Built by Somali women, for Somali women in tech.
GacaloTech is a community created to help Somali women learn technology, develop practical skills, connect with others, and find opportunities to grow.
Live from Mogadishu
Peer-to-peer coding laboratory & workshop cohorts
It started with a simple question.
In 2025, while participating in a technology competition, we met Somali girls working in areas such as multimedia and digital content. We began asking why more girls weren't exploring other areas of technology.
One conversation became an idea: create a space where Somali girls could learn, ask questions, experiment, and support one another.
“That idea became GacaloTech.”
Started the community
Spun out from grassroots tech competitions and informal study circles.
Workshops & learning
First peer-to-peer coding sessions and frontend tool discovery.
Structured training
Formalised multi-week curricula covering web architecture and databases.
AI & data tracks
Advanced machine learning bootcamps and ICT Day innovation sprints.
Growing community
Expanding across regions and connecting builders globally.
To create accessible pathways for Somali women to learn, build, connect, and lead in technology.
Eliminating economic, geographic, and gender friction so any motivated Somali woman can develop professional technical competence.
A future where Somali women actively build, shape, and lead Somalia's technology ecosystem.
Not just consumers of overseas tech, but the principal architects, chief technology officers, and startup founders defining Somalia's digital century.
Technology is changing Somalia. Somali women should help shape it.
Across Mogadishu, Hargeisa, and beyond, tech innovation is modernizing commerce, healthcare, and public services. Yet young women remain underrepresented in the core engineering and design decisions building these systems.
Girls need direct, friction-free technical learning that cuts through theoretical noise.
Many are keenly interested in tech but lack reliable guidance on where to start.
A dedicated network of peers and practitioners removes the isolation of early coding.
Unlocking exposure to actual internships, freelance gigs, and leadership fellowships.
“Learning should lead to actually building, not just collecting certificates.”
We prioritize shipped repositories, deployed websites, operational machine learning models, and functional UI designs over empty badges. Real confidence is forged through shipping code that works.
How We Create Pathways
Structured interventions designed to take Somali girls from curious beginners to tech leaders.
Practical Tech Training
Targeted workshops, foundational code bootcamps, and structured learning opportunities designed for direct comprehension.
Hands-on Projects
Hackathons, product challenges, and live sprints where participants turn newfound logic into usable digital tools.
Community & Mentors
Vibrant guild channels, guest speakers, diaspora engineers, and peer pairings that build resilient social capital.
Shaping the Ecosystem
Opportunities to instruct workshops, take charge of open-source projects, and influence Somalia's emerging digital economy.
What We've Been Building
Authentic initiatives run by GacaloTech mentors and members across physical hubs and remote learning rooms.
Technical Workshops
Interactive coding & UI sessions in vibrant tech labs. Learners debug code directly beside experienced practitioners, dismantling technical anxieties.
Structured Training Programs
Multi-week pathways spanning Web Development, Data Analytics, and foundational computational problem-solving.
AI & Data Initiatives
Hosted the flagship "She Builds AI" 7-Day Workshop and the "She Innovates AI Hackathon" honoring International Girls in ICT Day.
Community & Founder Talks
Networking roundtables, guest panels featuring diaspora engineers, and intimate tech founder AMAs discussing real career paths.
A shared room where no question is too basic.
Empowering Somali
women in technology
GacaloTech brings together Somali girls and women who are learning, working, studying, experimenting, and building in technology. We replace gatekeeping with genuine solidarity.
Learn together.
We study complex engineering concepts collaboratively, learning faster through shared struggle.
Share what you know.
Every member is both a learner and an instructor. We pass down tutorials, tips, and source code.
Open doors for one another.
When one of us steps into a new opportunity, she actively pulls the next sister forward.
What Drives Our Community
The four bedrock commitments underpinning how we run every fellowship, workshop, and collaboration.
Community
We grow by learning and supporting one another. Collective growth outlasts isolated individual ambition.
Curiosity
We keep learning, experimenting, and asking better questions. No tool or algorithm is beyond our ability to unpack.
Action
We turn knowledge into projects, opportunities, and impact. We test, break things, iterate, and deploy.
Representation
We believe Somali women belong in the spaces where technology is being built, financed, and deployed.
What people ask before they join.
A few straight answers about GacaloTech. If yours is not here, write to us and we will get back to you.
Contact us01Who can join GacaloTech?
Somali girls and women who want to learn technology, build practical skills, or grow in tech — whether you are just starting or already working.
02Do I need coding experience to start?
No. Many members begin with curiosity, not a technical background. Workshops are built for beginners, with deeper tracks as you grow.
03Is the community free to join?
Yes. Joining GacaloTech is free. When a structured program or workshop has its own details, we share those clearly before you apply.
04Where do sessions take place?
We run in-person sessions in Mogadishu and keep the community connected online, so girls across Somalia and the diaspora can take part.
05How do I join a program or workshop?
Open Programs or Events, or use Join Us in the header. When a cohort opens, we share how to apply and what to expect.