Girlcode held it's third annual event at the beginning of August. The Hackathon was timed to coincide with Women’s month and is part of a number of initiatives to encourage more girls to take a prominent role in the tech industry. This year’s event saw five teams taking part, and the winning team was awarded R10,000 cash prize.

Events like these are a great platform to promote inclusivity and diversity in the industry. Although there are still far too few women in the technology space, the Girl Code Hackathon is a great way to bring the female tech community together and give them the chance to flex their tech muscles. The presentations at this year’s event is proof that diversity breeds relevant, real-world innovations.

All teams presented ideas that spoke directly to women’s needs; from female health, to domestic violence and the provision of sanitary items for underprivileged girls in rural schools. The ideas got to the heart of women’s issues in South Africa and used technology in simple accessible forms, to address real needs. The winning team, ‘Supported’, pitched an alert app for women facing domestic violence.

Most remarkable was the intuitive focus on women’s issues and the development of real world solutions. A number of the ideas presented were highly functional and have the potential to offer immediate benefits to society.

The Hackathon took place over 24 hours but despite the competitive element, participants were keen to share their knowledge with one another; across team divides in some instances. It is community events like these that demonstrate the power of women inspiring women. Ultimately, the participants just want to share their knowledge in order to generate the best idea for society.

Entelect is proud to support these initiatives and serving the larger development community through its attendance, sponsorships and hosting of tech related events. We look forward to many more in the future.