The world is changing, and for the better! Take the male-dominated technology industry, for example – organisations like Pearls Africa Youth Foundation are working tirelessly to even the playing field by introducing young women and girls to the world of tech. Training girls in science and technology empowers them to escape poverty, access high-wage jobs, and become change agents in their communities.
Pearls Africa Youth Foundation is the home of Girls Coding, an initiative designed to equip young girls (ages 10 -17) from underserved communities with computer skills such as robotics, HTML and Java programming. The girls are encouraged use these skills to proffer sustainable social solutions in their communities.
Union Bank is proud to partner with Girls Coding for the fourth consecutive year. As a financial institution dedicated to enabling success in its host communities, this partnership amplifies our commitment to gender equality and encouraging societal growth through impactful programs.
This year, due to the pandemic, 70% of the training was done virtually with learning materials dispatched to the participants. A Train the Trainee program was also introduced, where Odunayo Ajayi and Alade Nosirat, fellows from previous years were brought in to train the incoming fellows and act as mentors to them.
Union Bank will continue to support initiatives aimed at bridging the gender gap in our society. We recently partnered with Junior Achievement Nigeria to implement the LEAD Camp initiative. Through this programme, we were able to inspire and empower 130 young girls to become high-achieving young leaders in our communities. We also partnered with Mamamoni Empowerment Foundation to empower women in low income communities.
To stay updated on all our partnerships, please connect with us on social media, @unionbankng on Instagram and Facebook and @unionbank_ng on Twitter.