What is the name of your organization?
Data Girl Technologies
What is the name of your solution?
STEM REACH Project
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
I am building solar-powered mobile learning labs to bring STEM education to young women in remote African villages without electricity or internet
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Limbe, Cameroon
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Cameroon
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
In Cameroon, over 70% of rural communities lack reliable electricity, and only 34% of the population has access to the internet, with much lower rates in remote areas (World Bank, 2022). Additionally, less than 20% of students in STEM fields are women, and rural girls are disproportionately underrepresented due to socioeconomic and cultural barriers.
Our solar-powered mobile learning labs directly address these challenges by delivering STEM education to off-grid, underserved areas. Powered by solar energy and equipped with offline digital tools, these labs eliminate the need for internet or national power infrastructure. They create flexible, community-based learning environments tailored for young women and girls aged 18–35.
By bringing tech education to their doorstep, we reduce barriers such as transportation costs, digital illiteracy, and lack of access to resources. This initiative bridges the digital divide and empowers young women with the skills to thrive in the digital economy, promoting gender equity and sustainable development in rural Cameroon.
What is your solution?
Our solution is a solar-powered mobile learning lab designed to deliver STEM education to underserved rural communities in Cameroon. It is a portable classroom with solar panels, tablets, laptops, offline educational content, and hands-on learning kits focused on digital literacy, coding, and problem-solving.
The lab operates entirely off-grid using renewable solar energy, making it ideal for areas without reliable electricity. It also uses local servers with preloaded educational content, so learners don’t need internet access. We collaborate with organizations like Owanga to provide clean energy and with local facilitators to deliver lessons in a culturally relevant and gender-sensitive manner.
The mobile lab travels from village to village, offering structured learning programs to young women aged 18–35. Each session includes interactive lessons, group activities, and project-based learning using tools like robotic kits, offline coding platforms, and simulated environments for practice.
This solution makes STEM education accessible, engaging, and practical, giving learners real-world skills they can use to pursue jobs, start businesses, or further their education. By using clean energy and offline tech, we create a sustainable, scalable model that brings opportunity directly to those who need it most.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution serves young women and girls aged 18–35 in rural and underserved communities across Cameroon, where access to quality STEM education is extremely limited. These women face intersecting barriers including poverty, cultural gender norms, lack of infrastructure, and limited exposure to technology. In many of these areas, schools lack electricity, trained teachers, and digital tools—making it nearly impossible for girls to acquire 21st-century skills.
As a result, these women are often excluded from opportunities in the digital economy and remain locked in cycles of economic dependency and underemployment.
Our solar-powered mobile learning labs bring inclusive, hands-on STEM education directly to their communities. Through offline coding bootcamps, digital literacy programs, and project-based learning, participants gain practical tech skills that boost confidence, improve employability, and open doors to entrepreneurship or further education.
By delivering learning in a familiar, culturally respectful, and women-centered environment, we reduce the fear and stigma around tech. The ripple effect is powerful: women become role models, community educators, and contributors to local innovation.
This solution helps bridge the gender and digital divide—creating new pathways for economic empowerment, leadership, and long-term community development.
