Girls in Tech (GIT), a global non-profit group that works to put an end to gender inequality in high-tech industries and startups is to launch a Guyana chapter on August 7, 2019.
A release from the organization said that it is Girls in Tech’s mission to support women with the access they need to succeed in tech.
As a result, the release said that GIT will offer everything from coding courses to bootcamps to hackathons and startup competitions no matter age or profession. These global programmes will also be supported by local initiatives, such as Coffee & Code, a monthly mentorship meet up and an annual Tech Fair.
The Founder and Managing Director of Guyana’s chapter is Evie Kanhai-Gurchuran, a Guyanese restaurateur and tech entrepreneur who was also a 2018 Young Leader of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) alumna. The release said that she has been working in various tech related empowerment projects over the past few years. It is through the “Girls and Technology can change Guyana” project, funded by YLAI and the Inter-American Development Bank that the opportunity for this venture became solidified. “Having the resources of a global non-profit, gives us the opportunity to not only amplify our current efforts as individual organizations, but to be supported by highly skilled and technical people, networks and community that currently do not exist in Guyana,” Kanhai-Gurchuran stated.
The non- profit also comprises women who have been working in empowerment and STEM projects. Currently the board comprises, Penelope DeFreitas, University of Guyana, Head of Department for the Computer Science Department; Indrawattie Hirai – Tech Entrepreneur; Rosanna Ferreira – ICT Engineer in the eGovernment Agency, Ministry of Public Telecommunications; Vineeta Persaud – Lecturer at the University of Guyana; Tanika Jones – Programmer / Developer with the United Nations, and Marissa Lowden – Entrepreneur with a focus on development.
GIT was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in San Francisco. The release said that at the launch party, attendees will get the chance to hear about the mission to put an end to gender inequality, network and make meaningful connections with other women in tech. They will also have the opportunity to learn about upcoming educational and entrepreneurial programmes that Girls in Tech will be bringing to Guyana.
The event will be sponsored by Sites Builders, a website and mobile application development platform that encourages users to learn and monetize the skills of building and designing responsive websites and mobile apps with or without coding.
Tickets are available on eventbrite.com, for more information, visit their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Girls-in-Tech-Guyana-2179774452352151/