About us

The AFCHIX Story

What we do

AFCHIX mentors and inspires girls to consider careers in Computer Science and IT through visits to schools, technical workshops, events aimed at women in tech, and sponsoring our members to take part in local and international tech conferences.

We target upper primary and high school girls between the age of 9 to 18, young women studying in the ICT field, young women at the start of their careers in the sector, and experienced women in tech who want to grow into leadership positions.

AFCHIX’s reason for existence and the objectives of our work can be summarised in three words shown on our logo. We want to create Inspiration, Connection and Community.

Inspiration

AFCHIX wants to inspire more women and girls in Africa to learn how to use technology, pursue careers in STEM, and gain confidence in their own immense potential. We work to inspire change by advocating to close the gender digital divide that continues to keep women from accessing the internet or truly benefitting from connectivity.

Connection

AFCHIX exists to facilitate connection.
We create platforms and opportunities for African women in tech to connect with each other. We connect girls and women to the resources they need to gain skills and knowledge about technology to improve their lives. We support communities to connect themselves to the internet through creating community networks.

Community

AFCHIX uses the connections we establish to create more than a network of women. We want to create a community of women in tech that supports and uplifts not only each other – but also those women who are still unconnected.

The AFCHIX Story

AFCHIX was founded by African women and for African women. The organisation that would become AFCHIX was born in 2004, when Dorcas Muthoni and Ana Badimo founded a regional chapter of world-wide group, LinuxChix. Through LinuxChix Africa, they hoped to help build the critical mass of Linux skills among African women and to advocate the use of open-source software to help tackle development challenges in African communities.

Since then, AFCHIX has evolved into an independent African organisation and its activities have reached women in 25 countries on the continent. This includes over 7000 high school girls in Kenya and Uganda who have benefitted from our mentorship and career guidance programmes.

Mission, Vision and Motto

Vision

An equitable digital world for everyone.

Mission

To create an exemplary organisation and network of African Women in Computing with a desire to inclusively provide: opportunities, mentorship, capacity building and inspire young generations through role modelling.

Motto

Everyone involved.

OUR SDG COMMITMENTS

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TARGET 4.3

By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.

INDICATOR 4.3.1

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex

TARGET 5.5

Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

INDICATOR 5.5.2

Proportion of women in managerial positions

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TARGET 8.5

By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

INDICATOR 8.5.1

Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities

Our Values

All Thrive

We create opportunities for
everyone to thrive and inspire others.

Leadership & Volunteerism

Selfless commitment to our community.

Sisterhood

We embrace togetherness and mentorship.

Integrity & Respect

We are true to ourselves and others.

Openness & Freedom

Encourage our community to boost their own prosperity.

Work-Life Balance

Being free from social stereotypes and making choices without losing ourselves.

Innovation & Adaptability

Encourage creativity driven by our diversity.

Our Team

The AFCHIX Board

DORCAS MUTHONI

HOUDA CHAKIRI

NODUMO DHLAMINI

Afchix-digischool-community-network

Some of our notable achievements include:

2014:

AFCHIX installs 20 computers, a projector and internet in Uganda Society for the Deaf Vocational Training Centre, Namirembe. As a result, over 300 deaf students learn and practice basic ICT skills every year.

2017:

AFCHIX hosts its first AFCHIX TechWomen Summit in Nairobi Kenya, creating the first event aimed at women in technology to take place alongside the well-known annual Africa Internet Summit (AIS).

2017:

AFCHIX wins a grant from AFRINIC to create videos documenting the stories of successful African women in ICT to inspire young African girls to consider careers in the sector.

2018:

AFCHIX is one of the winners of USAID’s WomenConnect Challenge This support enables us to pilot the creation of community networks led by women in four communities in Kenya, Namibia, Senegal, and Morocco.

2021:

AFCHIX is chosen as one of the winners in the third round of the WomenConnect Challenge and begins work to upscale the four community networks created in 2018.

Dorcas Muthoni

CEO of OPENWORLD LTD, Kenya

Dorcas Muthoni is one of the co-founders of AFCHIX. She is the founder and CEO of OpenWorld, a software company she founded when she was 24 years old and which has grown to become a leading e-Government and business software services firm in East Africa. Dorcas has been an Internet Society (ISOC) Fellow to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and World Bank infoDev Global Forum. She is also an Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology’s Change Agent award winner and was chosen as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Nairobi.

HOUDA CHAKIRI

Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Morocco

Dr Houda Chakiri is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Al Akhawayn University Ifrane, Morocco, as well as the founder and former CEO of Enhanced Technologies, a Moroccan IT company that specialised in developing e-Government solutions. Houda has received several accolades as an entrepreneur, including the IEEE CIST Young ICT Entrepreneur Award in 2014. She holds a PhD in Computer and Information Sciences from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University and an MSc in Computer Networks from Al Akhawayn University. Houda is a Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI). She is currently the IEEE Women in Engineering Morocco Affinity group chair.

NODUMO DHLAMINI

Director of ICT Services and Knowledge Management, Ghana

Nodumo Dhlamini is the Director of ICT Services, Communications and Knowledge Management at the Association of African Universities Secretariat in Ghana. Originally from Zimbabwe, she previously worked as a Systems Engineer at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe and also headed their ICT Department. Nodumo also served as Programme Manager (ICT) for RUFORUM, a network of agricultural universities, to promote their integration of ICT for research, collaboration and education. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics and Computer Science) from the University of Swaziland and a Master’s in Business Administration from Africa University.