SPARK! Philippines, an NGO advocating for women’s development, and the Smart Developer Network (Smart DevNet) are calling on female and male developers to join a coding marathon this Women’s Month to create applications that would “hack the gender gap.”
The “Spark a Smart Change” hackathon, held in partnership with the J. Amado Araneta Foundation, will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 21
at the Smart headquarters on Ayala Avenue, Makati City.
Developers should form teams of four, with at least one female participant, and think of apps that can accomplish any of the following:
- Allow women to report incidents of violence, track safe spaces for women, or warn them once they enter danger zones
- Monitor good governance and promote transparency (A 2008 United Nations report shows that women are more vulnerable to the impact of corruption than men, given that the former comprise a larger proportion of the poor and are more reliant on free public services.)
- Encourage women’s and girls’ engagement in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields
Interested parties can register for free at womenhackph.eventbrite.com
Prizes for the best apps include gadgets, 90-day access to the HERE Maps Android SDK, mentorship sessions with HERE Maps and SPARK!, gift certificates, and exclusive merchandise.
Apps will be judged based on appropriateness to theme (40 points), user experience and functionality (20 points), originality and impact (20 points), and technical difficulty (20 points).
This event is also supported by IdeaSpace Foundation Inc., Here Maps, Microsoft Philippines, Developers Connect Philippines, and PLDT Innolab and official media partner WhenInManila.com
Since 2012, Smart DevNet has been organizing and supporting programming marathons and other events that train the spotlight on the Philippine developer community. More information on Smart DevNet can be found at https://facebook.com/groups/
To know more about SPARK and how to get involved with their advocacies, visit sparkphilippines.org or follow them on facebook (/SPARKPhilippines), twitter (@SparkPhils), and instagram (SPARKPHILIPPINES).
