Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ)
Chinhoyi - Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe, 2014, May 16
Zimbabwe joined the world again this year to commemorate and celebrate International Girls in ICT Day 2014. This day, which Zimbabwe began commemorating in 2013, with 100 girls from Manicaland province, benefited one hundred school going girl children between the ages of 10 – 16 years old from Mashonaland West Province this year, and the commemorations were held under the theme "Expanding Horizons, Changing attitudes".
In Zimbabwe, this event is deliberately held annually on a rotational basis from province to province to eventually expose thousands of marginalised rural girls in Zimbabwe to possibilities that the world of technology can bring for girls who take up professions in this sector. This year, one hundred girls, some of who were staying in a hotel for the first time in their lives, were drawn from 7 districts from the province accompanied by 10 teachers attended a morning workshop from POTRAZ and various licensed telecommunications operators including Telecel Zimbabwe, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, Netone, Telone.
All presenters were deliberately under the age of 25 years, for easy relation with the girls and part of their presentations had to be a testimony of their lives on how they got to be at senior management level in the telecommunications sector below the age of 30 years. Presenters also involved the girls by promoting interaction and participation by the girls during their presentations.
The guest of honour Mrs Faith Katsaura –Mawande also had her own inspirational story on how ICTs are now the career of choice for today's young women and how they can make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others using their influence as professionals in the ICT sector. She also gave an example of how she got to be the Managing Director of an engineering company and a printing company before the age of 30 years old. This inspired the girls evidenced by the fact that at tea break, the girls and the teachers wanted to talk to Mrs Mawande to find out further on how they can reach such goals.
Sponsors: Telecommunications Operators – Econet, NetOne, Telecel, TelOne, Africom, Liquid Telecomms, Powertel and The Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services.
