African Girls In Tech Highlight: Dorcas Owino

We began a collection to convey the tales of the various clever and proficient ladies who work tirelessly to shut the gender hole in know-how. You may learn it right here. By doing so, we intention to have fun them and encourage the following technology of feminine technologists. We’ve got to this point coated Nanjira Sambuli and Ruth Kaveke.

At this time we shine a highlight on a exceptional lady. Dorcas Owino leads the know-how and social group Lakehub primarily based in Kenya’s lakeside metropolis, Kisumu. LakeHub, helps a group of creatives, programmers and entrepreneurs, nearly all of whom are women aged 13 to 19. Below Dorcas’ management, a number of LakeHub college students have competed globally at hackathons. Dorcas had the next to say about her work at Lakehub:

“LakeHub was the primary techhub in Kisumu. The reception has been actually good, as a result of for the first-time entry to entrepreneurship and know-how alternatives have been decentralized and other people didn’t must journey all the best way to Nairobi to get these alternatives. 

We run women-in-tech applications and an annual three-month initiative the place we work with women in excessive colleges, instructing them find out how to use know-how to unravel issues round them. We’ve got completed this for 3 years now and one of many succesful improvements because of that is iCut, an app that connects women affected by feminine genital mutilation or chopping (FGM/C) with authorized and medical help.

Though LakeHub has made main strides to assist shut the gender hole in know-how, we nonetheless have challenges— one among them being the training system. Girls could be serious about tech, however in highschool they miss out on vital topics which are wanted to take tech programs in college. Because of this now we have a high-school program, and now we have additionally tried to unravel this by operating LakeHub Academy, a coding bootcamp.  

All the pieces about LakeHub is fascinating; it by no means seems like work. I like that I’ve an ideal diploma of management and freedom inside my job, which provides me an opportunity to maintain innovating. Additionally, I work with younger individuals, and love that I get a front-row seat to see their lives reworked.”

We love Dorcas. She has been energetic within the Africa tech and startup scene for about 9 years now. On account of her contribution to know-how, she holds many awards below her belt.

Essentially the most notable ones are being a nominee and runners up within the Sakharov Prize which is awarded by the European Parliament resulting from her struggle towards FGM utilizing know-how, Mandela Washington Fellowship, and a Queen’s younger chief fellow, which acknowledges and awards younger leaders in Africa and commonwealth nations. Dorcas was acknowledged as Forbes 30 below 30 in 2019 and the highest 40 below 40 ladies in Kenya.

It isn’t solely our duty to inform these tales, to doc the affect, to drive the inclusion of ladies in Tech, however it is likely one of the best honors of our lives to focus on these tales and to speak about these ladies. If you’re a lady in Tech and you want to us to shine a highlight in your work, please electronic mail us on [email protected] and we can be in contact!

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