Drumroll…tomorrow is the big day! The panel of expert judges will meet in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire to evaluate the final pitches of the TechMousso finalists. TechMousso is a competition using gender data to bring the tech community together with civil society working on women’s issues in Cote d’Ivoire. Of the 80 teams that entered the competition, 20 were selected to compete in the final round and will be competing for the top spots tomorrow. Follow the action live on Twitter using #TechMousso!

So what are the big ideas proposed by the teams to help empower women and girls using the gender data? What gender challenges are they seeking to solve? Below is a brief snapshot of the proposal from each of the seven teams we spoke to. You can click on their team name to read the original interviews in full (in French).

Baby Lab – The solution is called “KARAN e_TIan” and it is a tool that allows you to visualise statistics on the level of women’s  ICT competencies in real time. It also allows women to receive alerts and information about organisations and facilities close to them where they can learn digital skills and access the Web.

Cerco – Cerco have created a platform to allow victims of domestic violence to share their experiences anonymously so that they can receive expert support and raise awareness of the incidents so that the public can help denounce domestic abuse. The women who use this platform will be assigned a volunteer psychologist who will support them. Although the platform is anonymous and no name will be needed, it will track the geolocation of the reports behind the scenes, which can be then used to analyse the frequency and location of these incidents and inform where domestic violence awareness campaigns are most needed.

Devlogy – Their solution addresses the problem of grades awarded to female students in exchange for sexual favours. The idea is to provide an alert service to schools on the basis of grade data. School administrations and parents would be notified if the platform detected evidence that grades were being manipulated, so that this could be investigated. The service is available on SMS, mobile tablet and PCs.

Maurice Communications – Maurice Communications have created “Le Pass Sante+Mousso”. The pass is a piece of jewellery connected to QR code technology, allowing its owner to store critical medical information on it. The digital medical file can be carried at all times and accessed by medical professionals using a phone in cases of emergency.

Wikimedia Team Legal Advice – This team has chosen to address the gap in legal knowledge which leads many women to be unaware of their rights. They have translated advice and information on key legal questions from French into local languages including Dioula, Bété and Baoulé. The topics chosen to start with include gender-based violence, forced marriage, female circumcision, young girls’ education rights and sexual harassment. The platform allows women to access audio and video explaining legal rights. 

Wikimedia Team Maya – The application, called Maya, developed by this team is dedicated to women working in ICTs. It has a directory of women who are considered leaders in ICTs, a map of ICT initiatives promoting women across Cote d’Ivoire, and a visualisation of the impact of ICTs on women’s lives. Through Maya, the team aims to fulfill the need to have more visibility of ICT initiatives and their impact on the lives of women. 

Wikimedia Team Mousso Connexion – Mousso Connexion is a network for professional women on an interactive site, integrating a mobile application to help women to overcome the challenges of getting connected, spreading information and sharing opportunities for development. The subscription to the network is simple and fast.

We can’t wait to see the finalists tomorrow and wish them all the best of luck for the final pitch round. We’re proud of the work you have all done and are certain you will all play an important role in advancing the use of open data to benefit Cote d’Ivoire.

Meet the teams!

Baby Lab

• Armel Kossonou – engineering student in computer science

• Abdoulaye Diabate – Open source mapping expert

• Edwige Gbogou – Community IT manager

Cerco

• Jean-Marie Vianet Yélé – web developer
• Auguste Montcho – visual designer
• Hassan Coulibaly – web developer and coding

Devlogy

• César N’Gouan – lead-developer & CEO of Devlogy
• Raissa Banhoro – developer active in the ITC community
• Koffi Kanga – developer and PhD in computer science

Maurice Communications

• Corine Maurice Ouattara – lawyer, World Bank fellow and Director of Maurice Communications
• Ange Lago – Specialist in marketing, communications and business management
• Michael Anvoh – computer engineer and web application developer

Wikimedia Legal Advice Platform

• Emmanuel Dabo – PhD in communication researching the intersection of society and ICTs and assistant project manager for Wiki Loves Women
• Ange Dominique Dékayé – Journalist and web editor
• Williams Dabo – Web designer and developer

Wikimedia Maya

• Emmanuelle Guebo – Wikipedia contributor, marketing engineer and manager of a financial institution
• Sophie Raïssa Fabienne Gnamien –  Commercial manager
• Yannick Agodio – Developer

Wikimedia Mousso Connexion

• Donatien Kangah Koffi – President of Wikimedia Cote d’Ivoire and team coordinator
• Johnson Emmanuelle – data analyst
• Samuel Guébo – developer