The 2014 Google’s RISE (Roots in Science and Engineering ) Awards is donating $1.5 million grant to organisations around the world that provide students with resources they need to succeed in computer science programs. Google revealed this in a statement posted on its official blog.
“We want to inspire young people around the world not just to use technology, but to create it. Unfortunately, many kids don’t have access to either the education or encouragement they need to pursue computer science,” Google stated.
In the bid to fill this gap, Google noted that five years ago it created the RISE Awards, which provide funding to organisations around the world that engage girls and underrepresented students in extracurricular computer science programs.
These awards aim to encourage collaboration across organisations in pursuit of a shared goal of increasing global participation in computer science, said Google.
In 2013, only 4 African organisation out of the 30 global organisations received RISE Awards. The recipients include the Nigerian based Working to Advance African Women Foundation (WAAW), iLab Liberia, Ghana Robotics Academy Foundation (GRAF), and Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC), Nigeria.
“This year, we’re also expanding the program with the RISE Partnership Awards. We’re proud to help these organizations inspire the next generation of computer scientists,” Google said.
“For example, more than 5,000 girls in sub-Saharan Africa will learn computer science as a result of a partnership between the Harlem based program Emerging Leaders in Technology and Engineering (ELITE) and the WAAW Foundation in Nigeria.”
