Program Aims to Train South African Girls in Science Fields

 

The number of women working in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM fields in South Africa has not been very large.

But programs aimed at girls there are beginning to change that. TechnoGirl is one example. Over about ten years, the program has worked to bring 11,000 high-school girls into these areas of study known as the STEM fields.

TechnoGirl began in 2004 through a partnership¹. UNICEF, the United Nations children’s agency, the South Africa Department of Education and Uweso Trust joined their efforts to develop TechnoGirl.

Each year, the program places girls between the ages of 15 and 18 in more than 200 companies in South Africa. The girls must be doing exceptionally well in school to qualify.

After they are chosen, the girls stay at the companies for a three-year-period and receive mentorship from STEM professionals. The mentors³ also keep in contact with them throughout their university studies.

Smart girls, few opportunities

Raquel Sorota was a student in the program.

She grew up in Johannesburg’s Tembisa township with very little opportunity. She now works as a risk engineer at a top South African insurance company.

Sorota was chosen for the program in 2009. Now, at age 24, she says it has changed her life.

“So I think a lot of what I took from the program was how it exposed me to the world of engineering. So I think for the longest time I never knew of how broad that world was and that I could have a place within that world, most importantly.”

Staff Sithole leads the company Uweso Trust and is the founder⁴ of TechnoGirl.

She said the goal is more than just creating a new crop of workers. It is about changing the world — and who runs it, she said. And, through the program, she aims to support gender⁵ equality in South Africa.

Challenging barriers

For high school students Gugulethu Zungu and Queen Makaile, the barriers are more than just lack of opportunity. Both have physical disabilities. They were born with rare genetic⁶ defects that have affected⁷ their appearance and health. Both were chosen to be in the program this year for their high marks in math and science.

Zungu says the program led her to identify her dream career — forensics — and imagine possibilities beyond it.

“I like investigating and solving mysteries. And it actually makes me believe that, indeed, nothing is impossible. You just have to think out of the box.”

Makaile, who has struggled with hearing and vision problems because of her defect, says she now wants to become a journalist. She wants to show the world that her thoughts matter more than her looks.

Since the program began, more than 5,000 young women have received scholarships to colleges and universities.

For these girls, they say nothing will stand in their way.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

mentorship – n. the guidance provided by a mentor², especially an experienced person in a company or educational institution

insurance – n. an agreement in which a person regularly pays money to a company for the promise to receive a payment if the payer suffers some kind of loss

gender – n. the state of being male or female

defect – n. a problem that causes difficulty or makes someone less able to do normal things

forensics – n. the study or science of discovering why something happened or solving crimes by using scientific methods

think out of the box –expression. to think freely, not bound by old, nonfunctional, or limiting structures, rules or practices

scholarship – n. an amount of money that is paid by a school, group or individual to help pay for their education

1 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

2 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

3 mentors   

n.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Beacham and McNamara, my two mentors, had both warned me. 我的两位忠实朋友，比彻姆和麦克纳马拉都曾经警告过我。 来自辞典例句
• These are the kinds of contacts that could evolve into mentors. 这些人是可能会成为你导师。 来自互联网

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

6 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。