UN Day of the Girl Child to Advance Female Employability

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A special coding program that aims to empower Bahraini women, and make them leaders in the IT industry will be promoted on the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child, celebrated worldwide on October 11. Powered by Microsoft in collaboration with United Nations Bahrain, ThinkSmart, Tamkeen and University of Bahrain, Forsati for Her is a coding program that will assist Bahraini women to learn new skills and align with industry requirements in a global economy.

By equipping women with crucial digital skills, the program will build digital literacy amongst young women and prepare them for the demanding job market. Forsati for Her aims to provide qualified, trained, and work-ready women professionals and entrepreneurs. The program is aligned with six of the 17 sustainable development goals pertaining to education, gender equality, decent work, economic growth, reduced inequalities, partnerships, industry and innovation. Four United Nations agencies, ESCWA, UNDP, UNESCO and UNIDO have partnered with the program, which includes coding, web development, data management, and development of applications and software solutions. Forsati for Her is offered in University of Bahrain, and has been recently launched in Zain Bahrain.

Since 2012, the UN has marked October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child. Forsati for her is in line with this year’s worldwide theme – With Her: A Skilled GirlForce. The theme marks a year-long effort to bring together partners and stakeholders to advocate and invest in opportunities for girls to attain skills for employability. As girls begin working in a world that is being transformed by innovation and automation, the UN aims to support them by expanding existing learning opportunities, charting new pathways and calling on the global community to prepare them for a successful transition into the world of work.