Are you an African woman scientist, civic technologist, or data expert passionate about changing Africa’s story?
Code for Africa (CfA), Africa’s largest network of civic tech and data journalism is pleased to invite African female scientists, civic technologists and data experts to join the WanaData community.
WanaData – an initiative incubated by Code for Africa – is a Pan-African network of women journalists, data scientists, academics and technologists working to change the African continent by producing and promoting data-driven projects while applying digital technologies in storytelling. One of the primary aims of WanaData is to turbo-boost the careers of women in Africa by deepening their expertise in tech, data science and journalism while connecting them with experts and thought leaders in the continent and beyond.
WanaData members gain access to exclusive benefits that boost their career growth while building high value connections and addressing issues affecting the African continent through:
- Grant opportunities and financial support to work on cross-disciplinary data projects
- Training sessions for small groups and individual mentorship sessions
- Networking with women in Africa who play a key role in changing the continent
WanaData is present in seven African countries which are, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. We have over 700 members spread across the countries. WanaData members receive many benefits from Code for Africa, ranging from workshops and training sessions to grants, fellowships and, access to mentorship and networking opportunities.
Some of the WanaData’s flagship projects we are most proud of are:
- Outbreak.AFRICA project which seeks to improve data-driven decision-making by providing interactive tools and data journalism that provides actionable insights into epidemiological factors, healthcare system factors, demographic vulnerability and access to WASH and basic services. Our most recent WanaData OUTBREAK fellowship on Covid-19 Vaccination in Africa uses the OUTBREAK datasets for exploring new insights into the pandemic to improve evidence-based decision-making.
- GenderGap.AFRICA, a transnational data-driven reporting project on gender and women issues, which was launched by the WanaData community in 2018. The project also launched the GenderGap calculator, a tool designed to help users calculate the pay gap between men and women in African countries. Since its launch, the tool has been useful in contributing to gender-related stories that look into issues such as women’s land and property ownership rights, gender disparities in income and various professional fields, as well as women in education and politics.
- GMMP WanaData Fellowships which funded women journalists in Africa to research and amplify the findings of the GMMP 2020-2021 report. The report highlights the invisibility of women as news reporters and the underrepresentation of gender and related stories in mainstream media. The initiative awarded fellowships to African women in media, combining financial support and exclusive training and mentorship sessions on using gender equality datasets in reporting.
More in detail, by joining the WanaData community you will benefit from the following:
- Financial support: We offer grant-based fellowships and awards.
- Ongoing mentorship: We provide one-on-one mentorship and technical support to our members and their organisations. Members’ organisations receive strategic support to develop their audiences and make their models financially sustainable.
- Global visibility: We provide opportunities to showcase your projects or stories on the WanaData website, which can be syndicated on other CfA networks.
- Professional development: We provide training and organise quarterly events such as summits, roundtables, member networking meetups, and events to commemorate global events such as International Women’s Day, etc. These events consist of masterclasses and skillshares, webinars, and panel discussions.
- Membership badge: Our network members receive a membership badge which appreciates in value with increased engagement in our activities and use of gained skills.
- Networking: By joining our events, Slack channels, Google groups and LinkedIn Group, members meet and interact with a network of over 1,000 journalists, scientists, data experts, technologists and other professionals as well as connect with leading organisations.
- Ticket & discounts: Members may enjoy free or discounted rates on programmes offered by CfA and its partners.
To join the community, kindly respond to this email and/or fill out the form by 20 December 2022: https://forms.gle/QL7bYLDwXyYy92fD9
We look forward to hearing from you!