Empowering Women through Tech

Applying for the Volunteer-Ship

In the past few years, I have explored various domains and worked in different areas of Engineering. I have always wanted to apply that knowledge where it would bring a real change to society, so I wanted to volunteer for a cause and make a real impact. This past July, I saw a mail from Cadence to volunteer for “Women in Technology Uganda (WITU)” as a Team4Tech volunteer. I signed up, and from a pool of candidates, I was lucky to get interviewed, shortlisted, and ultimately, selected as part of a team of 10 Team4Tech volunteers from Cadence from across the globe. We were divided into three sub-teams, and I was assigned to the Digital Job Centre (DJC) website project, which will help empower women at WITU.

Pre-Trip Project Preparation

The WITU Digital Job Centre is a platform to help uplift and encourage women in Uganda in all areas of the industry, particularly tech. The goal is for potential employers, inside or outside the country, to reach as many women as possible for onsite and remote jobs. We brainstormed with the WITU team to figure out the design of the website and what sections we wanted to include. For the next six weeks, we had to come up with a functional website; I mainly worked on the back end of the site.

On-Site Experiences

From October 23 to November 3, we were in the country for on-site project implementation. I arrived on October 22 and was received warmly by a very welcoming staff. It was a wholesome experience for me for multiple reasons:

• Every volunteer brought different kinds of experiences with them and speaking with each one of them was so inspiring. I learned so much from the other volunteers and the Team4Tech staff during our debrief sessions in the evenings after the day’s events.

• When I joined the volunteer program, I thought I’d be just sharing my knowledge, but it was the other way around, too. The women at WITU are very hardworking and smart, they’re very curious and skillful. I had a chance to interact with the Code Academy girls (50 women) and hear stories from women entrepreneurs at WITU. We visited the home of one of the women entrepreneurs, Sarah, who started with no resources and had the courage to start a business of liquid soaps with a goal of having every Ugandan use her product. We were paired up with women entrepreneurs to provide them with some guidance. When I helped them with the system design of their applications and refining the ideas, I realized they have an enthusiasm that no man can match.

• I got a chance to come out of my comfort zone and have meaningful conversations with various people and know their perspectives. I was lucky to hear inspirational stories from others and share my story and life experiences.

• I learned the real meaning of working as a team to make everything successful while having fun alongside. I ended up making good bonds with my teammates.

•  We got a chance to visit the cultural center to understand Ugandan culture at a deeper level. We went on a forest hike followed by a visit to a local village to experience the roots. A little girl from the village was holding my friend’s hand and she walked to the very end with us. In the end, we offered her some money (very little) but were surprised to see her reaction—she denied it and took a step back to bid us goodbye.

• Lastly, I’m happy that we were able to deliver our projects successfully. The website was tested by the Code Academy girls and other volunteers. I hope it helps the women in Uganda to find good work opportunities.

Final Thoughts

Even though it was just 10 days, the WITU trip taught me so many lessons that I’ll carry with me throughout my life, and I will try applying them in life and at work. I’m grateful to Cadence and Team4Tech for providing me with an opportunity to have an experience like this.

Women In Technology Uganda

Team4Tech

Cadence Design Systems