Growing the largest talent pool of
women-in-tech in Africa

codeHive is the AkiraChix signature program. It is a one-year fully sponsored residential hands-on technical training program. It provides education and economic opportunity to young women between 18 and 24 years from underserved communities who have completed high school education but are unable to further their education due to financial constraints.

We look to recruit 100 highly motivated young women from Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and the refugee communities in Kenya, to join the codeHive class of 2023.

Students in the codeHive program receive on demand technology and non-cognitive skills. Students get the opportunity to attend and network at technology conferences and workshops.

All students are required to develop a market-ready prototype solution, pitch to prospective employers, and secure a three-month paid internship.

Applicants must have:

Completed High School no later than March 2020
Possess a High School result slip/ transcript/ Photo of your results sent via SMS
Be a young African woman aged 19-24 years on January 2023
Fluent in spoken and written English
Be a resident of Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, or the refugee communities in Kenya.
Have either a passport, National ID, Alien ID or Refugee certificate of your respective country of origin
Interested in being a changemaker in your community.
Available full-time to live and learn in the AkiraChix Campus from January 28th to December 1, 2023, throughout the program.
Demonstrate leadership i.e. be able to demonstrate your involvement in leadership activities in your community i.e at school, church/mosque/ temple etc

All young women admitted to the codeHive program receive full financial assistance of US $ 5,000 per student. This cost covers:

One year tuition fee, accommodation, extracurricular activities, meals, transport during school activities and personal amenities.
Access to technology hubs and maker spaces in Nairobi for tech events and prototyping respectively
Access to leadership development through projects and self directed growth.
Access to codeHiveX: an exclusive alumni community. Interested parties must meet the eligibility criteria to be part of this community.

The codeHive course is purposefully kept free to ensure the opportunity is open and accessible to the best candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds. We believe it gives dignity to the students and provides a concrete opportunity to provide a ‘hand-up’ to the next person on the ladder once they have successfully graduated from the AkiraChix program and found gainful employment. Details of the honor system are shared with the selected candidates and a social agreement signed.

At AkiraChix we believe for any young woman to impact her community and succeed individually is based on your relationship with others. At AkiraChix sisterhood is the heart of what we do. We sum it up in the phrase, #IAMAKIRACHIX. We believe by opening yourself up to new friendships which challenge and support your growth it accelerates your personal development and the collective development of your peers. As part of the codeHive program, we heavily constitute group projects, mentorship and tech-community meetups as part of our DNA. With this vast interaction and collective growth, we build a steady community of intelligent, innovative, inspiring and impactful young women.