Walk into TechForAll Foundation's IT centre in The Gambia on any given weekend and you will find young women seated at computers, focused and intent. They are learning how hardware and software work. They are studying how to protect systems from threats. They are developing the kind of practical, employable skills that the technology sector needs. And they are doing it together, building a community of young female technologists in a country where that community is still rare.
This is Girls In Tech. And it is changing lives.
Why Girls In Tech Was Created
The technology sector across Africa is growing rapidly. Digital infrastructure is expanding, mobile connectivity is increasing, and demand for tech-literate workers is rising in every industry from finance to agriculture to healthcare. But women and girls remain significantly underrepresented in technology careers across the continent.
In The Gambia, this gap is particularly visible. Whilst girls consistently perform as well as boys in school, social and structural barriers often push them away from science, technology and computing subjects as they get older. The expectation that technology is a male domain, combined with limited access to computers and few female role models in tech, means that many young women never discover what they are capable of.
TechForAll Foundation created Girls In Tech to address this directly. Not by treating girls as a problem to be solved, but by providing the access, skills and encouragement to let them discover their own potential.
What Students Learn
The Girls In Tech programme runs in cohorts, giving participants an immersive experience over a structured period. Sessions take place at TechForAll Foundation's dedicated IT centre, which is equipped with computers and reliable internet access. The curriculum is practical, hands-on and designed to build genuine career-ready skills.
Current courses in the programme
- IT Foundation: Computer software and hardware, giving participants a solid grounding in how technology works
- Cybersecurity: Protecting systems, data and identities in an increasingly connected world
Participants do not just consume content. They apply what they learn. By the end of their cohort, every student has worked hands-on with real hardware and software and gained practical experience in cybersecurity that they can speak to with confidence.
"I did not think this kind of training was available to someone like me. Coming every weekend and learning about IT and cybersecurity has changed how I see my future."
The Broader Impact
The impact of Girls In Tech extends well beyond the IT centre. When a young woman completes this training, she does not just gain a skill. She gains confidence. She gains evidence that she can tackle difficult, unfamiliar challenges and succeed. She gains a network of peers who share her interests and ambitions. And she gains visibility as a role model for younger girls who see her and understand that technology is for them too.
Graduates of the programme go on to pursue further computing education, apply for internships and jobs in the technology sector, and support others in their communities to develop digital skills. The ripple effects are real and measurable.
How You Can Support Girls In Tech
Every place on the Girls In Tech programme represents an investment in a young woman's future. Your donation helps fund equipment, training materials, qualified instructors and the ongoing costs of running our IT centre. Sponsoring a student through the programme is one of the most direct ways you can create long-term change in The Gambia's technology landscape.
Support Girls In Tech
Help fund places on our Girls In Tech programme and invest in the next generation of female technologists in The Gambia.