ITU

InspiringICT/Internet Digital Economy for Developing Exposure for Girls and Young Womenin Liberia.

Primarycontact: MATTHEW T. ROBERTS

JobTitle: President, Internet Society Liberia Chapter

E-mailAddress: togbahmatt@yahoo.com or admin@internetsociety.org.lr 

ProjectInformation:

Collaboratively,this project is aimed at impacting school-going girls and women and possiblyinvolving interest in ICT or creating such interest or design, that iscarefully planned to achieve a particular increased level of girls and womenparticipation in ICT for career paths and economic development. The target isaimed at 100 girls and women accessing ICT infrastructures, universities, andcreating the girls' interest in the field, and encouraging more enrollment in ICTschools or universities. This is completely an awareness at the various schoolsand universities to push a higher level of increased interest from girls andwomen to ICT.

ProjectLocation(s):   Montserrado County.

ProjectDuration: 2 days

ProjectTotal Budget: $ 4,500

ProjectBrief Description:

Internet Society Liberia chapter aims to launch thisproject to empower young Liberian girls and women through a  program that focuses on Digital Economy forDevelopment and the gender digital divide exacerbates gaps in labor forceparticipation between young men and young women. The project lacks the basic financialability and equipment’s to better build the capacity of its beneficiary.According to a World Bank Report on development, digital jobs provide a uniqueopportunity to close the persistent labor market gender gap by increasing youngwomen’s productivity, earnings, and financial independence. As young womendevelop digital skills, they may enjoy greater choice in their personal andprofessional lives, and access better-paid and quality jobs.

Therefore,every nation needs to develop ICT programs that should proactively adoptgender-inclusive strategies to help young women capitalize on digital economyopportunities. Digital jobs interventions should adopt an “integratedapproach,” addressing both supply-side constraints young women face inaccessing digital employment, as well as demand-side constraints to new jobcreation. International organizations, governments, firms, civil societyactors, and youth should work together to help young women access digitalopportunities.

The theme of this projectis“InspiringICT/Internet Digital Economy for Developing Exposure for Girls and Young Womenin Liberia”.Thisproject will cover and provide mentorship in four thematic areas namely:  Site visit of girls at some ICT industries andcompanies, Visitation at ICT Universities in Liberia, ICT conference withstakeholders, and launch of girls ICT mentorship program.  

ProjectBeneficiaries:

Direct Beneficiaries – youngLiberian girls and women

ProjectGoal:  young girls and women Capacity Building.

Project Objectives:

1.     To conduct an intensive mentoringprogram for young girls and women.

2.     To create, encourage or strengthen younggirls and women to exploit opportunities in ICT

3.      To promote and improve ICT Education.

ProjectiveKey Activities:

v  Sitevisit of girls at some ICT industries and companies,

v  Visitationat ICT Universities in Liberia,

v  ICTconference with stakeholders and

v  Launchof girls ICT mentorship program.  

ProgramEvaluation

Expected results

Outputs

-         Results(relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact) as well as observationsregarding project alignment with schools lesson  

-          Well-Trained personnelthat can exploit ICT opportunities.

-         Improvedand critical thinking in young girls and women.

Outcomes:

Outcome 1:  Hundreds of girls fromseveral schools will spend working days at an ICT, Internet, and digitalsections of various companies in and around Monrovia to learn and see thepractical use of ICT, Internet, and digital industries in use. The second day,22 April will begin with a parade using marching bands, and end with aninteractive conference and ICT career fair both face to face and virtuallyunder the theme.

Outcome 2: A further 100 girlsand young women from selected high schools and colleges will pay a visit toselected Technology Universities to learn about ICT careers. There, severaleminent personalities will participate in an interactive conference held with akeynote speaker, preferably a Liberian female in the digital or technologyindustries. During the event, women leaders and engineers in the ICT andtelecommunication industries in Liberia will share their experiences andexplain what impact they are making on Liberian society and why they chose sucha path.

Outcome 2: The Girls in the ICTmentorship program will be launched and will center on high schools,universities, and newly working young women. Our goal is to create a space wherementees can tap into the knowledge, skills, and experience Liberian women inscience, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and acquire theseskills to advance the pursuit of STEM careers.

Theseselected girls will visit schools, organize events, in collaboration withpartners and conduct one-on-one mentorship, for a diverse group ofstudents/women including but not limited to business leaders, softwareengineers, engineers, and policymakers.