Girls Who Code (GWC) is a non-profit organization founded by Reshma Saujani in 2012 with the mission to close the gender gap in technology. The initiative primarily targets underprivileged girls aged 11-18, offering them online computer science programs to develop coding and computational skills. The vision of GWC is to empower girls worldwide by providing them with the necessary tools and knowledge to succeed in the tech industry, thus enabling them to become leaders in a field traditionally dominated by men.
GWC’s programs are designed to educate, equip, and inspire girls by helping them build the computing skills they will need to pursue various opportunities in the 21st century. The organization’s mission focuses on breaking down barriers for young girls, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, by fostering an inclusive tech community.
In India, Engineers Without Borders (EWB) has partnered with GWC to execute the program for the first time, targeting girls in schools run by non-profit organizations. The program is being conducted through e-learning centers, aiming to reach as many girls as possible and provide them with the resources to succeed in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.
The Girls Who Code (GWC) program has been successfully executed across 24 clubs in 5 schools and 2 locations—Hyderabad and Bangalore. A total of 255 students participated in this initiative, earning EWB-GWC certificates for completing the program. The participating institutions included a mix of schools and an NGO:
During the program, The girls participating in the Girls Who Code (GWC) program created several innovative projects, showcasing their newly acquired skills in computer science and coding. Some of the notable projects developed include:
These projects not only allowed the students to explore various aspects of coding but also helped them create meaningful applications that they could relate to their everyday lives and communities.
