STEM & ICT Skills for Girls of Coastal Area of Bangladesh

Project Background

SISGCA stands for the STEM & ICT Skills for the Girls of Coastal Area, a two-year long project aiming to reduce the digital gap among the secondary school girls (grade 6 to 8) of three coastal areas of Bangladesh by providing easy access to smart devices and bring positive change among girls and community people regarding STEM education and ICT career for girls, by creating awareness.
This project is being implemented in three coastal upazilas- Tala, Shatkhira, Rampal, Bagerhat & Rupsha, Khulna, as girls living in the coastal areas are likely to be deprived of quality education and digital knowledge. Two schools in each area are used as the hub of these activities and activities are conducting centering these 6 hubs.
SISGCA is funded by The Malala Fund and in association with Bangladesh Open Source Network (BdOSN), Bangladesh Freedom Foundation is implementing this project.

Goals

The goal of this project is to-


  • Reducing digital divide among secondary school girls (grade 6 to 8) of three coastal areas of Bangladesh by giving them access to smart devices and internet and providing them digital knowledge and technological trainings.

  • Bringing positive change among girls and community people regarding STEM education and ICT career for girls, by creating awareness about gender inequality, prospects of STEM education and career, and career opportunities for girls in ICT sector.

    • Objectives


    To reduce the digital divide, this project is working on three major objectives:

  • To provide access to smart devices like laptops, tabs and internet connectivity for the participants of this project and to give them necessary training so that they can use these smart devices and internet efficiently.

  • To create awareness among students, local teachers, parents, community people and others.

  • To develop skills and capacity by providing training in Mathematics, Science, Programming, Robotics and Online Safety. Moreover, students will be facilitated by providing Scholarships for ICT training, practical Exposure to the ICT field, and Networking Opportunities.

    • 24 students from Rupsha and Tala participated in BdMO 2024 & 2025.

    12 school-based math olympiads were organized to select students for national round of BdMO 2024 & 2025

    STEM Camp was held at Rupsha

    Around 60 selected students from 6 coastal schools from 3 regions participated in STEM Camp

    6 STEM Fests were organized within 3 coastal regions.

    Around 885 students from 6 schools participated in these regional contests.

    180 Capacity Development workshops were organized with around 515 students from 6 coastal schools

    Participants got hands-on learning in programming, science, robotics, and math through these workshops.

    2 Obak Kutuhole:Exposure Visits were organized with around 86 coastal students

    "Obak Kutuhole” is an initiative to connect rural girls to the information and communication technology (ICT) sector of Bangladesh.

    “STEM & ICT Skills for the Girls of Coastal Area” project is empowering girls from the climate-vulnerable coastal regions of Bangladesh through STEM education, digital literacy, and hands-on technology learning. Supported by the Malala Fund and jointly implemented by Bangladesh Freedom Foundation and Bangladesh Open Source Network, the initiative engaged students from six schools across Khulna, Bagerhat, and Satkhira, helping them explore coding, robotics, science, and mathematics through a specialized STEM curriculum and portable STEM Labs. This documentary captures the inspiring journey of coastal girls who are breaking barriers and emerging as future changemakers for Bangladesh.

    SISGCA Activity OverviewSISGCA Finding SummarySISGCA Impact Assessment

    A hands-on STEM learning workshop was successfully organized at Uddipan Badar Samsu Biddaniketon in Rampal, on 11th January, 2026, aiming to introduce students to the fundamentals of science, robotics...

    An advocacy workshop titled “Collaborative Efforts to Create STEM Education Opportunities for Coastal Girls” was held in Khulna on January 10, 2026 with the aim of increasing inclusion of adolescent g...

    On 8th July 2023, programming and Science sessions were conducted at Naihati Secondary Girls' School, Rupsha, under the STEM & ICT Skills for the Girls of Coastal Area (SISGCA) project funded by Malal...

    On 8th July 2023, programming and Science sessions were conducted at Comrade Ratan Sen Collegiate Girls' School, Rupsha, Khulna under the STEM & ICT Skills for the Girls of Coastal Area (SISGCA) proje...

    On 7th July 2023, programming and Science sessions were conducted at Shaheed Kamel Model High School, Tala, Satkhira, under the STEM & ICT Skills for the Girls of Coastal Area (SISGCA) project funded ...

    On 7th July 2023, programming and Science sessions were conducted at Shaheed Kamel Model High School, Tala, Satkhira, under the STEM & ICT Skills for the Girls of Coastal Area (SISGCA) project funded ...
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