This year on the 23^rd of April, Nomanini celebrated International ‘Girls in ICT Day’ in an effort to support the campaign to involve girls in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) profession.

Nomanini hosted a workshop in partnership with GirlHype, a local organisation whose aim it is to empower young women and girls with digital and media education skills.

20 high school girls from Grade 9 - 11 from various schools from the Khayelitsha township near Cape Town spent the day at Nomanini’s offices.

The main goal was to broaden the awareness of these young women aware of the vast possibilities offered by ICTs and give them the confidence to pursue ICT studies and careers.

Nomanini did this through sharing stories and experiences in the field of technology and the industry in general. Team members shared various anecdotes and insights into the difference between studying tech at a university or technikon, how to develop ideas, how to start a company, why company culture is a huge factor when choosing a job as well as interview tips and how to grow your online ‘developer profile’ while still at school.

“We need more women in ICT! This initiative is important to the team as individuals and the company as a whole”, says Nomanini CEO, Vahid Monadjem. “As individuals, we want to contribute to a more level playing field for everybody. As a business, we have a special appreciation of the power diversity across all dimensions. We pride ourselves in designing solutions for often overlooked stakeholders in informal markets. Diversity helps us do this by avoiding preconceived notions that can quietly emerge in homogenous teams.”

In this vein, Nomanini hosted a workshop in partnership with GirlHype, a local organisation whose aim it is to empower young women and girls with digital and media education skills.

Guest speaker Lynette Hundermark , co-founder, MD and Chief Product Officer at Useful & Beautiful, shared her journey with the girls. They were particularly interested to hear her top tips gained through 17 years in the technology industry. "It was indeed an honour for me to share my journey as a female in the tech space with the new generation of geek girls. Their excitement and enthusiasm reminded me of why I made the decision in high school to be in this space and I hope that my personal experiences gave them the inspiration to persevere in this dynamic and evolving space, irrespective of their life changes whether it is a scholar, student, young adult, wife and/or mother".

Nomanini hopes to spread the word about this global initiative and encourage other organisations, in Cape Town in particular, to host their own events and build a community of young, empowered women pursuing careers in technology.