WAAW – Working to Advance Science and Technology Education for African Women

WAAW Foundation is a not for profit organization that was founded in 2007 and it has its headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria and a branch office in Wylie, Texas. WAAW stands for Working to Advance Science and Technology Education for African Women and their goal is to encourage African women into entering Science and Technology fields and create opportunities for them to benefit Africa.

Dr Unoma Okorafor had a vision, she wanted to see African women take a leadership role in home and community building and lead a healthy life where education is available to all. So, she founded WAAW foundation in 2007. She belonged to the minority community that is African women in Technology. So, she decided to ensure more African women found their way into the Science and Technology field.

In order to develop Africa, educating women as well as innovation in Science and Technology will play a crucial role. African women are burdened by prejudices and inequality in the patriarchal African society and their plight remains mostly unvoiced. WAAW believes that education will provide them with the much needed representation and instill leadership qualities that will be needed for their own betterment and that of Africa.

The executive board of WAAW Foundation consists of African women who work in the field of Technology and education and are determined about improving the lot of the women in their countries. With the help of the expanding WAAW community, the WAAW foundation is working towards creating opportunities and bringing about social change that could lead to international level economic and health benefits.

The latest project that WAAW Foundation has taken up is the STEM camp. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and this year’s theme is Computing, Robotics and Renewable Energy for Africa. The registration is open for senior secondary school girls and full scholarships are available for public school students. For private school students and others the cost for registering for this one week camp will be 35,000 Naira/18,000 Kenyan Shillings which is equal to $200. Public school students may register or a reduced fee. The camp will be held in two locations; Lagos in Nigeria and Nairobi in Kenya. Total 40 applicants will be chosen to attend the camps, and they will be selected on a first come first serve basis as well as on the basis of how well written their test essays are.

Website: http://waawfoundation.org/