YWCA observes int’l girls in ICT Day

The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), which mainly focuses on empowering young women and girls, celebrated International Girls in ICT Day yesterday.

The cerebration brought together sixty girls from twenty senior secondary schools and was held at the Ndow’s Secondary School hall in Kanifing.

Speaking at the ceremony, Armisticia Jones, President of YWCA, said the association’s focus is motivating young Gambian girls and women to work hard for each other.

Madam Jones added that they also try to inculcate things that will make young women and girls better leaders in the future.

She said the day aimed to give young girls knowledge in ICT so that they could vie for such jobs. She added that they want to encourage young girls and women to be brave.

“We want to put confidence in them that what a man can do a woman can do better,” she noted.

She urged young girls and women to start joining clubs like kakatongo and other when camps are held in order to be able to build their own apps.

Lucy Nicol, YWCA Youth Coordinator, said they have seen that girls are not as into ICT as boys and that they want to close that gap.

According to her, to empower girls in ICT is a great thing. She described ICT as a field where you can reach out to millions of people you’re your own house.

Fatoumata Sanneh, YWCA member, pointed out that the field was a male dominated one and that they want balance.

She said the University of The Gambia and other institutions are training people on how to become IT technicians and software developers.

According to her, young girls and women need to be encouraged. She added that, the field could create employment as well as empower women and girls.

They are partnering with Smart Technologies to train girls in ICT and urged girls to utilize the opportunity.

Abigail Usuf, a student of Gambia Methodist Academy, said she wants to become a web designer and described the day as important for them all; particularly her.

She described ICT as very important because, “We are now in a software oriented world and all people depend on IT”.