Dbegotin Educational Foundation

"Before joining GYST, I really didn't believe that science was for me. I used to think it was only for the smart students. But when I started creating and experimenting things all by myself, I realized that I was smart enough." — Emmanuella

Meet Ozoko Ummulsalma and Okenyi Emmanuella from Junior Secondary School Kuje.

Together with their friends, they designed and built a Mudbrick Moulding Machine making affordable housing materials accessible to their community. But their biggest discovery? They're engineers.

Ummulsalma's message to girls everywhere: "You don't need to figure it all out at once. You just need to take one step, one idea, one project at a time. Engineering is all about solving problems and learning along the way."

This is what GYST does. It doesn't just teach STEM. It transforms how girls see themselves.



GYST 2025 | Funded by & PICTT | Implemented by

There's a moment in every innovator's journey where doubt turns into confidence. Where "I can't" becomes "I built this."

Earlier this month, at the GYST & DELT-Her Grand Finale, we witnessed 10+ of those moments.

We witnessed how girls who learned design thinking, circuit design, and fabrication showcased products they made. Tech/engineering products which turned waste into fuel, engineered cleaner air, robots that help farmers, amongst many other innovations.

These smart secondary school female students are using STEM to solve challenges that matter.

But this is about more than projects. GYST exists to close the gender gap in tech and engineering - ensuring girls gain the recognition, value, and equal opportunities their male counterparts have always had. When we educate girls in STEM, we're not just teaching skills. We're building a generation of women who use technology for social impact, who lead innovation, and who prove that engineering has no gender.

This is what believing in girls looks like. This is how we build gender balance in Nigeria's tech future.



Funded by NASENI & PICTT | Implemented by Dbegotin Educational Foundation