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Memorandum of Understanding with the National Communications Authority – NCA, South Sudan

Memorandum of Understanding with the National Communications Authority – NCA, South Sudan

by | May 6, 2023 | Career Guidance, Girls Coding, GoGirls Mentors, Projects, School Competition and Activities, Sponsorship

GoGirls ICT Initiative Inks a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Communications Authority – NCA, South Sudan, to Celebrate the International #GirlsinICT Day 2023.

On 17th March 2023,GoGirls ICT Initiative and National Communications Authority – NCA, South Sudan were excited to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as part of national committment to bridge the digital gender divide in South Sudan and is anchored on International Girls in ICT Day event, held every year on the 4th Thursday of April, an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) global initiative. It encourages young women and girls to pursue careers and studies in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics #STEM, particularly ICT.

NCA as the government agency mandated with advancement of digital technologies and innovation in SS is proud to undertake this partnership that places young women and girls at the centre of the digital transformation in South Sudan.

GoGirls ICT’s focus is on mentorship in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) related topics leveraging more on Open Source resources to create an Open Culture in South Sudan.

This partnership will combine GoGirls ICT’s expertise in the mentorship of girls and women in #STEM with NCA’s mandate to bridge the digital gender divide in South Sudan. Before signing the MoU, both parties had this to say to the media house and the audience present in the room.

“Today is historical to us because in this very room is where we celebrated the first ever #GirlsinICTDay2015 in #SouthSudan.Being women’s month and as we continue to celebrate International Women’s Day 2023: #IWD2023 under the theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”,this moment and MoU is very historical.” said Eva Yayi, Executive Director of GoGirls ICT Initiative.

“This collaboration, one of many partnerships, marks the start of phase 2 of the NCA’s flagship #GirlsInICTProgramme and will focus on mentorship of high school female students (13-17 years) with practical and usable skills starting with schools in Juba as a pilot and to be scaled to other 10 states and 3 Administrative Areas of South Sudan,” said Napoleon Adok,Director General of NCA.

Time To shine ICT #TTOSICT 2021/2022 Project Proposed Curriculum for Mentorship

Time To shine ICT #TTOSICT 2021/2022 Project Proposed Curriculum for Mentorship

by | Feb 9, 2022 | Career Guidance, Girls Coding, GoGirls Mentors, Our PJects, School Competition and Activities, Sponsorship

Time To shine ICT #TTOSICT 2021/2022 Project Proposed Curriculum for Mentorship

Time To shine ICT #TTOSICT 2021/2022 Project Proposed Curriculum for Mentorship

Kick-events have been central to the success of theTime to Shine ICT #TTOSICT project at the initial stage for the past five years to promote collaboration between parents and teachers to encourage student participation.

This one-day event presented the proposed curriculum: Scratch programming, IoT (IoT), Urban Planning, and the Open Science Framework for classroom experimentation, and during this session, the GoGirls team pointed out what they envisioned for this project, such as;

  • Computer-literate students
  • Teamwork among learners
  • Interactive learning
  • Critical Thinking & business modeling skills
  • Knowledge on how to come up with models for urban planning  
  • Diversification of knowledge
  • Flexibility in the learning environment
  • Exposure to different STEM careers
  • Have the relevant knowledge of the real-world application of some science concepts such as IoT, #ClassroomOnPhone, and Scratching Programming.

Consequently, the GoGirls team and nine teachers from primary and secondary schools within Juba exchanged ideas and knowledge on possible Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities for the selected students from their respective schools.

Over the years, the #TTOSICT Project became a platform for teachers from various schools to discuss challenges they faced with students, learn from each other, and collaborate on relevant #STEM projects among themselves. Hence, in three different groups, the teachers highlighted the challenges they faced when teaching sciences in schools and what they envisioned?

 The teachers categorically shared their challenges as:

  • A negative perception of the use of ICTs in our communities.
  • Lack of training of teachers on ICTs 
  • Lack of computer Labs and ICT resources in most schools explains why even schools, up to today, type and print their exams at different computer centers.
  • Language barrier, in most cases Arabic – pattern.
  • The new textbook framework has outdated technology and programming languages.
  • The new textbooks are very shallow and lack substantial content.
  • Girls are not encouraged to take ICT as a career because some parents still look at ICT as a male profession.

What they envisioned for this project included;

  • Students should be able to use science apparatus to pass information.
  • Be able to apply scientific knowledge to respond to daily needs
  • Students, especially girls, should use ICT Knowledge to promote businesses and use this knowledge to advance their careers in Technology.
  • Students should be able to apply Mathematics in their daily lives.
  • To promote individualized learning to respond to the child’s ability and personality.
  • Collaborative learning. 
  • Enable economic growth by broadening the reach of technology such as high-speed internet.
  • Teachers still take out exams for typing at different computer centers within Juba because they lack computers.
  • Internet for schools.
  • We as teachers know that computers are for boys – Girls need to be encouraged to take ICT as a career.
  • The relevant authorities should be hosting experts to tell the public about the importance of ICTs.
  • We still need more awareness on the different media platforms on the importance of ICTs.
  • The relevant partners should train teachers on the new curriculum to adapt accordingly.
  • It’s good to revise the syllabus of South Sudan for primary and secondary schools again. Most countries have developed because of integrating technology with other subjects such as economics, commerce, accounts, and agriculture, among others.

From this engagement, the GoGirls team will take critical actions to engage with the relevant policymakers, continue to innovate in this field, and collaborate with communities on projects that benefit these communities, teachers, and students at large.

This project is supported by UNDP South Sudan Peace and Community Cohesion (PACC) Project with funds from Sweden.

 

TTOSICT PROJECT 2021/2022

TTOSICT PROJECT 2021/2022

by | Jan 13, 2022 | GoGirls Mentors, Our PJects, School Competition and Activities

#TTOSICT 2021/2022

What’s New?

GoGirls ICT Initiative presents the Time To Shine ICT #TTOSICT Project 2021/2022 under the theme Beyond Conflict to bring together youth from primary and secondary schools and universities to exchange knowledge and ideas related to Science, Technology, Engineering,  Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) innovation in their communities. 

What is #TTOSICT project?

#TTOSICT Project is a mentorship program aimed at promoting the use of ICTs by youth, especially girls, in schools and communities as a tool for peacebuilding. The program is based on ‘EEE’; that is Engaging youth especially girls as agents of change and peacebuilding in their communities, Educating them in the use of technology for good thereby Empowering them to confidently express themselves and advocate for change through innovative relevant technology solutions, as well as empowering the communities where they reside.

The overall goal of this project is to promote peaceful co-existence and collaboration among South Sudanese for the greater good of fostering development; and promotion of ICT innovation as a result of the existence of favorable ICT policies and youth with relevant ICT skills.

What are the project objectives?

  1. To promote the use of ICTs among youth as a tool for peacebuilding. 
  2. To promote communal collaboration among youth, teachers, and communities. 
  3. To influence policy on the use of ICTs in schools and universities. This objective seeks to encourage youth to advocate for the prioritization of ICTs in development and youth innovation in line with SDG 9, promotion of innovation, and industry. 

This project is supported by UNDP South Sudan Peace and Community Cohesion (PACC) Project with funds from Sweden.

Access to Skills and Knowledge related to Internet of Things (#ASKrIoT)

Access to Skills and Knowledge related to Internet of Things (#ASKrIoT)

by | Jun 17, 2021 | GoGirls Mentors, Our PJects, School Competition and Activities

Access to Skills and Knowledge related to Internet of Things (#ASKrIoT)

#ASKrIoT – a mentorship program that focuses on building the capacity of University students in Internet of Things (IoT) research and development of relevant applications that solve problems in their communities.

Through this program the team is building their own version of the #ASKotec called #ASKrIoT

#ASKotec: Access to Skills and Knowledge open tech emergency case

The #ASKotec is a kit that is designed to work as a mobile training set and is equipped with the items needed to teach others how to use Open Tech and Open Source Hardware in order to innovate, educate, and repair items, thereby providing access to vital skills and knowledge. The kit is especially valuable to communities where access to tools and materials is often scarce.

The Open Tech Emergency Case is housed in a rugged, dust-proof case and includes a range of high-quality tools and materials needed to teach hands-on skills in terms of repairs, development, and upcycling. The kit allows for

  • learning about electronics, especially the use of small-scale solar energy.
  • repairing, disassembling, and building mechanical and electronic devices.
  • the development of skills and sharing of knowledge.

Each #ASKotec contains over 50 items, including:

  • electronics, connection hardware, solar elements
  • soldering, cutting, measuring, and specialised mechanical tools
  • arduinos, sensors, LEDs, related modules
  • manuals and user-developed how-to guides
  • a compact Linux computer with open source software

 The #ASKotec kit is part of the #ASKnet program. It was created through a series of hub-development workshops as a resource kit for community trainers who work in areas where there is neither reliable power nor internet connectivity, such as in many refugee camps, low-infrastructure regions, or rural areas.

For more information about the #ASKotec, go to: https://askotec.openculture.agency

 

 

Repair Cafes

Repair Cafes

by | Jun 16, 2021 | Career Guidance, Girls Coding, GoGirls Mentors, Projects, School Competition and Activities, Sponsorship

Repair cafes

Objectives

  • To build the capacity of teachers on hands on- practices by repairing their devices.
  • To support teachers by repairing their devices to keep preparing learning materials for students and when schools resume to give students a platform to practice and learn ICT skills.
  • To promote open documentation and create an open culture within schools and their surrounding communities.
  • To give a platform for university students / graduates who will be part of these activities to practice their skills.
  • To promote open collaborations among hubs such as Platform Africa and Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF) in Uganda and Ataka Hub and Junub Open Space in South Sudan.

Description:

 The outbreak of the COVID-19, with a lot of restrictions, affected schools; schools plan for other alternative ways to deliver lessons to keep students learning at home. 

However, many schools and teachers face challenges with their devices like computers, phones and speakers having broken down, not being functional and the cost of fixing these devices are expensive thus, many can’t afford.

Electronic waste is a major problem because most of it is toxic. Simply throwing electronics away contributes to serious economic problems, both by producing that waste and because it wastes the resources that went into producing the device in the first place. That means that it increases the demand for mines, which pollute the environment, and more energy gets wasted in the manufacturing process. Repairs consume far fewer resources, which makes them much better for the environment.

The repair café activities in Juba by GoGirls ICT Initiative is to support schools that are beneficiaries of its activities and their surrounding communities with their electronic devices being fixed to promote a repair culture in Schools as means to inspire more girls in secondary schools to do STEM courses when they join University.

Gender Narratives Through the Lens #GNTL

Gender Narratives Through the Lens #GNTL

by | May 14, 2021 | Career Guidance, Girls Coding, GoGirls Mentors, Our PJects, School Competition and Activities, Sponsorship

A participant reciting a recording
Co-Founder, Eva Yayi explaining concepts of "Design Thinking"
Participants recording scenes
A participant explaining a scene
A participant raising a hand to ask a question during a session
Two participants working as a team
A participant smiles before an audio recording scene
A mentor showing participants an audio recording
A mentor taking participants through a session
A participant reciting a recording
Participants being taken through "radio programming"
A participant expressing her opinion

Gender Narratives Through the Lens #GNTL

#GNTL a pilot project, is a virtual mentorship hub in the areas of audio content production, film making and entrepreneurial skills.

The target beneficiaries are women and girls from secondary schools, graduates and school dropouts to use these skills to improve their livelihood through digital storytelling.

The overall goal of this project is to build the capacity of South Sudanese women and girls in the digital creative industry.