Strauss Lunyangwe
A group of 240 girls from 12 high schools in the Khomas region recently attended a girl in engineering (GirlEng) micro workshop.
Hosted by women in engineering (WomEng) in partnership with De Beers Group and Debmarine-Namdeb Foundation, the aim of the workshop is to engage 10 000 girls and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields by 2030.
The workshop provided learners with insight about taking up a career in STEM, and also provided the girls with a chance to engage with women engineers by picking their brains about a day in the life of an engineer.
Goodwill Himovali, a grade 9 learner at the Immanuel Shifidi Secondary School, left inspired.
“When it comes to engineering, men are mostly known for it but women are capable of doing this field too. Engineering is about the capability, commitment and passion for it. This is my second option because I want to become a doctor, but if I don’t qualify (to study medicine), this is what I will do.” Thaleena Tokwe, a grade 10 learner from Jakob Marengo Secondary School, said she got to know about the different fields of engineering, which she did not know about in the past.
“I want to become a mechanical engineer. I also learned that engineering is not only about fixing but about being conducive or destructive – and interestingly, they don’t only build but maintain too.”
The WomEng programme focuses on training universities of technology students across Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.
Brent Eiseb, the chairperson of Debmarine-Namdeb Foundation, said as a foundation, its vision is to accelerate economic inclusion and support diverse voices to help shape the future of our business, communities and society.
“Through strategic partnerships, we will continually strengthen our programmes to support equal opportunities across all forms of diversity, including gender, race, age, disability as well as sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.”
Organisers plan more workshops to reach and engage girls in STEM in other parts of Namibia.