Running a project to promote the inclusion and education of women and girls in science, tech, engineering and maths (STEM) in Africa is not an easy or cheap feat. To support these intiatives and make sure they grow, DotConnectAfrica has launched the 2015 Miss.Africa Seed Fund.
The Mauritian information technology education non-profit is looking to offer $5 000 (R60 000) grants to existing projects and those still in concept phase to set up or increase their digital opportunities in IT related training, jobs and leadership roles.
“The program is interested in learning about successful activities and through this effort, we identify how we might support scalability and their impacts,” DotConnectAfrica said.
Applicants must demonstrate previous experience conducting activities supporting women and girls in computer science or STEM fields and a commitment to developing and contributing to a virtual community for supporting women and girls initiatives.
“Preference will be given to projects that target under-served populations and locations, take a collaborative approach, have a high potential for growth and present an innovative use of technology,” the NPO added.
Among the projects eligible for funding are:
- Computer science workshops and trainings for women and girls
- Early incubation of female tech entrepreneurs
- Programming and app development training programs
- Hackathons and coding boot camps for girls
To apply, send an Expression of Interest (EOI) via email to eoi@dotconnectafrica.org. You will then be allowed to fill in an online application on the DotConnectAfrica website once submissions open on the 1st July and close on the 15th November. Grants recipients will be announced in February 2016.
[Source – DotConnectAfrica, image – Shutterstock]
