Odyssey Educational Foundation has lauded Kaduna schoolgirls for developing various applications to address challenges faced in their communities under the technology innovation and entrepreneurship for girls 2021 (Technovation).
The schoolgirls drawn from Piety High School, Heyik International School, Christ Supreme, Christ Apostolic Church developed: Health challenge app; Insecurity app; Recycling app; East Transport app; Event Management app; Social Crime app; Erosion Dictator app; Online Rental Service app; Online Food Service app and Home Service app.
According to the Country Director of the Foundation, Stella U. Denis, “Technovation Girls is a global technology entrepreneurship competition that challenges girls (ages 10-18) to identify a problem in their communities and solve it by building mobile apps. It equips young girls to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders.
“With the support of volunteer mentors, girls work in teams to code mobile apps that address real-world problems which challenge them to think, work in teams, identify community problems, and create innovative solutions addressing the identified problem which is to be selected from the 17 SDGs.
“The challenge helps build a world where they feel empowered to lead conversations and create solutions to issues that will impact their lives and communities. Mobile apps have been created by girls to tackle everything from healthcare to climate change. Professionals in education, engineering, AI, tech, and more have nurtured a love of relearning as mentors on Technovation Girls.
“Since 2010, over 25,000 girls have participated in Technovation from over 80 countries, about 4,000 girls have participated in Technovation from Nigeria. Over 3,500 professionals have built a global network of support for Technovation as mentors, educators and chapter ambassadors.
“Nigeria has had two global winners who created outstanding mobile apps and represented Nigeria and Africa. In 2018, Team Save-A-Soul from Regina-Pacis Secondary School, Onitsha developed “Fake Drug-Detector”, a mobile app that combats the problem of fake drugs by ascertaining the authenticity of a drug by just scanning a barcode on the drug pack.
“In 2015, Team Charis from Calabar developed a mobile app to tackle waste disposal menace in Nigeria. The app, called ‘Discardious’, was pitched against 400 other apps that were submitted to the 2015 Technovation Challenge from 28 countries. The girls triumphed and their innovation won them the Global winners. Nigeria have also had over 10 teams emerging as semi-finalists at different seasons of the competition.”
She said, Odyssey Educational Foundation sponsored by The US Embassy Abuja, has been committed to promoting Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and application among girls in secondary schools to catalyzes industrialisation, research, and development and co-creating with nature in Africa.
Stella stated that they have engaged over 3,000 girls since its operation in Abuja in 2016.
Abuja has registered a submission of 33 mobile apps to the 2021 season.
They are now mentoring 64 schoolgirls from initial four schools in Kaduna to which another four schools will be added by October 2021.