- Mastercard has reaffirmed its commitment to the Girls4Tech program in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on access to STEM skills for young women.
- The company is specifically looking to create access to skills for girls aged seven to 12 in the region.
- Mastercard recently hosted its second Girls4Tech Marathon in South Africa and Kenya.
In recent years Mastercard has focused heavily on access to education and technology skills development for young women via its Girls4Tech program.
The company has reaffirmed that commitment, having recently hosted its second Girls4Tech Marathon in South Africa and Kenya. Said Marathons were aimed at inspiring and preparing girls aged seven to 12 to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
Further unpacking the program, Mastercard notes that it started as hands-on, in-person sessions and workshops run by volunteers from the company’s workforce, but has since expanded to include topics such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. It is also now available through online sessions and a digital learning experience in eight languages.
This year, a total of 176 girls from South Africa and Kenya participated in this latest iteration of the workshops.
“In South Africa, the workshops were fully interactive with Mastercard employee volunteers, taking the lead in creating a fun, learning environment. In Kenya, the workshops were held as a hybrid session,” the company explains.
“The Girls4Tech Initiative is designed to help address the gender gap in STEM fields by providing hands-on, inquiry-based activities that help girls develop an interest in STEM subjects. Stereotypes about women’s abilities start early – often in early education – and this can undermine girls’ confidence in their mathematical and technical skills,” added Megan Clunnie, Technology Divisional lead for Sub-Saharan Africa at Mastercard, in a press release sent to Hypertext.
Looking forward, Mastercard says that through the Girls4Tech initiative, it will continue to invest in the “future of the girlchild.”
[Image – Provided]
