Gayaza girls win 2017 regional technovation challenge 

Jun 08, 2017

Evelyne Nassanga, a teacher from Gayaza High School, said she was happy for her students.

Girls from Gayaza High School in Wakiso district staved off stiff competition to win the 2017 regionals techovation challenge at Nabisunsa Girls School today. 

The girls from team WorkIT displayed their online platform that is aimed at enhancing sharing of educational content across schools and among learning communities.

From the regionals which were organized by the Makerere University School of Public Health ResilientAfrica Network, the group of five girls will head USA in San Francisco to participate in the Global finals proposed for August 8 to 9, 2017, where the eventual winner (team) will take home SEED funding to help further develop their idea. 

Evelyne Nassanga, a teacher from Gayaza High School, said she was happy for her students.

"I have nurtured and mentored them through idea conception and development. It gives me so much pride to see them struggle through the open pitch sessions and emerge winners," she said. 

First runner up Teen Globe also came from Gayaza High School at an all-girl competition featuring other schools, including Nyaka Vocational Institute in Kisoro (South Western Uganda) and Nabisunsa Girls School (in central Uganda).

Teen Globe pitched an idea revolving around use of a device to counsel pregnant adolescents to reduce abortion rates among young women in the country. The application can also instruct youngsters on better behaviours to avoid risky engagements that so often lead to unwanted pregnancies. 

RAN Lab director Nathan Tumuhamye said the Global Technovation Challenge offers girls around the world opportunities to be innovative and to learn skills they can use later in life as entrepreneurs or leaders. 

He said RAN was committed to further support upcoming entrepreneurs to realize final output from their creatively to contribute to a better world. 

"We need to facilitate ideas for solutions to community challenges," he said. 

During the event, judges listened to pitches from 11 all-girl teams and had to make decision on the most relevant and feasible idea. 

It was exciting listening to the young innovators pitch their proposed solutions but also ably defend them. 

Director of innovations at the RAN Lab Dr. Dorothy Okello, talking to the teams before they shared their ideas, encouraged passion: 

"You developed this idea, know best about it and so please show the love for the idea as you speak about it so that the rest of us can fall in love with your proposed solution."

The regional challenge followed a 12-week programme that challenged the girls to identify pertinent problems related to Sustainable Development Goals in their communities and address them.

Team Momager from Nabisunsa Girls School that showcased a ‘baby monitoring app' came third. 

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