2016 Tutu Fellow Amanda Gicharu-Kemoli has been recognized by the Anita Borg Institute, winning the 'Change Agent' category in their annual GHC ABIE awards for 2016. The Anita Borg Institute is a nonprofit organisation focused on the advancement of women in computing. It seeks to connect, inspire and guide women in computing and organizations that view technology innovation as a strategic imperative. Founded in 1997 by computer scientist Anita Borg, the organization is active in more than 65 countries.
The GHC ABIE Awards recognize female leaders in the categories of: technical leadership, social impact, innovative teaching practices, emerging leadership, and, international change agent.
Telle Whitney, the CEO and President of the Anita Borg Institute said "the ABIE awards recognize women in technology who inspire us year round." The winners are nominated by their peers and chosen by a panel of fellow technologists and past ABIE Award winners, based on their extraordinary achievements and commitment to excellence. The awards will be presented at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, which will be held in Houston, Texas, in October. The "Change Agent" category recognises international women who have created opportunities for girls and women in technology abroad. Gicharu's nomination was underwritten by Google.
Gicharu's recognition was for her role as a co-founder of Tech Republic Africa, a Kenya-based startup that creates premier technology education experiences for African youth to increase capacity, engagement and innovation within the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) fields. It mentioned that in under a year, with minimal resources, she has run more than 21 tech education camps, clubs, challenges and workshops, training 172 students across 61 schools. Forty five percent of her STEM trainees were girls.
The full list of winners is at the Anita Borg Institute website.
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