Meridian Gears Up to Open the First-Ever WiSci Girls STEAM Camp
On Saturday, July 25, 2015, Meridian International Center will join with the U.S. Department of State, Microsoft 4Afrika, Intel, AOL Charitable Foundation, the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up campaign, and the Rwanda Girls Initiative to open the first-ever Women in Science (WiSci) Girls STEAM Camp at the Gashora Girls Academy in Rwanda. Support for this program was provided by the Rwandan Ministry of Education, the African Leadership Academy, and the Global Entrepreneurship Network, UNESCO, HeHe Labs, and Indego Africa.
120 girls have been selected to participate in the WiSci STEAM Camp, which will be held from July 25 – August 15, 2015. The high school girls from across Africa and the United States will have the unique opportunity to learn valuable skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Design and Math (STEAM) fields, while enjoying a rich cross-cultural experience.
The WiSci Camp is part of the Let Girls Learn initiative, promoted by First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, to ensure adolescent girls get the education to build brighter futures and stronger communities. It is also part of LIONS@FRICA, an initiative founded by the U.S. Department of State along with Microsoft, Nokia, DEMOAFRICA, VC4Africa, the Global Entrepreneurship Network, and other partners to help entrepreneurs start and scale new businesses throughout Africa.
Deputy Special Representative for Global Partnerships at the U.S. Department of State, Thomas Debass, warmly thanks all program partners and encourages the participants with a call to action.
On Thursday, July 23, Meridian hosted a send-off reception for the American participants. At the reception – which was attended by high-level public and private sector leaders, civil society representatives, and program supporters – the girls had an opportunity to learn about the importance of their participation in the STEAM Camp for their communities and country, for the future of tech innovation, and for building new opportunities in Africa.
Remarks were delivered by Ambassador Stuart Holliday, Meridian’s President and CEO; Thomas Debass, Deputy Special Representative for Global Partnerships of the Department of State; Sara Link, President, AOL Charitable Foundation; and Melissa Hillebrenner, Director, Girl Up Campaign, the United Nations Foundation. All encouraged the young participants to be the voice of today and tomorrow – to blog about their experiences, build lasting relationships with their African peers, and forge new paths for women in the vital STEAM fields. This call to action was warmly received, while the participants received an enthusiastic ovation from the assembled partners and guests as they prepare to depart for Rwanda.
