Women Helping Women!
We are thrilled to recognize the outstanding women who have made significant contributions to their community through their acts of kindness and innovation. The AnitaB.org Systers Pass It On Awards honors Anita Borg’s desire to create an endless network of women technologists helping one another. This year we funded the launch and expansion of ten women led projects that inspire social good around the world. Meet the inspiring winners of the 2023 Pass It On Awards!"
Empowering Young Women Through STEAM Education & Mentorship
"It is an absolute honor and privilege to be named this year's winner of the Anita B. Org Pass it on Award. This recognition validates the unwavering commitment and hard work that I have dedicated to empowering young women leaders and entrepreneurs in the tech industry..." - Frida Ndi Eposi
"I am grateful for the opportunity to pass on the knowledge, support, and inspiration that I have received throughout my journey. Together, we can create a ripple effect of positive change, amplifying the voices of women and paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable future in technology." Eposi Frida is a visionary leader at the forefront of innovation and empowerment in Africa. As the driving force behind the African Enterprising Woman, she has spearheaded a movement that empowers women entrepreneurs through mentorship and skills development. With an unwavering commitment to fostering economic growth and gender equality. Eposi continues to inspire and uplift aspiring women leaders across the continent, making a tangible impact on both local communities and the broader business landscape.
The "Empowering Young Women Through STEAM Education and Mentorship Program" is a comprehensive initiative designed to inspire, educate, and empower young women in underserved communities through Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education and mentorship. In 2022, she had the honor of being selected as an outstanding young African leader by the U.S. Department of State. This prestigious opportunity brought her to the US for an exchange program, where she had the privilege of engaging with seasoned business leaders and learning invaluable insights. Inspired by this experience, I felt compelled to find ways to apply the knowledge and skills I acquired in my own community.
Hailing from a small community in the southwest region of Cameroon, that has been deeply impacted by the ongoing conflict, she became acutely aware of both the stark gender divide prevalent in the tech industry and the significance of technology in transforming underserved communities.
Through this project, her aim is to provide girls with opportunities to develop their skills, explore STEAM careers, and foster the confidence necessary to pursue their passions. By empowering young girls in my community, we aspire to address the gender disparities that exist in STEAM fields, enabling them to become active contributors to technological advancements and social progress. Through this initiative, she hopes to create lasting change and empower girls to shape their own futures, despite the challenges posed by the war and the prevailing circumstances in our community. Through a series of workshops, hands-on activities, and mentorship programs, the project will create a supportive environment where girls aged 12-18 can engage in STEAM-related learning and develop critical skills for their future success. The three main components are:
- Workshops: In collaboration with professionals and experts from various STEAM disciplines, these workshops will expose the girls to exciting STEAM concepts and provide them with practical, hands-on experiences covering topics such as coding, robotics, 3D printing, and more!
- Mentorship: Each participant is paired with a dedicated mentor from a STEM-related profession.
- Career Exploration : To broaden the girls' understanding of STEAM careers, the project will organize visits to local industries, and universities. Through these visits, the participants will gain insights into different STEAM fields and interact with professionals, fostering a sense of possibility and motivation for their own future career choices.
- Leadership and Soft Skills Development: These sessions will also touch on teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. These activities will enhance the girls' overall personal and professional growth, equipping them with the essential skills needed to excel in STEAM fields and beyond.
- Community Engagement: Recognizing the importance of community involvement, the project will encourage participants to use their STEAM skills for social impact. Through community-based projects, the girls will apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems, making a positive difference in their communities and fostering a sense of social responsibility.
- Parental Engagement and Workshops: Parents and guardians are active member of the the process by organizing workshops and informational sessions to educate them about the importance of STEAM education and the opportunities available to their daughters. This engagement will create a supportive network that reinforces the girls' interest in STEAM and encourages their continued participation.
- Long-term Impact Monitoring: Regular assessments will be conducted to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the program. This will involve tracking the participants' educational progress, career choices, and continued involvement in STEAM-related activities.
Empowering Women with Disabilities to Soar
"I am very excited to hear this good news and this project will impact women with disability and help them to regain hope in their hearts." - Olive Mukarugamba
People living with disabilities are considered in Ugandan Society are often seen unimportant, and sometimes denied access to education. Women and girls with disabilities are often pushed to the extreme margins and experience profound discrimination this means that they may face multiple and intersecting barriers to achieving their goals. This often includes lack of access to services and resources, widespread discrimination, stereotyping and social stigma. As a result this can lead to lower economic and social status; increased risk of violence and abuse, including sexual violence; gender-based discriminatory practices; and limited access to education, health care (including sexual and reproductive health), information, services, justice, as well as civic and political participation. To combat this issue Olive began teaching those effected how using computers skills to improve their lives.
The first thing we teach them is to have confidence understand how to overcome imposter syndrome and believing in oneself. She then teaches members graphic design, music programming, video editing, photo shop and more. They also deep dive into tools to improve efficiency and fundamental project management such as Word, Excel, and Power Point program. Learning these platforms allows many of the girls they work with to leave with a career in creating digital stationery, video production and other creative tech pathways.
Using AI to Teach Coding Skills in Native Languages
"I am really honored and grateful to receive this incredible award, it is a testament to my hard work and dedication. This award has boosted my confidence and determined to promote females in computing and thus increase their opportunity of employment. Thank you Systers Pass It On Awards Committee and AnitaB.org for considering me for this award."- Shobha G
Shobha is a Computer Science and Engineering professor at RV College of Engineering in Bengaluru, India specializing in Data mining, Machine Learning and Image processing. She has published more than 150 papers in reputed journals / conferences. Her project aims to encourage girls to learn coding in regional language in a friendly environment and make new generation of females software talent for best computing jobs.
India being one of the most linguistically diverse nations has 22 languages and nearly 70% of the country’s population exists in rural area. Even though, there are talented students in rural area with good logical and reasoning skills, they find it difficult to code due to English language barrier and hence lose interest in programming. Digital technology has made revolutionary changes in human life and has become an essential requirement for many jobs, with several firms seeking workers with robust coding knowledge. Thus coding is an important constituent of digitization.
Since most products and services are digitized, the number of jobs requiring coding skills will increase dramatically. To bridge the gender gap many organizations encourage girls and women around the world to code but English is the primary language used to teach coding skills. None of the tech in the literature have encouraged rural girls to learn coding in regional language. This project aims to encourage girls to learn coding in their regional language with the hope that it will create a new generation of talented women to be leaders in technology. The idea of this project is that building an interactive tool, that helps rural girl students learn coding skills in their regional languages it will naturally enhance their logical and reasoning skills required for coding. In order to encourage students to learn Python programming skills and simultaneously enhance their logical skills, this project aims to create a platform for the students or users to provide a solution for the given problem statement in their native language and the platform created will automatically convert the solution to Python code. If there are errors in the syntax or logic, the proposed tool will be able to highlight the error and also suggest the corrections to the students. The proposed project intends to build a learning interface (ITRL)to inculcate python coding skills and enhance logical reasoning skills and employability especially for the girls in rural areas. Currently they are creating the tool for Kannada language, a Native language of Karnataka state in India.
Empowering Young Women in Nepal to be Tech Leaders
"I am absolutely thrilled and deeply honored to be named this year's winner of AnitaB's Syster Pass It On Awards. It reaffirms my commitment to mentor, support, and uplift other women in technology, paying forward the opportunities and encouragement that have come my way..." - Sarila Ngakhusi
"With this award I am hopeful that the fellowship program will reach more people from minorities and financial troubled backgrounds." Sarila is a full-stack software engineer at Blys with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Information Technology. She is also the co-program manager at Women Leaders in Technology (WLiT), an organization working for gender equality in technology in Nepal. She co-leads programs at WLiT and is involved with strategic decision-making, program planning, and resource management, along with partnerships with companies and organizations. She is passionate about empowering women in technology and serves as a mentor to aspiring professionals to start their first professional step in technology. She firmly believes that with the proper support, mentorship, and opportunity, everyone - especially young women - can grow to be a leader, inspiring many to grow with them. "
Women make up 49.5% of the world population, yet as of 2023 they only hold 26.7% of jobs in technology globally. In Nepal where the female population is 52.15%, this trend is even more disheartening. The Asia Foundation’s latest report notes that even though 81% of females over the age of 15 are contributing to the economy in, only 0.5% are in the field of technology. It is essential to have more women in tech so that they can contribute to their communities and make impactful changes at all levels as leaders.
Women Leaders in Technology (WLiT) was established with the mission of empowering young people from diverse communities with the opportunity to build solutions and be leaders in technology. WLiT firmly believes that women can and should hold leadership positions in the various fields of computer technology. In order to support this mission, WLiT runs an annual flagship program known as the fellowship program. This fellowship is a multi-faceted career development program that focuses on technology, leadership, and community development for young women (undergraduate students, ranging from 18 - 25). The program begins with two weeks of hands-on coding bootcamp with industry experts - who were once fellows and are now contributing as alumni. During the bootcamp, they primarily learn development in JavaScript (front end and back end). By the end of the bootcamp they are able to create a viable product that they will continue to develop throughout the fellowship. There are several other leadership sessions that focus on themes such as goal setting, time management, teamwork, impactful problem solving, design thinking, best practices when making a presentation, and IAmRemarkable among others.
This is a practical program that enables the participants to develop their technical and soft skills and prepare them to be confident leaders. The program then continues for a period of 8 months with monthly sessions that includes technical sessions such as QA, portfolio session and Blockchain. The leadership sessions highlight the different types of leadership styles including other skills like internship etiquette, CV writing, interview skills, internet safety and digital privacy sessions. The fellows interact directly with tech companies and experts around Nepal. This broadens fellows’ network as they interact with industry experts and recruiters from a number of different companies. It also provides a space to have open conversations about career opportunities there. The fellowship program also encompasses 6 months one-on-one mentorship, where each fellow is matched with a mentor who meets the following criteria: female, former alumni, with 2 years of experience working in the field of technology, to guide fellows with their professional and personal life. With guided mentorship, many fellows develop strong relationships with their mentors and the person remains a trusted advisor and is able to provide for career advice that is helpful in navigating the world of technology.
At the end of the fellowship program, fellows are placed in internship programs at partner companies so that they can start their career in tech. This allows the fellows to obtain some real world experience and have a chance to explore and grow with the company where they intern. A big part of the fellowship focuses on personal development of the fellow throughout the program. The fellowship shows the real impact of diversity in tech and moves the needle as it relates to the lack of women in STEM fields.
Learn more about the fellowship.
Integrating Women Ex-inmates into Society with Technology
"It is a blessing for me to be among this year's winners and this project will enhance female ex-inmates skills on computer basic education."- Sharon Musabuwera
In Rwandan prisons, girls and women who were once incarcerated usually have a hard time integrating back to the society. Whether it's the many stigmas and stereotypes, unemployment, outdated of education, lack of basic needs e.g. food, clothes and shelter or all of the above the path to "freedom" is difficult. This project aims to create a place where previously imprisoned women can learn vital crucial skills to improve their lives and find community.
During their stay participants of the program will be equipped with basic computer skills such as Word, Excel and Power Point, to help them use technology to learn creative skills such as graphic design, stationery, digital books and more. IT experts specializing in ui/ux and design will gain a deep understanding of how to express themselves in a world that may not be accepting of their past while also become skilled in an industry with ample need for women with diverse backgrounds.
The program will also focus on nurturing their faith and restoring their hope regardless of the circumstances. They will undergo therapy session to help them heal from any traumatic experience they might have experienced while serving their term in prison.
At the completion of all program requirements participants will receive and computer skills certificate.
Haitech Coding
"Haitech Coding is beyond grateful to have received this Award. The club has come a long way. It feels great to be recognized and supported. Thank you AnitaB.org!" - Anne-Sophie Frederick
Haitech Coding is an organization whose mission is to provide a place where Haitian girls get the opportunity to learn more about technology and the fundamentals of computer science.
Coming from a very undeveloped country like Haiti where most people do not have access to technology, careers such as computer science/engineering are barely talked about. Many Haitian students immigrate and feel so behind in these fields that they end up studying a degree to just get a job, or don’t go to college at all.
Anne founded Haitech Coding in 2021 after teaching more than 15 Haitian girls different programming languages. During weekly two hour meet ups they discuss different relevant topics in the computer science field or general technology. Most members are in middle/high school and looking to explore the different ways technology can be used in their future careers. To date members have learned programming languages, animation software such as MAYA and more! Additionally, through one on one mentoring there is a thorough tracking process to look for their progress, give them feedback, find patterns in learning challenges and provide an opportunity to answer their questions. Today, Haitech has reached girls in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and continues to rapidly expand.
Accessibility Tech Solutions for Blind Women
"After being informed that this project was accepted among winners, I thanked God for being among winners. This project will create the smile in blind women as they will also be included in nowadays' technology." - Gloria Uwihanganye
Gloria's project aims to work with schools, churches, and local leaders to train them about the different ways they can use technology to make a more inclusive environment for blind women and girls. The lack of equity is clear: Women who are blind cannot receive computer of printed visuals because they are often not thought about. Due to high cost and low availability, many individuals who are blind use standard keyboards when computing and will face challenges that aren't often considered by the mainstream audience. Fortunately, specialized hardware and software can make computer systems usable accessible to these women. Braille key labels can assist with keyboard use. Speech output systems can be used to read screen text to computer users who are blind. Refreshable Braille displays allow line-by-line translation of screen text into Braille on a display area where vertical pins move into Braille configurations as screen text is scanned. Braille displays can be read quickly by those with advanced Braille skills, are good for detailed editing (e.g., programming, final editing of papers), and do not disrupt others in work areas because they are quiet. Braille printers provide "hard copy" output for blind users. All of these solutions were created by using technical innovation and having an inclusive mindset.
In Kampala city there is a high ratio of women with blindness that this program aims to empower through the use of computer science. The goal is to teach the participants how to not only further their education by using this solutions but how to build these products and give back to others in their community. With the help of expert in study of blindness in women and technical leaders from different industries this bootcamp will teach 25 women the technical skills they need to create more tech solutions for an equitable future for others.
Digital Women Bootcamp
"It is such an amazing feeling to be named a Syster's Pass It On Award Winner. Reflecting on how I started the Digital Women Bootcamp, the challenges and the accomplishments we have recorded, I feel honored to be recognized by Systers and AnitaB.org..." - Aghama Moriah Jesurobo
"I also do have a renewed sense of commitment towards empowering women especially those who would ordinarily not be able to afford the cost of training for the in-demand skills courses we offer to our participants on scholarship. I believe this award will contribute significantly as we scale our impact and advance women in technology." Aghama Moriah Jesurobo is a Nigerian Edtech founder and social impact leader. She is the founder of MumsWhoCode, an organization that provides coding training and mentorship to mothers. She is also the program director of the Digital Women Bootcamp by Eluyem Tech Foundation, a training program that teaches women in Nigeria and across the globe, the skills they need to get jobs and advance their careers in the tech industry.
Some of her notable achievements include: U.S Exchange Alumna (YALI Regional Leadership Center Fellowship), ONE Champion, recipient of Swedish Institute Visitor Programme, and Anitab.org Local Community Volunteer.\
Digital Women Bootcamp is a tech capacity-building program initiated by MumsWhoCode with the aim to empower more women like Aghama Moriah Jesurobo to gain the tech skills needed to thrive in a male-dominated space with a special focus on mothers who aspire to break into tech. The Digital women bootcamp provides beneficiaries access to instructor-led virtual classes, a community of like-minded women, opportunities to own a device and get stipend to subsidize the cost of learning for eligible women. This program runs at no-cost to the beneficiaries who mostly women from Sub-Saharan Africa living within and outside the continent with recorded participation from women in India and UK.
The model for participation is cohort-based and the organization runs two cohorts every year since May 2021. Each Cohort starts with a call for participation, review of submissions and letter of placement. Facilitators are experienced industry professionals who want to give back to the tech ecosystem and there over 31 volunteer instructors who either teach a full learning track or teach certain aspects of our curriculum. Curriculum is built for relevance and co-designed with instructors who have knowledge of entry-level job requirements based on extensive experience. Learning tracks include: Python Programming, JavaScript Programming, HTML/CSS, UI/UX Design, Digital Marketing (formerly, Digital storytelling and Design with Canva), Cloud Computing (Azure), Data Analysis, and Data Science.
So far, over 300 women have completed their training with amazing testimonials of starting new jobs, salary raise, confidence boost, business startup. Digital Women Bootcamp aims to scale their impact to reach 10,000 women with our training by the year 2025!
To learn more about her work, kindly visit the links below:
To make a donation email info@mumswhocode.net
Comunidade SysAdminas
"I am thrilled to win the Pass It On award for the second consecutive year. I feel incredibly honored by this recognition and happy to be able to continue assisting Brazilian women in advancing in the field of technology through my volunteer work in the SysAdminas community. Thank you so much, Systers and Anitab.org." - Beatriz Oliveira
The SysAdminas Community is a non-profit, inclusive group that has been providing a supportive network for women interested in learning about IT Infrastructure since 2018. Our primary goal is to encourage women's participation in the technology field in Brazil by creating a safe and welcoming environment.
Within the community, it offers various free activities and programs, including:
- Meetups, workshops, and live events on YouTube, where we teach technical content and create a safe space for women to network and develop together.
- Career mentoring to support women already in the technology field or those aspiring to enter it.
- Specialization programs that help women in the community obtain technical certifications at an affordable cost. We partner with companies that donate certification vouchers and courses to enable this initiative.
- A blog on Medium featuring articles created by women in the community about technology and careers.
- Free e-books produced by the community to help beginners study technical content related to IT Infrastructure and cloud computing, available in Portuguese.
SysAdminas' work has already been recognized by prominent organizations. In 2020, they were honored to receive the Elastic Search Awards in the Cause Awards category from Elastic. In 2022, we were proud winners of the IT Blog Awards by Cisco and finalists in the Greatest Contribution to Society category at the DevRel Awards by Hoopy.
Teaching Girls Competitive Programming
"I am very happy that I became a winner, it inspires me. Thanks to everyone who made Pass it On Awards possible!" - Adina Magavina
Adina is the General Secretary of the Kazakhstan Competitive Programming Federation; leader of the Kazakhstan national team at the European Girls Olympiad in Informatics; CEO of the M&C Programming Education Center.
Competitive programming is an intellectual sport in which you need to solve problems on algorithms and data structures using programming languages such as C++, Java, Python and others. At competitive programming competitions, there are many challenges that require participants to understand advanced algorithms and mathematics. Data confirms that there are much fewer girls study or work in Computer Science and that gender gap is particularly pronounced in programming competitions. For example, at the final stage of the republican Olympiad in computer science in 2023, there were only 3 girls out of 180 participants. Adina's project aims to popularize the study of computer science among girls and improve the results of girls in programming competitions by training girls in Kazakhstan how to excel in competitive programming.
Participants will be invited to the regional Olympiad in computer science to study and train for at least one year with an experienced competitive programming coach. Intensive classes will be held weekly and will include lectures on algorithms and data structures, contests for the practice of solving problems using programming languages, discussions of tasks from previous years' Olympiads. Many girls have potential in the field of programming, but do not always receive support and incentive for its development and this project aims to change that narrative. Encouraging participation in programming competitions helps to identify and develop these talents, contributing to their career growth and success. Participation in competitions and competitive computing events allows girls to exchange experiences, find mentors and support within the community. This helps to create an atmosphere that stimulates the development of girls in the field of programming and helps to overcome possible obstacles and stereotypes.
Learn more about the winners!
Not sure where to start?
We know that crafting a compelling application can be overwhelming, so we’ve put together an example application to guide you through the process. This example showcases the level of detail and quality we look for in a successful submission and can be used as a guide to craft your winning application.
Apply today!
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Attn: Systers Pass It On Awards
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For more information on how to get involved email: systers@anitab.org