Education is key to economic empowerment and for societies to flourish sustainably, it is equally important to encourage inclusion. Coupled with this, technology is a tool which can be leveraged for socio-economic benefits – in short for the greater good globally. Together these elements create communities that not only thrive but are also fair, tolerant and just.
Realizing the economic needs in different areas of Karachi – the Southern port city of Pakistan; where access to opportunity as well as training is limited, social venture CIRCLE has launched a groundbreaking program – Tech Karo.
Led by Sadaffe Abid, CIRCLE Pakistan’s mission is to advance women’s economic participation and empowerment through innovative entrepreneurship and leadership labs, advocacy campaigns and research. We develop and support the entrepreneurial and leadership capacity of women and youth in Pakistan to bring about economic growth and social change.
The initiative aims at empowering the Pakistani youth and especially women belonging to under-privileged areas. CIRCLE will be teaching web development, coding, life skills and soft skills such as mindfulness, problem solving, team work and positive thinking to the cohort. Self defense classes are included especially for women. Mentors from leading organizations like Google, Systems and IBM will mentor the cohort. The end goal, according to CIRCLE is to enable the cohort to start earning after completing the course.
Moreover, the organization also offers help to participants get internships/jobs (top students only), guide them about freelance work and help them get small projects through their own network.
CIRCLE’s advisors include Jehan Ara President P@SHA, Dr Waqar Saleem Program Director of Computer Science, Assistant Professor, School of Science & Engineering, Faisal Kapadia Director social media & founder of Mind Map Communications, Tania Aidrus Country Manager Google South Asia Emerging Markets
Key benefits of the program include placement for internships as well as jobs and freelance work guidance. While there is a minimum fee, the organization also offers scholarships to deserving students.
The program will officially launch in February – the month in which the world celebrates the International Day of Women in Science. Representatives and program organizers have already paid highly productive visits to Mehran School, Pehlwan Goth, Awami Colony and Sharafi Goth, Lyari, Model colony, and Korangi – all areas where access to such program is extremely rare. In addition to this, Circle is also offering a voluntary campus ambassadorship for Tech Karo.
In its pre-launch social media news release, Circle has stated: “Come join us as we #teach #coding skills and key life #skills such as #resilience, #mindfulness and #selfdefence!
#techkaro is bringing web development skills to youth in Karachi, particularly to women from under served communities!”
Recently, the CIRCLE team paid a visit to Usman Institute of Technology, a local institute in Karachi , for an orientation session and assessment interviews for #techkaro – a highly successful event with encouraging participation by women and girls.
According to founder CIRCLE, Sadaffe Abid: “For Pakistan’s progress, women must be part of the solution. #TechKaro brings technology to youth and especially women combined with mentorship, core life skills and project based learning. I am delighted and inspired by the impact we hope to create for Pakistani women”
CIRCLE is also currently looking for candidates for their cohort and need help in getting the word out. The minimum selection criteria is as follows:
- Minimum education: Intermediate
- Open to both Women & Men (18-35) years of age
- Must have strong Desire to learn
- Be able to Commit for 8 months
Call to Action: On the lookout for better job opportunities & increased income? Learn to #code #TechKaro brought in partnership with Engro Vopak. We are also looking for volunteers for tech karo.
Register now at http://bit.ly/2lLxGlT
Image credit: CircleWomen.org