As part of the US State Department and Legacy International’s annual three-week TechGirls exchange program aimed at increasing the number of girls and women entering the science and technology sectors, 27 teenage girls from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, Yemen and Tunisia arrived in the United States to learn to harness their potential through programming, robotics, mobile application building, web design, video graphics, and 3D game design.
The girls have so far attended iD TechCamp, an interactive technology and computer camp at American University, worked on community service projects, and had mentoring sessions with some of the top leaders in the tech industry including Girls Who Code, the Federal Communications Commission, and Facebook.
.@TechGirls from the Middle East & N Africa are learning about careers & education opps in #STEM: http://t.co/ICivdSBKjU #NoCeilings
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) August 11, 2015
Each of the girls is expected to start a project at home inspired by their visit to the US. Mara Tekach, US deputy assistant secretary of state for professional and cultural exchanges, told TakePart, “[They] are developing a foundation of skills, experience, and networks that can lead to higher education and future career opportunities. Upon returning home, alumnae influence hundreds more students to become TechGirls and promote a positive vision for their countries and the region.”
16-year-old Laureen Abu Shammah from Morroco shared her experience with TakePart. “I’m really having a lot of fun. It made one of my dreams come true. Visiting famous companies like Facebook was always a dream to me, and academically it improved my skills in programming and software… I want to make a change in this world and be an inspiration in other people’s lives.”
Women are more likely to collaborate than men so make great partners and teammates @openNASA #womenindata #techgirls
— TechGirls (@TechGirls) August 11, 2015
American teenagers and their freedom of expression is inspiring a lot of these teens. “They have self-confidence, and they also share their thoughts and beliefs. Besides the technical skills that I will be taking back home, I would like to bring self-confidence and belief in [ourselves] to teen girls in Egypt,” said 16-year-old Rowaa Azzam from Egypt.
The exchange program, started in 2011 under former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is produced in collaboration with iD Tech, a provider of summer STEM courses, and TechGirls, a State Department initiative. Till date, 80 TechGirls alumnae have shared their skills with more than 2,000 girls in their home countries, led conferences, and gone on to study at some of the world’s top universities.
Men outpace women in computer and engineering jobs by margins of 3-to-1 and higher, according to a report released in March 2015 by the American Association of University Women. A similar gender gap exists in overall employment in the Middle East and North Africa. TechGirls aims to bridge these divides and is getting success at the noble endeavor.
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