South African Women in Computing
Programs

Please note that although this web page is about women in computing, some of the programs below have a wider range and focus on women in science more generally.

Additional programmes, including some offered by companies, are described in the report Women in the Information and Communication Technology Sector in South Africa, and possible future programmes are suggested in the report A Manual of Possible Interventions to Improve the Situation of Women in High-Level ICTs in South Africa.

The Association of South African Women in Science and Engineering (SA-WISE) focuses on women in science and engineering and aims to strengthen their role in these fields.

Women-in-Research (W-i-R) is a project, within the National Research Foundation (NRF), that seeks to address issues that affect women researchers and encourages their participation in research.

Women'sNet uses the Internet to assemble the resources that women need in finding information, jobs, developments on issues such as reproductive rights and violence against women and monitoring the situation of women around the world.

Girls'Net is a project of Women'sNet with the aim of using technology to help girls reach their potential.

Women in IT offers bursaries and mentoring for women in Information Technology and is funded through corporate sponsorship.

Women in ICT aims to develop support infrastructure for women in Information Technology, Telecommunications and Broadcasting careers. This is a 100% women-owned company.

LinuxChix Africa co-founded by Anna Badimo and Dorcas Muthoni, is an organisation which was launched in 2004. Its aim is to improve the Linux skills of African women.

FOSSAfrica is an information source for Free Open Source Software in Africa and includes material on FOSS and gender.

Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS) was launched in January 1993 in Cairo, Egypt, where it's First General Assembly was held. It has Full Membership available to female scientist and scientific institutions in the South, and to young women from the South who do not have a degree in science and technology yet a Candidate Membership is offered.

Technology for Women in Business (TWIB) is a program that supports women in business. This program uses technology to help improve women's business skills and encourages business women to use technology in their businesses.

Techno-Girl is a sub-program of the Technology for Women in Business (TWIB) program whose main aim is to encourage girls and young women to follow careers in science and technology and to remove the stereotypes that discourage the participation of women in this field.

SAASTA National Science and Technology Programme for Young Women is a project of the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement which aims to encourage young women to pursue science, engineering and technology at school and as careers.

Science, Engineering and Technology for Women (SET4W) has been set up by the Department of Science and Technology achieve gender mainstreaming in science and technology.

See below for details of these programs
logo SA-WISE

The aims of the Association of South African Women in Science and Engineering (SA-WISE), as stated in their web page, are to:
logo NRF: Women-in-Research

Women-in-Research (W-i-R) was established as a project within the Research Capacity Development (RCD) which is a programme of the National Research Foundation (NRF). NRF is the national research funding body in South Africa.

W-i-R focuses on women and recognises their under-representation in the research community. The aims of W-i-R are to support women, especially black women, to develop and strengthen their research skills, with a primary focus on social sciences and humanities through the Award for Women-in-Research and the W-i-R database, and to increase the number of women in postgraduate studies, academia, research and in leadership positions at South African tertiary and research institutions.

The W-i-R database is aimed at facilitating networking and research collaboration among researchers in all disciplines. It can be searched to find women academics in Computer Science in South Africa.

logo Women'sNet

The aim of Women'sNet, as stated on their web page, is to empower South African women to use information and communications technologies (ICTs) towards advancing women's equity by:
Girls'Net

The goal of Girls'Net, is to provide an online space for girls to interact and ask questions. It is aimed at women between the ages 12 to 19. Girls are trained in multimedia and they then generate content for the site. Additionally, training in life skills and leadership is given and the girls are expected to share their skills with other girls.

Women in IT

The aim of Women in IT is to create a community of women in Information Technology. This includes a bursary and mentoring programme, as well as networking events and a quarterly newsletter.

Women in ICT

The aim of Women in ICT is to support women in Information Technology, Telecommunications and Broadcasting careers. This will be done by an approach that covers recognition, convergence, entrepreneurship and charter development. This is a non-profit organisation which also brings women together and their opportunities in the ICT sector. Xoliswa Kakana is the founder and chairperson of this forum.

LinuxChix Africa

LinuxChix Africa will equip and position African women so that they can change their lives for the better. It will help them in solving problems such as implementing Linux.

LinuxChix Africa partnered with Kasi Open Source Software (KOSS) in the development of the GNU/Linux and Open Source Software. The aim of their partnership is also to reach those women in African townships and villages and give them Linux skills.

Women's Electronic Network Training (WENT) Africa 2005 is an event that focusses on making women aware of free open source. This event is currently taking place in Uganda. Dorcas Muthoni, co-founder of LinuxChix Africa is one of the facilitators at the event.

FOSSAfrica

FOSSAfrica provides information about the use and progress of Free and Open Source Software in Africa. They also focus on FOSS and women, see the FOSS and gender section for more details.

Third World Organization for Women in Science

The Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS) is based at the offices of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). It is a non-profit organization whose objectives, as stated on their web page, are as follows:
  • To strengthen research efforts and training opportunities of young women scientists working and living in Third World countries
  • To survey and analyse the status and prospects of women in science and technology in the Third World
  • To promote the recognition of the scientific and technological achievements of women
  • To improve the access to educational and training opportunities for women in science and technology
  • To increase the scientific productivity and efficiency of women scientists in the Third World
  • To promote collaboration and communication among women scientists and technologists in the Third World and with the international scientific community as a whole
  • To promote their participation in the decision-making processes, both at national and international levels
  • To encourage other international organizations to increase their activities concerned with promoting the role of women in science and technology in the Third World.
Technology for Women in Business

Technology for Women in Business (TWIB) is an initiative of the South African Department of Trade and Industry and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The objectives of TWIB, as stated on their web page, are:
  • provide small, medium and macro enterprises (SMMEs) that are owned by women with access to a science and technology support base
  • enable women in business to become more effective and profitable
  • create more sustainable and high quality jobs; enhance the use of technology by women in business
  • promote and nurture innovation amongst women
  • create role models for other women in businesses
  • mobilize women in business to use technology to enhance their productive capacities
  • encourage and influence girls and young women to choose careers in science and technology
  • give recognition to institutions that support women in business
  • promote co-operation between SMMEs, and large businesses, para-statals, Science Councils
  • promote publics and private sector support to SMMEs owned and or lead by women.
Techno-Girl

Techno-Girl is a programme of Technology for Women in Business (TWIB) whose objective is to encourage young women in the field of Science and Technology and to show young women the practical feasibilities of Science and Technology.

The National Science and Technology Programme for Young Women

The National Science and Technology Programme for Young Women is a project of the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (formerly FEST). The target group for the programme is girls between the ages of 12 and 17 with good performance in mathematics and science. The project will encourage girls through hands-on experience with science and technology to consider careers in these fields. There will also be a focus on educators and parents.

Science, Engineering and Technology for Women (SET4W)

SET4W was originally called South African Reference Group on Women in Science and Technology (SARG) and was set up by the Department of Science and Technology to achieve gender mainstreaming in science and technology. Its objectives are to identify directions to improve women's quality of life, give advice about ways to increase women's participation in science and technology, highlight role models and monitor impact. It has also created the South African Awards for Women in Science to recognise the role of women. It is currently a committee of the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI). Useful summary pages:
Creating the future: Policy guidelines for promoting women in science
Tracking women and men in the SET sector
Women in Science, Engineering and Technology: Exploring the facts
Benchmarking the performance of women scientists
On-line consultations on women in science

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Created by Hlamalani Huhlwane. Maintained by Kegomoditswe More and Vashti Galpin
Last updated : 4 July 2008