Access to ICT infrastructure is a major hurdle for many young South Africans to gain employment in the fast-growing ICT industry in South Africa. Schools are struggling to provide learners with the skills they need to leverage technology effectively, while the growing tech industry in Cape Town is desperate for skills.

Cape Town based NPO, Code for Cape Town (Code4CT), gives high school girls the opportunity to learn about coding and opportunities in the local IT industry. There is a global push to see more young women in tech careers. Like most other tech hubs, Cape Town has a male dominated tech industry. Code4CT teaches coding in a way that is appealing to ambitious young women in high school and aims to change the narrative of what a “techie” looks like.

“We’ve had a tremendously positive response to our classes from young girls. The girls in the program are eager to keep learning, and they want to invite their friends too. We’re limited by access to classrooms with the resources we need and high speed internet,” says Emma Dicks – Founder and Director of Code4CT.

Code4CT is making an appeal for donations of old notebooks so that it can offer coding classes to more aspiring young learners. The notebooks will be utilised during Code4CT’s coding workshops.

Code4CT hopes to draw support from the corporate sector, local SMEs, government, communities and individuals who have an extra and unused notebook at their disposal.

“Ensuring a significant increase in tech skills requires a collective effort not just from us as an organisation, but also the businesses where we hope to see these young girls working in the near future,” adds Dicks.

Code4CT aims to collect 100 notebooks by the end of May 2016.

Drop Off Points:

Companies or individuals interested in donating their used notebooks can do so through following the steps on the Code4CT website: www.code4ct.com/notebook-donations or by dropping them off at either of these two drop off points:

1.     Jam Media: UB2 Garden Centre, Buitenkant Street, Gardens

2.     Code4CT: 1st Floor Spire House, Tannery Park, Belmont Road, Rondebosch, 7700

Other ways to support Code4CT:

Companies or individuals who would like to support Code4CT but do not have a notebook to donate can also volunteer their skills or support Code4CT financially, both done via the website: http://code4ct.com/support-us/