What is 'Pada'?

‘Pada’ is the Shona name for the game Hopscotch. It is popular game for young girls, especially those growing up in less-privileged areas.

To us, Pada is a symbol of sisterhood, competitiveness, claiming space, agility, creativity and celebration of women’s achievements.

The Pada Platform is a space that brings young women and girls to innovate, create and speak-up.

Our Story

A revolution led by technological innovation is underway in the world. However its transformative potential technology remains a gendered space. Stereotyping has made IT a male domain and therefore a difficult domain for young women to venture into. In Africa the difficulties are aggravated by the other problems young women face.

According to the 2017 global ICT report completed by the Information Technology Union (ITU), a UN specialized agency for ICTs, internet penetration for women across the African continent is at 18.6%.

As a response to these statistics, the Pada Platform exists as a means of challenging the picture of IT as a "man's world" painted by the media and other sources of information. It shows young girls being proactive and gaining skills are considered a male domain and also out of the reach of poor girls from Sub - Saharan Africa. This goes a long way in shifting the mindset of the people in the communities by helping them to realise the potential that is contained within the girl child.

Our Vision

An Africa where all things digital are a reality and attainable for all

Learn More

Our Mission

To create spaces and opportunities that enable young women to innovate digital solutions for their safety, amplify their voices and grow their potential through the use of technology and media.

Learn More

Our Goals

To facilitate young women from under-served communities in Zimbabwe's high-density urban and peri-urban areas with technical, social and entrepreneurial skills that will bridge the gap between them and young men (and their peers raised in more privileged environments)

To amplify the voices of young women on critical issues through using I.C.T and new media.

- To increase the participation of young women and girls in decision-making and economic processes in Zimbabwe through facilitating access to information