The pandemic has not dampened our spirits to connect to the communities to collaboratively work for positive change for women, hence on the special occasion of celebrating the 111th International Women’s Day, “ICT Women’s Conclave” was successfully conducted today in joint collaboration with Women in Information Technology (WIIT), Girls in Tech (GIT) and South Asia Partnership Nepal (SAP-Nepal). The event was conducted under the theme of IWD 2021 “Choose to Challenges”. The major objective of the event was to discuss the hurdles and opportunities for achieving gender equity across industries through the rich conversation related to self-endorsement by women on social media, corporations, academics, entrepreneurship, and non-profit organizations.
On this prime occasion, WIIT publication titled “Women in Information Technology: Vol.1” was released by the Chairperson of SAP Nepal, Ms. Gita Bhattarai. The publication includes a collection of articles from many Nepal women involved in different sectors of ICT for sharing their knowledge and experience of working in this field, stated Ms. Gunakeshari Pradhan, Chair of WIIT. The publication thus reflects on the importance of the documentation where the consolidated voices of women have been presented as mentioned by MC, Ms. Shikha Shrestha. The keynote speakers of the event were: Dr. Pranita Upadhaya, CEO of Medisoft Nepal Private Ltd., and Ms. Sook Hoon Cheah, Director of Microsoft for Southeast Asia, New Markets in Asia Pacific.
The major session included the discussion and group presentation on opportunities and hurdles faced by ICT women in business, corporations, academics, social media, and non-governmental organizations. The round table discussion on the role of women in various sectors reflected the narrow mindset of a society guided by discriminatory social norms that stood as a common challenge that has been hindering the growth of women in the ICT field. However, it was very inspiring to know how women despite these challenges have continued to grow in this sector though at a slower pace.