The South Eastern Kenya University is glad to be collaborating in the ENGAGE Project. The ENGAGE Project, officially titled "Enabling Girls in AI and Growing Expertise," is a significant initiative funded by Takeda Pharmaceuticals as part of its Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program. Announced on September 13, 2023, the 5- year project aims to empower over 800 underprivileged girls and young women across six primarily rural regions in Kenya through a pioneering training program focused on machine learning and data science.The primary goal of the ENGAGE Project is to strengthen the leadership pipeline of women in public health by equipping them with essential data science skills. This initiative is designed to address the gender gap and biases in public health data and artificial intelligence, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes in their communities. The University of Nairobi, is leading the program in collaboration with the University of California in San Francisco and six other regional Kenyan universities (SEKU included).
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The Board Of Management Led By The Vice Chancellor Seku Prof.Eng. Douglas Shitanda Visits The Engage Students.
The project is led by Prof. Julius Oyugi from the University of Nairobi's Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, with support from Dr. Timothy Kamanu (DASCLAB), Department of Mathematics University of Nairobi, six other regional Kenyan Universities and University of California in San Francisco. In SEKU, the program is led by Ms. Francisca Mwangangi as the regional coordinator and a public health expert; Dr. Casper Shikhali – Machine learning expert; Dr. Fredrick Odhiambo- Data scientist and Ms. Grace Mwaniki- Public health expert. The initiative emphasizes a data-driven approach to tackle public health challenges while fostering a diverse and gender-balanced pool of data scientists.
SEKU received the first cohort of 15 girls on 4th August 2024 whereby they are to receive a rigorous 20-day training. They will then be expected to proceed to a 6 weeks fully sponsored internship in healthcare institutions where they will apply knowledge and skills learned.
The ENGAGE Project represents a strategic effort to empower young women in Kenya through education in data science, thereby addressing critical gaps in public health and contributing to the development of resilient health systems.