Startup Story
Jessica Cumbana is a 23-year-old Mozambican social entrepreneur and business analyst. She is the founder of the Elevate Youth Program, a project designed to empower young people and create development opportunities through training and programs. She is also the project manager of the Girls Can Code Club, a project developed with the aim of reducing the gender gap in the STEM field. A business administration degree holder, Jessica has always believed in using the transforming power of business to positively impact the world, having lived by this philosophy.
LoA chatted to Jessica Cumbana this month to learn more about her passion for women’s empowerment through coding - inspirational!
What does your company do?
Girls Can Code Club is a project that aims to reduce the gender gap in STEM through coding. Our program offers free programming lessons to young Mozambican women aged 17 to 26, in areas such as web development and introductory classes of programming languages such as JavaScript and Python. In addition, our program provides networking sessions with female leaders in the technology industry.
Through the project, we hope to empower young women in Mozambique and create the next generation of female technology leaders in the country.
“Girls Can Code Club is a project that aims to reduce the gender gap in STEM through coding.”
“Our project does more than just help participants build technical skills; we also make sure to help them develop interpersonal skills and open up their network, encouraging them to pursue their dreams.”
What inspired you to start your company?
The Girls Can Code Club was inspired by our team's observation of the need to develop mechanisms to reduce gender inequality in STEM and create opportunities for young Mozambicans to enter this field. It is notable that, despite the progress, there is still a long way to go when it comes to gender equality in the STEM field, particularly in a developing country like Mozambique, where equality in access to opportunities is extremely low. Our team created the Girls Can Code Club to address this issue and help bridge this gap.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
The fact that there is no program like ours in the country! Our project is more than a program that teaches young girls how to program and build websites; we address the various areas related to a successful career in technology, implementing strategies like bringing successful women from different parts of the world to our networking sessions. Our project does more than just help participants build technical skills; we also make sure to help them develop interpersonal skills and open up their network, encouraging them to pursue their dreams.
Tell us a little about your team
Our team is made up of 7 dynamic young people, divided into 2 project managers and 5 mentors. Each team member contributes to the development of project-related strategies, allowing Girls Can Code Club to provide a better experience for its members.
Through the project, we hope to empower young women in Mozambique and create the next generation of female technology leaders in the country.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
My passion for business started very early, at the age of eight. Having a teacher and a business manager as parents, I was always encouraged to have a great appreciation for learning new things. It was in this learning environment that I learned more about the business world and the stories of entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Oprah Winfrey, and how their ventures were able to revolutionize the lives of many people. I knew then that I, too, wanted to be part of the group of men and women who were leading innovation and evolution through business.
I majored in Business Administration at the Higher Institute of Science and Technology of Mozambique (ISCTEM), and during my final years of college, I joined, led, or created projects such as a youth organization dedicated to empowering young people through exchange programs and workshops; Girls Can Code Club, a project dedicated to reducing the gender gap in STEM; and, most recently, the Elevate Youth Program, which aims to create development opportunities for young people. In addition, I work full-time as a consulting analyst at one of the Big 4, a position that has allowed me to gain a better understanding of the many facets of a business.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
As our main mission is to reduce the existing gender gap in the STEM area, Girls Can Code Club aspires to expand its line of service, as well as establish new partnerships around the globe, and impact more and more young women in this field.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
As I said earlier, I strongly believe in the power of business to move mountains. So what gives me the most satisfaction is knowing that by investing in my dream, I am also positively impacting other people's lives. It is this incredible power that the business sector has that daily motivates me to continue to invest in it.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Beautiful rainbows emerge from ugly storms! Never give up on your dreams because of a bad phase; perseverance can lead you to incredible places.
Contact or follow Girls Can Code Club
EMAIL girlscancode33@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it…
At Lionesses of Africa, we love seeing strong, impact-driven women who want to be the change in the world, and Jessica Cumbana is a great example of a change-maker in the field of STEM. She is on a mission to reduce the gender gap by providing access to coding skills development for women in Mozambique, creating opportunities and building confidence. By doing so she is helping to change the narrative and the landscape for women in the world of STEM in the country. The country and the continent need more inspirational women like Jessica if we are to make real strides in reducing the gender gap. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa