InspireIT's "Catch Them Young" campaign is geared towards getting young girls in Secondary Schools who are interested in Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) sign up for the mentoring program. Mentoring our young girls at an early stage will help them to make the right choices as regards their career and have an idea of what to expect in the University.

The Digital Girls Club will provide hands-on technology education for Nigerian girls in secondary schools through weekly workshops; to nurture interest in ICT amongst girls. Girls interested in participating must register in the digital girls club of their schools before access to portal. Parents/Guardians who want their girls to participate in the Digital Girls Club should contact their school to find out if the club already exists to enable them enroll their wards; otherwise, inform school to participate. 

DIGITEST, an initiative of Digital Peers International is a children and youth empowerment program aimed at bridging the digital divide. DIGITEST is an annual IT based summer creative camp and competition for children and youth ages 8 - 18 years  where they are taught to develop content for the internet, learn and work with various software covering desktop publishing, web design, animation amongst others. Emphasis is also placed on the development of quality youth leadership, promotion of role models and inculcating values in children.

The Objectives of DIGITEST are as follows:

1. To generate and develop ICT capabilities in children and young people
2. To promote knowledge based summer camping for children and youth
3. To refocus youthful energies to gainful activities

Now in its 13th edition, DIGITEST has grown to become the largest IT camp for children in Africa, attracting an average of 300 - 400 children on an annual basis.

DIGITEST 2012 is scheduled to be held in Abuja, Nigeria from August 5 - 16, 2012

Eko-Konnect is a cluster of the Nigerian Research and Education Network (ngREN). Its aims to support network connectivity and collaboration between education and research organisations in the Lagos area as part of wider efforts to establish a functional and sustainable National Research and Education Network (NREN).

It was established in December 2009 in an initiative led by the University of Lagos to exploit the geographical proximity to sea cables and telecommunication companies to secure high speed and affordable Internet connectivity for the research and education community.

Eko-Konnect has as it's objectives:

- Connecting participating institutions in a high speed network suitable for academic activity.
- Good inter-operability between research organizations and higher education networks that enable secure anytime, anywhere access by students, teachers and researchers.
- Fostering of collaborative research in network technology and the development of internet resources, training, and usergroups amongst participating institutions.
- Collaboration with other stakeholders to establish the national Nigerian Research and Education Network (ngREN) and regional West and Central African network (WACREN).

Eko-Konnect is registered in Nigeria as a non-profit association to further these aims and objectives.

Programs:
- ATI. The “Africa Training Initiative” is a 4-stage sustainable program developed jointly by Eko-Konnect and TeamCymru, a US-based Internet Security and Research Organisation, to help the Internet community in Africa meet this challenge through:
   - Training and Education
   - Collaboration and Intelligence building through data sharing, research and industry networking
   - Development and deployment of operational practices
   - Development of relevant support and facilitating bodies – CERTS, NOGs, etc.

- EkaLib. Eko-Konnect KohaAutomated Libraries (EkaLib) is a collaborative project for libraries dedicated to creating a shared catalog and an integrated system for libraries using Koha, the free and open source software library automation package.

- Eko-Geeks are students from various disciplines of the member institutions of Eko-Konnect. The group seeks to empower its members with technological knowhow irrespective of discipline and is focused on spreading the use, development and deployment of open source tools and services in their various institutions of learning.

- Girls in ICT is a program to equip girls and young women for a career in ICT. It aims to encourage girls to actively participate in ICT careers and provide opportunity for girls to learn the fundamental skills they need to be competitive in an increasingly technological world. Through specially tailored activities, the program will help young women think outside the box in the use and production of technology.

- ng-Mobicon is a series of activities related to mobile application and usage that will lead to the following program outputs:

   1.A comprehensive report on the use of mobile applications in Nigeria
   2.A capacity building workshop on Android mobile development for Eko-Konnect students
   3.Participatory design sessions with civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations with a view to understanding the requirements for their mobile applications.
   4.Development of 5 mobile applications that can impact areas of social change, citizen engagement, youth and gender rights and education in Nigeria.
   5.Develop Mobile Software Innovation Labs on Eko-Konnect campuses beginning with University of Lagos.

2015 TechWomen Eligibility Requirements

An applicant must:

• Be a woman with a minimum of two years of full-time professional experience in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields and/or a career requiring significant expertise/knowledge/application of technology;
• Have a university degree;
• Be proficient in written and spoken English;
• Demonstrate a willingness to participate in exchange programs, welcome opportunities for mentoring and new partnership development, and exhibit confidence and maturity;
• Be citizens or permanent residents of Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, the Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tunisia, Yemen or Zimbabwe at the time of application, and while participating in the program;
• Not have applied for an immigrant visa to the United States, or participated in a visa lottery in the past five years;
• Be able to obtain a U.S. visa;
• Not hold U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. legal permanent resident.

Preference will be given to applicants who:

• Have demonstrated themselves as emerging leaders in STEM fields;
• Have limited or no prior experience in the United States;
• Have a record of voluntary or public service in their communities;
• Have demonstrated entrepreneurialism and commitment to innovation.

Application deadline: February 10, 2015

SmartWoman is a mobile service supporting the advancement of women around the world.

SmartWoman Nigeria offers practical advice for women to help them improve their lives, their business performance, be more efficient and effective in their jobs; generate new employment opportunities; connect directly with like-minded women for mentoring and build self-confidence.

STEM Camps

The African Girls STEM camp is part of a major effort by WAAW Foundation to attract more African girls (ages 11-15yrs) into STEM disciplines early in life when career decisions are made.

What is the WAAW STEM Camp?
1.An opportunity for girls to learn about role models in STEM careers, and build mentor relationships.
2.Outstanding instructors with extensive backgrounds in Science, Technology and Math teaching the workshops.
3.A one-week introduction to the world of technology and engineering, with intense individual and team participation.
4.Practical, hands-on lessons promoting experiential learning.
5.A fun residential camping experience making friends and promoting peer communities.
6.A hands-on experience with high-tech equipment and processes.

Scholarships

Our $500 scholarship program initiated in 2008, is aimed at providing timely financial support to academically promising female African Students who are currently in STEM related undergraduate disciplines in an African College or University. Awardees must demonstrate financial need and a strong commitment to participating in building Africa. The initiative also promotes peers networks that provide support and mentoring to ensure completion in their chosen STEM fields.

Mentoring African Women in STEM

One of the keys to improving livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa is to build and sustain a strong, effective talent pool for the delivery of Science and Technology innovation. This requires fostering the STEM capacity of women while strengthening the mentoring and peer networks.
This initiative expands the impact of WAAWs STEM camps and scholarships, easing the participants access to mentors while building their skills and professional networks. In turn, it brings the groundbreaking work of Professional African women in STEM to the national, regional and global stages, where it is much needed. 
 

WIT provides a diverse mix of resources to empower Nigerian women, youth, and children. Offerings include hosted events, webinars, articles, training, networking, career fairs, and contests.

Recently, WITIN is supporting an international mobile app challenge that encourages teams of secondary school girls to develop mobile apps, conduct market research, write business plans, and create a funding pitch. Nigerian teams will compete and a national winner will then travel to California to compete globally on May 1st, 2013. Such a challenge is inspiring for any country, yet alone Nigeria, and we look forward to sharing news of the success.

Another current initiative aims to target 10,000 marginalized women for empowerment via ICT by the end of 2013. The hope is that with support, women can create online presences for their businesses. WITIN also supports International Girl in ICT Day and has participated in numerous ITU and Google events.

Other efforts include:
Green ICT projects
Sensitization of at least 250 schools on science, technology, engineering, and maths
Forums on ICT and child development
Twitter aid for women businesses

Be sure to follow @mywitin on Twitter and also check out one of their 13 YouTube videos (like the one below).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6RmxoUCc8oE

The Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre offers technology-based projects and digital literacy training to girls and women.