Belize Bank and MasterCard Introduce Girls4Tech

Eight years ago, MasterCard created Girls4Tech, a STEM program that inspires girls to build technology skills that will help them to become leaders of technology in the future.  Today, that program is being introduced in Belize for the first time through a partnership between the Belize Bank, MasterCard and the Ministry of Education.  This morning, at the Matalon Building, a brief ceremony was held to unveil the interactive, hands-on curriculum that connects the foundations of business to STEM principles.

 

Agata Ruta, COO, Belize Bank

“This the first time that we have Girls 4 Tech in Belize.  This is teach girls about different parts of technology.  So today and for the entire week, they are learning about algorithms, all digital, cryptology and fraud.  They have a lot of different activities to bring those topics to light, so they are learning how to write their names in binary code. In the Navajo code and MasterCard is teaching them when the Navajo code was used and how the US was using the code in World War II so they can really see how to encrypt messages.  They are finding secret messages different tasks.  They are learning about fraud and how to recognize fraud in daily transactions.  So it‘s a program that‘s full of activities and we hope that this is just a beginning.  This is the first time in Belize, but we hope that they will be coming [back] and having the program with us on an annual basis.”

 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“The Ministry of Education is very, very pleased to partner with the Belize Bank and MasterCard International to have this workshop, Girls 4 Tech.  It‘s one of the priority areas for us at the Ministry of Education, making sure that our girls are included in the science and technology revolution that‘s taking place across the world.  So we don‘t want our girls to be left out.  You know, traditionally, girls have not been a part of science and technology.  Science and technology have been viewed traditionally as areas for men and boys.  So there is a global effort and Belize certainly wants to be a part of that effort and the Ministry of Education is working to ensure that girls are included, that they have the opportunity to develop the skills that are important to science and technology.  So I think it‘s an absolutely important initiative, we have been doing this work at the Ministry of Education for the past two years as well.  So we were happy when they called us and asked us to collaborate with them.”

 

Mahiba Sharp, Principal, Belize Elementary School

“I think it’s an absolutely amazing opportunity for our girls to be a part of this program.  Technology is male dominated and based on what we heard here today, the gender gap probably won‘t close until 2095, so that‘s far away from our lifetime and that‘s a shame.  So I think that starting to pique their interest at this age, very young, our students are here from Standard One to Standard Six.  So that is between age seven to age thirteen, so I think opening up the horizons for them and letting them know that from now they can be a part of technology.  I think it‘s very important.  The CEO of YouTube is a female.  Before that, she was a marketing manager of Google.  So they are female role models in technology, things that these girls can aspire to.  So I think it‘s very important that programs like this, thanks to Belize Bank and MasterCard, are held for them so that they can get the exposure.”