‘FREE Zambia for Ngombe is the project we are working on where young women (from Ngombe Township in Lusaka) are being offered free computing skills …’

By STEPHEN KAPAMBWE –

Information Technology (IT) has become a prime investment sector attracting millions of dollars into African countries like Zambia.
And just like IT technicians are using the investments to spur development in communication, education, economics, business, finance and health, etcetera, one technician is using IT to help girls and young women gain access to better jobs.
In early 2012, Regina Mtonga and two other friends participated in an android application development session which was hosted by an organisation called Bongo hive in Lusaka. The programme was conducted by a computer systems developer called Dale Zak.
The three young women noticed that they were the only females in attendance.
Out of a personal need for them to meet other women with careers in technology and also to find mentors in the field, Regina, Chisenga Muyoya and Ella Mbewe, founded Asikana Network.
Soon after inception, the network attracted several women in technology and other careers.The women wished to either gain skills in the field, volunteer or simply be there to assist other women who were performing similar tasks and receive mentorship.
According to Regina, since Asikana Network started, it has enabled her co-founders and herself to work with several other organisations and Government institutions in ensuring girls and young women in Zambia discover a passion for careers in technology.
“To give a few examples, we have worked with Innovation for Poverty Action (IPA) on their initiative which is a province-wide project which enabled 4,000 girls in Lusaka Province to take part in a programme known as Girls Arise.
“This project involved teaching young girls in their Eighth Grade of school skills such as basic computer usage among other skills,” Regina said recently.
She said Asikana Network assisted by providing IPA with skilled young women who could mentor the girls and carry out the computer training.
Asikana Network has also partnered with Zambia Information & Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) on several occasions.
One such occasion was during the International Girls in ICT Day which was held on April, 23 this year in Lusaka.The commemoration drew more than 100 young women.
“Asikana Network has also managed to connect countless young women to their dream jobs, mentors and other women in the technology space.
“We have realised that one important reason women are not participating in technology related events and activities is that they simply have not heard about them and therefore do not know how to access these opportunities,” Regina said.
Asikana Network has also worked on what it calls Taungana Project.This is an initiative aimed at encouraging girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers from South-Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
This project which was carried out last year enabled Asikana Network to take part in the selection of girls from nine of  Zambia’s 10 provinces.The network helped to facilitate for nine girls to visit South- Africa for a week-long STEM expo.
The girls are part of a three-country team which includes high school girls from South-Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia itself.The initiative is an annual program. It takes place every August.
“FREE Zambia for Ngombe is the project we are working on, where young women (from Ngombe Township in Lusaka) are being offered free computing skills by volunteers from Asikana Network,” Regina said.
In May 2015, Asikana Network received its first local ICT recognition award by ZICTA.
Regina described that achievement as “great because it was a sign that the local community recognised and appreciated the efforts of Asikana Network.”
But that was only the beginning.
On Monday, June 22, this year, Regina was one of the 60 youths drawn from the Commonwealth countries around the world who received the inaugural Queen’s Young Leaders Award for the year 2015.
The award is presented to young people from across the Commonwealth who have been recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for taking the lead in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in their communities.
Regina was handed the award by Queen Elizabeth II during a colourful ceremony hosted at the iconic royal Buckingham Palace in London.
Regina was awarded for her role in being co-founder of an organisation that trains under-privileged Zambian girls and young women in IT skills.
Regina’s organisation was recognised for its resolve to assist the girls and young women find better jobs and realise their potential.
“I have been clearly excited about the Queens Young Leader’s Award for months. All my friends and family can attest to that. My first and only thought as I walked up to her Majesty the Queen was, ‘Don’t fall! Don’t fall’,” Regina said with subdued laughter.
She described her trip to London as having been stressing, and that,“Most people tell themselves different things to cope with the stress but I must admit, I was stressed.”
Regina met the Queen dressed in an outfit specially designed for the occasion by Zambian designer – Kutowa. The dress was made with bottle tops.
“I am sure she (the Queen) was wondering, ‘are those bottle tops?’ For the record, yes they were bottle tops.
“One other reason it was so stressful might have had something to do with the fact that I met David Beckham and David Cameron that same day! Super awesome! I honestly never thought I would ever get a chance to meet some of these people,” she said.
Regina said it was an honour to be recognised for work one was trying to or is doing in their community.
She explained that it was even a greater honour to be recognised and appreciated across borders and across continents.
But she was quick to admit that she occasionally suffered from a slight case of what she termed the Imposter’s Syndrome, where she felt she was not doing enough in the community to make women aware of their rights and provide a platform for them to access opportunities.
“I was even more inspired by the vast number of young people who had equally done great things in each of their countries and communities.It is a wonderful feeling to realise you are not alone in a worthy cause that manifests itself in different forms; whether it is through education, civic engagement, health and hygiene awareness, and etcetera,” Regina said.
Regina described Asikana Network a success story especially for its co-founders whom it has allowed to draw lessons from running various programmes and projects.
She says her fellow founders and herself have been able to appreciate what it means to be a woman in a technology career in Zambia in the 21st Century.
However, the network has also had other success stories of young women who have been mentored.
One such beneficiary is Jacqueline Haankwenda, a young woman who approached Asikana Network after she just completed high school.
“Jacqueline began with the basic lessons of how to use a computer. She has now evolved into an excellent example of a young woman who has learned to love technology and uses it for a great service,” Regina said.
Jacqueline, who has acquired several IT skills like video editing, is now able to make money for herself using the skill she acquired from Asikana Network.
Success stories like Jacqueline continue to benefit from Asikana Network through the support it renders to entrepreneurship.
Nowadays, Asikana Network boasts of a general membership of more than 120 women and has produced over 15 graduates from its video editing programme.
“It is our plan to expand to other provinces of Zambia and allow even more girls and young women a chance to experience working with technology in all its usefulness,” Regina said.
Regina is a recipient of the 2014 SETAfrica Award.
She has had training in several IT sectors including website and software development. Discovering a recent passion for entrepreneurship, Regina is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Computing.
She is also a 2015 Skoll Young Leader Award recipient.
Regina hopes to spark an interest in STEM careers for all women in Zambia and eventually have Asikana Network a fully functional school club in order to support school girls interested in STEM, especially IT.
Lately Asikana Network has been assisting girls and young women interested in learning iOS application development to inform the network in order for them to be helped.
The network also plans to increase the number of women it helps to connect to opportunities in the technology space.
The organisation is currently offering several lessons in programmes like video editing and basic computer usage.
The intention is to offer these and additional forms of training to a greater number of women across the country so that they can access better jobs and derive meaningful benefits from the lucrative opportunities presented by growing investments in IT in Zambia and beyond.