ISLAMABAD: Google is organizing seven Women Techmakers (WTM) events in Pakistan this year to support and empower more than 1,550 women developers across five cities. WTM is a global initiative by Google to provide visibility, community, and resources for women in tech.
The seven events – which will comprise rallies, workshops, networking events and conferences – will run from March to May, and provide training in various entrepreneurship areas including leadership, technical skills, and how to overcome unique challenges facing women in tech.
The first event will start on March 8, which marks International Women’s Day (IWD). The IWD theme for WTM events this year is #DareToBe, where we encourage women to have the courage and confidence to dream big and take risks. Whether it’s bold, resilient or innovative, we invite everyone to think about all the ways they will “Dare To Be” in 2023.
Local WTM Ambassadors will host the events with support from Google. The WTM Ambassador program supports women in tech who are looking to create impact and give back to their communities. As an Ambassador, they will engage with their communities by participating in one or more leadership activities on a quarterly basis.
Farhan S. Qureshi, Google Regional Director for Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka said: “These events, in collaboration with Women Techmakers (WTM) Ambassadors, don’t only recognize the accomplishments of women in tech, but will also encourage more women to join the fast growing tech industry. Over the years, WTM and its ambassadors have organized many events that have helped women developers reach their true and full potential. That said, the program will promote diversity, equality, and inclusion in the tech sector, which is the primary mission of Google.”
An attendee from last year’s program, Manahil Qureshi, recalled her experience at the WTM: “The speakers’ sessions were filled with power-packed talks on Education, Women’s Workforce, Community Building, and future prospects for women in tech in Pakistan. The speakers fired up the event with interactive discussions and some interesting Q&A sessions. The vibe of the event was so warm and positive.”
Our WTM events this year build on encouraging results from last year, where we trained more than 800 women developers across Pakistan through a series of WTM sessions. The events, which were also held as part of celebrations for IWD, covered important topics such as online safety, as well as coding and presentation skills.
The 2023 WTM sessions will commence on March 8, 2023, and continue until April 29, 2023, across Pakistan. For more information, please visit https://sites.google.com/view/iwd-wtm-2023-pakistan/