Charity Wanjiku

Charity Wanjiku is a kenyan techpreneur. Charity is the COO and co-founder of Strauss Energy, a solar company whose solar tiles power off-grid areas in rural Kenya and beyond. Through her company, Charity hopes to solve a lack of access to sustainable electricity by providing cost-effective and renewable energy to households and businesses. Quotes “This gives the opportunity to all Kenyans to have access to power and an improved living standard." Charity on the impact of her work in society “It’s important that girls are at the forefront of this digital age, because nobody will hire you if you do not have tech skills.” It’s not just about complaining and whining all the time; we need to teach society that women have got what it takes. We have the brains and we have the capacity. We can make the million-dollar decisions at the table and sign the papers, and they do not need to be cosigned by a man. And yes, we can make use of money as well; investments are safe with us. People don’t need to worry just because we’re women. I have come a long way, with maturity and learning ways of doing things differently. Being self-aware has helped me overcome a lot of my internal barriers. Generally the world is male-run, but Africa is a notch higher, so there are stereotypes that come with that. I show that I’m an expert in my business and in my industry, and that I am called upon to give my opinions all over the world, so I know my stuff. I convey that “if you don’t have me in your corner, you don’t have the right people”. That’s the confidence that I carry myself with. As a woman entrepreneur in a patriarchal society, I carry myself with a gentle, but firm confidence. There are biases and stereotypes all around us, and sometimes even we as women have biases against ourselves and we don’t realise it until somebody points it out. I always say that I am a work-in-progress, but I’m still a shining star. So every day, I choose to learn something. I listen to women who are entrepreneurs or in the STEM industry and I am able to relate to their experiences. Every day, we have to face some of these stereotypes and learn how to break them as well. We have the brains and we have the capacity. We can make the million-dollar decisions at the table and sign the papers, and they do not need to be cosigned by a man. And yes, we can make use of money as well; investments are safe with us. People don’t need to worry just because we’re women. My advice to young women in tech is to use us. Ask, “What can I do better? How can I go through this?” Tapping into support systems in this way makes a world of difference. We live in a world where technology shifts every three to six months, so when I have someone who is twenty years my junior and a lot more tech savvy than I am, they help me to keep abreast of the times. In STEM, we have buildings, cars, etc — everything is built. And with all respect to men, there are softer aspects of life that women naturally get that men don’t; it’s just how we’re wired. If you need a building put up, there’s a helpful touch that a woman can add to the design of it. In manufacturing a car, it’s wonderful to have men design it, but there are aspects of comfort that we get better. So there’s a necessary spice to life that women add. If half the population is not involved in building stuff, we’ll have a boring world. So let’s get more girls in STEM! In my opinion, STEM is critical for girls and women because nurturing and building are things that come naturally to us. Give a woman something, and they will incubate it, nurture and take care of it, and with time, hand it back to you in a new form. Give a woman something, and they will incubate it, nurture and take care of it, and with time, hand it back to you in a new form. External links