No doubt, the first idea that would come to mind on hearing Miss.Africa would be a beauty contest that would have African nations represented on a continental stage, sorry to disappoint you.
The Miss.Africa 2015 is a project by the DotConnnectAfrica Academy designed to provide seed funding for women and girls working on initiatives that boostdigital opportunities for women in the information technology related trainings, jobs and leadership.
"The program is interested in learning about successful activities that are currently supporting women and girls in STEM, and through this effort, we identify how we might support scalability and their impacts."
The seed funding, to the tune of $5,000 is meant for the winning initiative to launch and or expand a project that promotes females activities in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field.
To apply for Miss.Africa 2015, applicant must:
- Be a current resident of an African country (including North and Sub-Saharan Africa)
- Be applying as an individual (at least 18 years of age), or a representative of a non-governmental organization (NGO) or social enterprise based in Africa
- Have the ability to demonstrate previous experience conducting activities supporting women and girls in computer science or STEM fields
- Have the commitment to developing and contributing to a virtual community for supporting women and girls initiatives
- Demonstrate leadership potential (references will be required for those applying for leadership funds)
Proposed project must have a tangible impact on women and girls in computer science and/or STEM- related fields, and eligible projects are not limited to workshops, trainings programs or hackathon.
Applications are expected to be submitted in English Language. Application deadline is November 15, 2015, while the first round of the grants would be announced on February 2, 2016. Apply Here.
