Theirworld, Oando partner to teach girls computer programming coding

To help the girl-child become confident and versatile with digital tools, Theirworld, a global children’s and independent charity, in collaboration with Oando Foundation, have concluded arrangements to empower young Nigerian girls through a coding training exercise.

The organisation, with a mission to improve the quality of teaching and learning in Nigerian schools, says it would provide participants with a unique opportunity to learn vital technological skills through an innovative pilot project tagged “Code Clubs.”

The Code Clubs they explained are “low-cost, sustainable and scale-able safe spaces, where girls can be empowered by learning to code, foster creative thinking and increase knowledge and skillsets for the future.”

President of Theirworld, Sarah Brown, said over 600 girls, aged six to 25 in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will join the Code Clubs in its pilot phase.

She added that the objective is reach thousands of girls with its self-sustaining model, where girls who have completed the course will return to mentor the next cohort of girls, with community support to augment the scalability of the project.

“With a safe space to learn and play, a mentor to inspire, and access to technology to be able to explore, create, and code, we can increase learning opportunities and empower girls to fulfill their potential. Every girl should have the opportunity to go to school, learn, grow, and have a future they choose.”

“At Theirworld, we know that investing in a girl has social and economic returns that go beyond her, extending not only to her family and future children, but also to her community. We don’t shy away from challenges, and we are prepared to tackle the big problems that stop girl child from learning. Code Club Nigeria is being launched ahead of Africa Code Week in collaboration with the Oando Foundation,” Brown stressed.

Head, Oando Foundation, Ade Adegoke, on his part, remarked that the foundation is using the strategic partnership to enhance its commitment to ICT education particularly for the girl child, with a medium term target of having Code Clubs in every Oando Foundation adopted school across Nigeria.