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Technology
Technology

EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH

TECHNOLOGY: HOW ASIKANA
NETWORK IS BUILDING A GENERATION

OF FEMALE TECH INNOVATORS.

”Everyone is capable of computing, explore and embrace information having created a platform that
despite gender, race or technology. revolutionized how women perceive
background.” ”We wanted women to receive computers. Because of Asikana
training in ICT skills without Network, tech intimidation is slowly
egina stated vehemently, intimidation from cultural beliefs becoming a thing of the past,
her passion nearly and norms.” women can now take up space in
palpable. An Information tech — or better yet; ‘tech up space’.
Technologist by Regina recalls her teen years A young woman now deems her
Rprofession, Regina to bout with the frolicking with computer as an ally, knowing she
Mtonga, is a woman at the helm of a computers when her father who can obtain a legion of opportunities
female led and impacting technology worked with them would bring a few from it, and most importantly;
revolution in her country; Zambia. back home. Her interest in coding generate an income to sustain
Here, the thought of women in was however piqued during her herself.
tech goes synonymously with that college years studying Information
of Asikana Network, like ones and and Communication Technology ”Our impact has been moderate,
zeros in binary code; the two are when she got to explore computing sometimes we meet new people and
inseparable. intricately. do not need to explain who we are
because more and more people are
With two other ingenious women; As of today, Asikana Network holds hearing about us and what we do.”
Ella Mbewe and Chisenga Muyoya, over 200 registered young women
both computer science graduates, beneficiaries and has held capacity At the prime of her career, Regina
Regina Mtonga co-runs Asikana building programmes in over 50 Mtonga is a recipient of the Queens
Network, a social enterprise schools across 6 Young Leader and Set Africa Awards.
fostering inclusivity, and building As an Obama Foundations Emerging
the capacity of women and girls Leader, she adds to her portfolio
in ICTs. All the while teaching her selection as a Skoll Young
self-sustainability through these Leader and Swedish Institute
acquired skills. In the most literal Management Programme
sense, ‘Asikana’ is a local dialect Fellow.
for young women, that’s to
say Asikana Network directly The three women have
translates to ‘Young Women’s it set in stone, 10 years
Network’. from now Asikana
Network should have
Rather unconventional, the chapters in other parts
founding of this organization of the country, outside
was instigated by a room the capital; Lusaka.
full of men. When the 3 Regina shared plans to
women made up the ratio of scale their community
females within an audience of impact, to build linkages
30, attending a local android and ultimately a network
application masterclass in 2011. of tech proficient women,
Questions were raised as to why ready to pioneer digital
female representation was so solutions to eliminate the
minimal, and if this was a ubiquitous country’s pressing problems.
problem within the country. The
research they later embarked on, Proclaiming herself as an ardent
unveiled innumerable problems learner, Regina Mtonga’s 10-year
young women face in attempting to provinces plan lies in seeing the fruition of her
pursue careers in STEM, primarily of the 9 in Zambia. Between continuously added knowledge in
zeroing in on the cultural-societal September and December 2019 both computer programming and
perception that predominantly alone, over 2000 pupils in various social enterprise management.
associates computing with males. provinces, both boys and girls,
were introduced to various code She says ”I am always on a path to
One might hear a guardian say girls languages under the auspices of learn so I hope to have grown my
aren’t well suited for computing, Asikana Network. knowledge in more coding methods,
before recommending nursing to running Social Enterprises as well as
their daughter. The three women The organization has gone on to be more involved in understanding
later went on to create Asikana receive a multitude of local and policy making and how they affect
Network, to disrupt this notion, international recognition, but Regina my venture.”
primarily allowing women to finds unmatched satisfaction in

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