Inspiring Girls in the 21st Century

* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

My academic and professional journey is both straightforward and winding. A daughter of educators, I was born and lived on a university campus in Nigeria until I was 18, when I moved to the United States for college. The most stark remembrance of this transition was acclimating myself to a learning environment centered on technology.

At 25 years old, I founded Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF) while working at Microsoft. YTF is now an international non-profit working in five countries and focused on appropriating technology at the intersection of the most important drivers of every economy today: education and entrepreneurship. At YTF, we work with youth and we work with women—many of the women are the mothers and sisters of the youth we serve. Last year and with support of silicon valley based Women Enhancing Technology (WeTech), YTF launched 3D Africa, a program designed to make STEM fields more attractive to girls and provide work for underemployed and under-educated engineers by teaching them about 3D printing and human centered design techniques. During GE Garages Lagos, YTF trained 30 young entrepreneurs on 3D printing technologies. Only four of the participating entrepreneurs were women. I spent time outside class getting to know these women—how they got into their fields, what sort of support mechanisms they had, what their challenges were, and how they were paying it forward. We had interesting conversations about many topics, including how their career choices exposed them to workplace incivility. Empowering women starts with empowering girls. In Nigeria, where YTF has worked for 15 years, the educational curriculum does not develop links between STEM subjects and others in which girls are naturally interested. In Kenya, our research demonstrates that the primary barrier for girls and women entering the technology field incited by after school programming is time.

A girl’s choice to study science is seen as weakening her identity. In situations where a girl’s material circumstances are tied to her marriage prospects, the implications of challenging the dominant construction of her femininity are serious. If young women had the same employment rates as young men in Nigeria, the country would add US $13.9 billion annually to its GDP. Factors responsible for the lower enrolments of girls in STEM include socio-cultural attitudes, familial challenges, psychological and gender-stereotyping, absence of mentors, environmental influence, and the perceived masculinity of the STEM fields.

At the Junior Secondary School (JSS) level in Nigeria, girls make decisions concerning whether to follow an “Arts” or “Science” tract. For a 13-year-old girl, this is a serious decision. Without parental guidance, the girl often leans towards what appears easier. This is a direct effect of the basic problem of gender stereotyping. Most girls do not realize they have the potential to succeed in STEM fields because of a lack of proper guidance, counseling, and exposure to the subject area.

3D Africa addresses both the supply and demand-side problems that limit girls’ inclusion. Supply-side barriers include: poor quality of education; lack of knowledge of local, female-appropriate STEM jobs; lack of confidence to explore opportunities; and inadequate technical skills. Demand-side barriers include: gender disparities compounded by poverty; prioritizing boys over girls for education; and parents’ lack of awareness of girls’ interest in STEM-related subjects.

Governments and multilaterals must promote gender equality through various means, including by enacting legal and political reforms to give women (and other socially excluded groups) greater access to resources. However, while resources—economic, social, and political—are critical to ensuring that women are empowered, they are not sufficient. Women must also recognize and utilize resources to further their own interests.

A systemic change is required in Nigeria’s education sector, but such change can be a slow process. We do our work with the understanding that we cannot afford to have change materialize slowly—we must take drastic steps to address deficiencies (Legatum, Africa Prosperity Index – YTF Case Study, “Improve the Education System in Nigeria, the Role of Technology, p. 18).

Here are some steps YTF has taken over the years to create a pipeline of female technology entrepreneurs. We not only teach them technical competence, but also the business acumen to monetize their talent within the global economy.

1. We introduce technology in an inspiring way. It’s one thing to get the girls interested in STEM, it’s another to see that they are motivated enough to select STEM as an educational path and sustain their interest long enough to make it a career. 3D Africa combines programming and entrepreneurship, empowering girls as problem solvers and inventors. This allows students to contextualize and apply their knowledge, personally connect to the problem, and improve learning and creative processes. Hands-on experiences inspire peer-to-peer learning and empower students to recognize issues and propose solutions in a collaborative way. (See “Community: A focal point to inspire passion for STEM education in girls.”)
2. We expose students to engineers who are working in today’s economy, which favors lean, multidisciplinary organizations. We understand the importance of a total student experience, which includes in-class learning, out-of-class apprenticeships, and developing empathy and an appreciation of the accomplishments of others.
3. We encourage growth and the opportunity to take calculated risks. We connect our students with alumni so they can develop networks. Once they are a YTF program participant, they are with us for life. We teach our students how to build relationships across all levels of an organization. We know that good leadership is grounded in decision-making, respect for the community as well as customers and vendors, high performance, and an understanding of the mission and culture of the company.
4. We engage our students through team-intensive technology and entrepreneurship projects, field work, site visits, meaningful internships, forums, career panels, and competitions.
5. We teach them to think big, start small, and move fast. They learn not just to be engaged, but to stand out. Most importantly, we teach them about courage: the willingness to be strong enough to stand unafraid to be themselves.

Together, we must continue to build a community that supports the achievement of our joint goals for women leaders. We must ensure that the network of young girls and women continues to thrive through mentorships that help our students chart their educations and careers.

In my next chapter of leading YTF, I will continue to use the words ‘celebrate’ and ‘share’ together. We have come so far and we have much to celebrate, and it is important we share that news and share in the breadth of our success. Our path is clear.

Njideka Harry is an Ashoka Fellow expanding the horizons of rural youth through creating woman to woman distribution networks in Nigeria. Read more about her work here.