Rhodes University’s Rachel Sibande is the only student studying at a South African University to be awarded the Google Anita Borg Scholarship in 2015. The Google Anita Borg Scholarship was first launched in 2004 when a group of Googlers decided to establish a program that would honour the work of their friend and colleague Dr Anita Borg.
Forty scholarships were awarded in 2015. Of these only four are from Africa: Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. The rest are from Europe and the Middle East. The Scholars are currently in London for a four-day scholar’s retreat at Google’s London Office.
Sibande is enrolled as a PhD candidate in Computer Science looking at the use of mobile phones for citizen engagement.
Her motivation to engage in this research stems from the need to enhance citizen participation, transparency and accountability in the design and implementation of community development projects.
“I intend to develop a platform through which citizens can engage with elected leaders, local government and civil society using technology in particular mobile phones,” explains Sibande.
The Anita Borg Scholarship is awarded to women studying at universities across the world in computer science and engineering related fields. The scholarship is available for students in USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. There are three chapters of the Google Scholarships by regions: Google Anita Borg Scholarships USA, Google Anita Borg Scholarships Asia Pacific and Google Anita Borg Scholarships Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
The application process was very rigorous process. The online application calls for candidates to share their academic background, research interests, and expertise in their field. It also requires that candidates demonstrate a passion for community engagement, leadership and the drive to enhance women participation in computer science and technology.
“I was absolutely delighted! For a technology enthusiast like me; becoming a Google Scholar is living my dream,” shares the passionate Sibande.
In 2013, aged 27, Sibande established Malawi's first technology hub called mHub. The hub is an incubator for technology startups in Malawi. We identify, nurture and mentor young technology enthusiasts with technical and business skills. This go-getter let’s nothing slow her down, she is married and has three children. She is also an alumni of President Obama's Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
Only in her first year of her PhD, the innovative Sibande has big future plans, “I intend to work on expanding the hub and making it commercially viable by establishing a software development unit to champion locally developed technology solutions and an ICT4D research and consultancy unit within the hub to be a leading ICT4D think tank in Malawi.”
The scholarship is named after Anita Borg, an accomplished computer science scholar. She believed that technology affects all aspects of our economic, political, social and personal lives. She is described as a technology rebel with a cause, in her life she fought tirelessly to ensure that technology’s impact would be a positive one. It was this vision that inspired Anita in 1997 to found the Institute for Women and Technology. Today this organization continues her legacy and bears her name, The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.