AFCHIX

Next steps for greater impact: We have gone ahead to set up a board and an International Advisory Panel that will offer visionary input in steering the organization into the future. #CelebratingMyJourney

On this #InternationalDayoftheGirlChild, we continue to put efforts to bridge the digital gender divide gap, by designing and implementing programs that will empower and mentor more girls into Tech careers. #bridgethegap

Next steps to greater Impact: We intend to work on strong evidence-guided programs that feature mentorship, technical hands-on skilling, leadership capacity building, role modeling, networking, sharing opportunities, policy influence, advocacy, digital literacy, summits, and conferences. Our flagship focus on mentorship will remain our strong motivation in the delivery of our programs. #CelebratingMyJourney

Next steps to greater impact. Our activities with the 25 Chapters across Africa have included: advocacy, mentorship, capacity building, role modelling, networking, sharing opportunities, digital literacy, summits, and conferences. Together, we can build a stronger community! #CelebratingMyJourney

Meet Agnes Kyengo, an eLearning Support Officer at the Directorate of Virtual and Blended Learning, Kenya Methodist University, in Nairobi, Kenya. Her late mum wanted her to take a course in the medical field, specifically nursing because she believed Agnes was a caring and kind-hearted person who would make a good nurse. After completing her KCSE, her guardian encouraged her to do some computer packages, as she figured out which course she wanted to do. This was her first exposure to computers and it awakened her curiosity to dig more and understand how computers work. She enrolled for more courses in ICT Support, Internet Application, Network Administration, Web design, Programming and there after a Diploma in Computer Studies. “I got an internship at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, and later I was employed as a Junior Computer Technologist in the ICT department. This department was male-dominated. I remember there were around 6 men and one lady. The only lady in the department, who was also the ICT Manager, madam Irene Misoi, was phenomenal. I admired her prowess in leadership and her innovativeness and this strengthened my zeal. She introduced me to AfChix, when they held their first Linux workshop. As a young girl who was just starting off, this was very instrumental in mentoring me along the tech industry. This was also where I met other tech women who motivated me to the extent I fully identified with the profession,” she adds. Agnes’s most memorable activity was the AfNog LinuxChix Africa Summit that happened in Nairobi, Kenya in 2007. “This was an eye-opener event for me. The training in Unix Administration impacted my thinking in computers. Writing some commands in Linux (Ubuntu) and running the output was so magical. The women’s expertise and prowess in technology impacted the way I understood this industry and I was now sure this was what I wanted to do.” After interacting with other tech women in the event, her self-belief rose. She was so motivated, that she registered for a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Information Technology at St. Pauls’ University where she attended evening classes after work. She later joined Kenya Methodist University (KeMU) where she worked in various departments, ICT, Computer Science and currently in the Directorate of Virtual and Blended Learning (DVBL) as the eLearning Support officer and Coordinator for the DVBL team Nairobi Campus. Agnes is also teaching at the Computer Science Department. She is about to complete her Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems, specializing in Computer Forensics and has also acquired various professional certifications. Moving forward, Agnes would love to see AFCHIX do more networking events across Africa, trainings on emerging technologies, collaborations with key industry players and summits for women to share their stories and inspire the younger girls.

Meet Immaculate Kimani , a Software Quality Assurance Engineer from Kenya. Her career into technology was inspired by her dad from an early age, when he would buy her gadgets that sparked her curiosity on how things worked. Also, watching movies fascinated her as she saw endless possibilities of technology. Reminiscing on her favourite Iron Man character back then, she says, “Tony Stark communicated with Jarvis and said, 'Don’t try to fit in an environment; make the environment suit you.' This mindset resonated with me deeply.” Even though Immaculate chose computer studies as an extra subject option in high school, it turned out to be a perfect fit—she excelled in it! Additionally, her high school teacher played a significant role by taking me on tech trips to universities, where she learned to code HTML for the first time, and to Nakuru National Library where E-Books were being introduced. These experiences gave her a glimpse into the real-world applications of technology. As a result, she chose to pursue computer science in university, and that’s how her journey in tech began. “My most memorable AFCHIX activity was when I participated in installing local internet in a community and ended up climbing a mast. I was a second-year student at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. This experience stood out because it taught me that in technology, it’s about the value of your output. Climbing that mast gave me a huge confidence boost – if I could do something that most people wouldn’t willingly try, I realized I could tackle many other challenges in tech and even life." It was during her internship at NSSF, when she developed a strong interest in the pensions industry, as she was involved in the transition from old manual processes to modern technological solutions. This experience sparked her passion for the industry, leading her to focus her career in this direction. Currently, Immaculate works at Systech Africa, a company that provides technology solutions for the pensions industry across Africa. She serves as a Quality Assurance Automation Engineer, specializing in Playwright automation with Java, which has enabled her to evolve into an SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test). Additionally, she has expanded her skills to include DevOps practices and is now also working as a Junior DevOps Engineer, focusing on pipelines and deployments On the next steps for AFCHIX, Immaculate says: “I would love to see AFCHIX amplify its presence across the tech community. By engaging in more outreach and awareness activities, such as social media campaigns, tech events, and community workshops, AFCHIX can create a bigger impact, reaching and inspiring more women. This visibility will ensure that women everywhere recognize the opportunities available in tech and feel empowered to join the field. It is my desire for AFCHIX to be so known, that if someone sneezes 'AFCHIX,' we all know exactly what they’re talking about: women thriving in technology!"

Meet Shakira Ndagire Seruwagi a Quality Assurance Engineer at Ushahidi Inc in Kampala, Uganda. After graduating from high school, Ndagire aimed to pursue Economics and Business, as she had a negative impression of Engineering. However, fate had other plans for her. The university she applied to, offered her a place in Software Engineering—her second-choice option that she had included just to balance her application. “Although I was unfamiliar with the field at the time, this unexpected opportunity launched my journey into technology. Throughout this path, I’ve faced self-doubt and imposter syndrome, but I’ve learned valuable lessons in perseverance, the importance of continuous learning, and the impact of mentorship,” she says. Her first encounter with AFCHIX was when they organized training sessions for students on writing papers for technology conferences, such as the Grace Hopper Conference. These sessions were led by past participants who had attended various conferences over the years. They offered invaluable tips on crafting conference papers and applying for scholarships. “With their guidance, my application was accepted, and I had the opportunity to attend the Grace Hopper Conference, one of the largest conferences for Women in Technology. This experience expanded my career perspective, allowed me to network with women in technology from around the world, and helped me build lasting relationships.” Inspired by this experience, she felt compelled to give back to the community. She began mentoring others and sharing opportunities to help them achieve their own goals. During her final year as an undergraduate, she participated in the AFCHIX training sessions which were instrumental in shaping her career.  “After graduation, I started as a software developer at Andela and then worked as a full-stack software engineer at MassChallenge, where I contributed to building various platforms using a range of technologies. Today, I am a Quality Assurance Engineer at Ushahidi Inc., where I use my expertise to ensure that we deliver a high-quality product experience for our clients.” Moving forward, Ndagire would like to see AFCHIX organize outreach programs in schools and other institutions to mentor more girls and women about technology and its positive impact on their lives.

Meet Charity Wamboi Ng'ang'a, a cyber security analyst in Kenya. Charity’s father encouraged her to pursue a career in Computer Science. In 2021, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. It was while at the university, where she was introduced to AFCHIX by her lecturer. At this time, AFCHIX was running a project on building a community network (Lanet-Umoja) in Nakuru, Kenya, and she was given an opportunity to participate. She says that this was the genesis of her journey as a woman in tech. Since then, during the on and off-site visits and meetings, she got a platform to interact with and get mentored by great minds in the network. "The most heartwarming part of the project was the visits to the local schools, where we met young schoolgirls who were really inspired by the project, and looked up to us as their mentors." As we speak, this project is up and running benefiting the locals, especially women, with the majority of them being in small organized groups. Some can now sell or market their products online, and the youths are currently doing online jobs. This way, the rate of unemployment is significantly reduced around the community. After graduation, Charity decided to pursue a career in cyber security, where she started off as an intern. After months of training, she was absorbed as a full-time cyber security (SOC) analyst. She later moved to work with a local bank, as a cyber security analyst. Charity is currently involved with a project by Phoenix Ke Analytics that mentors young ladies from universities in Kenya in cyber security. “AFCHIX gave me a chance to pursue a lot of certification courses being offered by bodies like EC-council, women in Cyber Security, Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, among others. I urge AFCHIX to spread its wings to other regions since there are a lot of great minds out here who need mentoring and also to do follow ups with the mentees since mentorship is an all-round task from the beginning to the end,” she concludes.