The name of my team is Team Mems, and here’s a quick summary of our experiences during the She Code Africa (SCA) Hackfest 2022 and how we came second.
She Code Africa Hackfest Experience
My teammates and I were selected on October 7th, 2022, to participate in the She Code Africa (SCA) Hackfest. Given the high number of applicants, we were thrilled to be chosen. We had an orientation meeting with our mentors on October 9, 2022, to discuss our assignments and how to begin the project.
As part of the hackfest, we were tasked to contribute to Open Source for Equality (OSEQ) for a period of 3 weeks. Our assignment was to collaborate with an NGO to understand their primary goals and offer practical solutions to the challenges they face.
Finding the Right Partner and Our Approach
Being new to the open-source world, we took the time to learn what was required and how to achieve our objectives. Fortunately, we discovered @Evolufy Africa, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to empowering children and youths through quality education, training, and programs to improve well-being. Their mission resonated with ours, and we were grateful for the opportunity to work with them.
Our next step was to understand the NGO’s challenges by prioritizing their obstacles in all our decision-making. We contributed to the Audiopedia open-source platform by providing content on proper child upbringing and effective behaviors for children. Some of the core features of our project include a web app featuring audio content, images, and language selections, and a GitHub repository where the community can contribute.
In addition to reaching out to people locally who lack internet access, we plan to organize workshops, develop educational programs, write books, and engage directly with parents in our communities.
Challenges Faced
We encountered two significant challenges throughout the project:
- Partner Selection: Finding an NGO whose goals aligned with our project required extensive effort. We contacted several organisations focusing on children, but received only a few responses. Ultimately, we found @Evolufy Africa, for which we are very grateful.
- Time Constraints: The limited time available affected our deliverables; however, regular interactions with our mentors helped us work around these challenges.
Our Learnings
Our learnings:
- We were just four groups of incredible women with no prior open-source experience, and this project provided valuable insights into how it works.
- Effective team communication allowed us to share our ideas freely and work harmoniously, without conflicts.
Hackfest Outcome and Gratitude
The winners of the Hackfest were announced on November 12th, 2022, at the She Code Africa Summit, and our team secured second place. We value the opportunity to work on this project and appreciate the support provided by SCA, OSEQ, and our mentors. A special thank you to @Evolufy Africa for having us and allowing us to collaborate with them.
For more updates on our initiatives, please sign up for our newsletter, or donate to help us drive greater impact. To learn more about our projects and read inspiring success stories, please visit our blog and explore our diverse playlist topics.