UNESCO says women comprise only about 28% of the global tech workforce and 30% in sub-Saharan Africa. This data emphasises the persistent challenges young girls face in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These statistics reveal an urgent need for initiatives that support women and girls in overcoming long-existing barriers. South African Tech Enthusiast Baratang Miya, who happens to be a self-taught Coder and the founder of GirlHYPE, is changing these as she empowers young women and girls with coding skills and digital literacy.
Growing up in South Africa, Miya witnessed inequality, particularly the limited access to resources faced by women in underserved communities. This experience motivated her to take action in 2003 by founding GirlHYPE. She has empowered over a million women and girls across South Africa through the initiative by providing them with crucial tech and digital skills.
Founding of GirlHype
Long before “women in tech” became a global movement, GirlHYPE began as a small initiative but has now grown into a prominent nonprofit organisation in South Africa. Having launched over 93 successful programs within and outside South Africa, they partner with global organisations like UN Women and Mozilla to provide coding boot camps, mentorship programs, and digital literacy workshops to empower women. Through these initiatives, Miya has reached over one million women and girls, giving them access to career opportunities in tech that may have otherwise been out of reach.
Her work addresses gender and digital divides, as she noted in an interview with Africa Com: “It is statistically proven that there is a shortage of women in tech. We’re focusing on increasing the pipeline of women that join the industry.”
GirlHYPE’s programs teach digital skills and empower participants to pursue meaningful careers in the digital space. They provide coding camps, app development workshops, and mentorship opportunities, including the #CodeLikeAGirl initiative, to help participants build essential tech skills. She also uses the Women Tech Policy Hub to influence tech policies and promote funding for female-led startups and tech education.
One successful collaboration the organisation had was with Google, which helped GirlHYPE improve its curriculum and provide participants access to industry-leading tools and resources.
In 2015, Miya was selected as a fellow in the TechWomen program, a U.S. Department of State initiative to promote women in STEM fields globally. This experience connected her with a network of female leaders and mentors, further strengthening her commitment to women’s empowerment in tech. Additionally, she founded the Women Tech Policy Hub to encourage women to influence tech policies across Africa and promote gender equity in the digital space.
Her contributions have garnered widespread recognition, including the Anzisha Prize for African youth entrepreneurship and the TechWomen Emerging Leader Award from the U.S. Department of State. She has also served as an executive board member of many boards, including Silicon Cape and the national Black IT Forum, and is a strategic national partner in the “We the Internet” initiative. Through GirlHYPE and Women Tech Policy Hub, she is proving that the future of technology can and should include everyone, including women.
