Bayer South Africa recently hosted a hackathon organized in collaboration with Empire Partner Foundation (EPF) which brought together some of the most talented young minds to develop creative ways to raise awareness on women’s health and sexual and reproductive education.
Despite making up half of the world’s population, women and girls are frequently disregarded and have their rights violated according to the UN. As a result, women and girls may be less empowered to make choices about their own health, sexuality, and reproductive health matters, making them more vulnerable to abuse, unhealthy behaviours, and avoidable maternal deaths[1].
The keynote speaker, Dr. Ntlotleng Mabena, Technical Specialist, GBV Response Program, was one of the event’s major highlights. Dr Mabena reiterated the fact that “1 in 4 women in South Africa have an unintended pregnancy before the age of 20,” and encouraged the participants to think creatively and come up with ways that will break barriers and bridge knowledge gaps around fertility, menstruation, and safe use of various contraception methods.
When discussing health-related issues, it is critical to include the opinions of young people because they have innovative and fresh ideas that can help shape the future of women’s health. The RISE for women hackathon gave young people the chance to work together on important health issues as well as give young women the chance to express their opinions on matters that have an impact on women’s health. This aligns well with Bayer’s commitment to empowering women around the world.
Among the 233 young individuals who registered and expressed interest, 157 were female and 76 were male. Following the screening process, 76 females and 31 males made it through and were divided into 14 groups.
Robotechs (Thando Madiba, Precious Mabena, Phumelele Peter, Ricardo Mudinyane, Sindisiwe Mbhele) came out first.
The other 2 groups that made it to top 3 were Tech Titans (Nombali Mafa, Tshegofatso Malesa, Hailey Muparuri, Michelle Tyutu) and 404 Error Not Found (Refilwe Mashile, Comfort Ngwenya, Zandile Masilela, Sam Mlanzeli, Gugu Mokwena).
The level of teamwork and relationship building from all participants was amazing to see. Participants were fully engaged in the process and the 2-day event was filled with energy and excitement.
Bayer has been at the forefront of women’s health and this program builds on the ongoing efforts to broaden access to contraception, raise awareness of its benefits, and give women more control over their futures.
The RISE hackathon solutions will be refined and carefully applied to reach young women from different cultural backgrounds and to increase awareness and education about contraceptives, hormones, fertility, and menstruation.
A big thank you to the EPF team, enthusiastic participants, knowledgeable mentors, respected judges, and generous sponsors for making this hackathon a success!
[1] https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/07/1138542
