kood/Garage48 Empowering Women hackathons come to Kenya, Uganda and Ukraine
This December, //kood and Garage48 take the kood/Garage48 Empowering Women hackathon to three countries. In Nairobi (6–8 December), Kampala and Zhytomyr (both 11–13 December), young people aged 16–26 get 48 hours, a team and mentors to turn a problem they know from their own community into a first working digital prototype. Girls and young women are at the centre of the programme. The hackathons are supported by ESTDEV, the Estonian Centre for International Development, as part of the EU-funded project Women Leadership in the Public ICT Sector.
Why Empowering Women?
The hackathon gives girls and young women a first hands-on experience of building technology, with women working in tech beside them as mentors and jury. Participants start from problems they know from their own lives, and mentors help turn a broad concern into a specific problem a team can start solving in 48 hours.
“We have been organising Empowering Women hackathons for over ten years in Estonia, Ukraine, the Middle East and East Africa. The biggest change happens when women lead teams and pitch their solutions, rather than watching from the sidelines. That’s why every team must include at least two women, and at least half of the mentors and jury members are women,” says Mari Hanikat, CEO of Garage48.
No technical background, business plan or ready-made team is needed. Teams use whatever fits their skills, from paper prototypes and Figma to no-code tools and code. Women are encouraged into team lead, technical lead and pitching roles. By the end of the 48 hours, every team has a first prototype – a clickable app, a simple website, a working demo or a digital service concept.
“We want more young women to see opportunities for themselves in technology. You don’t need to know how to code or build an app to get started. All it takes is curiosity and a desire to make something better. A hackathon gives you the chance to test your ideas, learn new skills and discover that you, too, can use technology to create meaningful change,” says Mari-Liis Kitter, co-founder of //kood.
Why outside Estonia?
//kood and Garage48 have run kood/Garage48 Empowering Women in Ida-Viru County, Estonia, since 2025. The hackathons in Kenya, Uganda and Ukraine are part of Estonia’s international development cooperation. ESTDEV takes part in the EU-funded Team Europe project Women Leadership in the Public ICT Sector, which brings more girls and women into ICT in Ukraine, Moldova, Kenya, Uganda and Kosovo – from their first contact with technology to informed career choices, with role models and career guidance playing a key role. The hackathons are the first step: hands-on work with technology, women in tech as mentors and jury, and themes tied to public services and safe participation online.
//kood and Garage48 bring their experience in practical tech education and hackathon methodology. The problems, ideas and solutions come from the local communities, so the method is the same in all three countries while the themes, mentors, partners and language are local.
The hackathons also build on work that is already under way. With ESTDEV’s support, //kood runs free tech programmes in Kenya – kood/Nairobi since 2025, in 2026 with Kenyatta University – and in Ukraine, where kood/Zhytomyr has run at Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University since 2025 and expands to Odesa in 2026. Graduates in Ukraine already work in IT. //kood learners and alumni join the hackathons as team members and peer mentors. Garage48 has run hackathons and acceleration programmes for more than 16 years in over 50 countries.
“Digital skills empower women to shape technological progress. For Estonian development cooperation, it is essential that more girls and women have the skills, confidence and opportunities to realise their ideas and participate in the tech sector. In the long run, we hope these initiatives will foster new entrepreneurs, tech experts and leaders who create solutions tailored to their communities’ needs,” says Andrea Kivi, CEO of ESTDEV.
Three countries, local problems
Ukraine – Zhytomyr, 11–13 December
The Ukraine hackathon takes place at Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University (ZPSU), home to kood/Zhytomyr since 2025. The focus is on small solutions that make everyday life easier, starting from a need participants see in their family, studies, work or city. Themes include supporting everyday life (access to services and support, settling into a new community), connected and supportive communities, learning and opportunities, and trusted information and protection from online fraud. Teams can also bring their own idea.
Zhytomyr City Council and local NGOs bring real problems and experts, and the Zhytomyr Polytechnic Science Park can offer incubation support to the best one or two teams. The hackathon runs in daytime hours, and the university building has a shelter where work can continue during an air-raid alert.
- Online preparatory workshop: 30 November – 5 December
- Applications close 27 November; applicants are notified by 2 December
- Language: Ukrainian
- Local partners: ZPSU, Zhytomyr Polytechnic Science Park, Zhytomyr City Council and local NGOs
- More info and applications: garage48.org/events/empoweringwomenukraine
Kenya – Nairobi, 6–8 December
In Nairobi, the hackathon is hosted by CEMASTEA. //kood has run kood/Nairobi since 2025, first with Greatwell College and in 2026 with Kenyatta University, and its learners and alumni join as participants and peer mentors. Kujia Kenya and Afri Fortified bring women from outside Nairobi and arrange their travel.
An idea could make a public service easier to use, help a small business find customers or help young women stay safe online. Themes include stronger communities, greener lives (including farming and food waste), opportunities and livelihoods, and safe and confident participation online. Teams can also bring their own idea.
- Online preparatory workshop: 23–28 November
- Applications close 20 November; applicants are notified by 25 November
- Language: English
- Local partners: CEMASTEA, Kujia Kenya, Afri Fortified, THiNK and Kenyatta University
- More info and applications: garage48.org/events/empoweringwomenkenya
//kood is already on the ground in Nairobi. With ESTDEV’s support, kood/Nairobi brings //kood’s hands-on, peer-to-peer learning model to Kenyan learners, and in July 2026 its Selection Sprint ran at Kenyatta University.
Annika Tamm (third from right) is the kood/Nairobi launch manager. Photo from the kood/Nairobi Selection Sprint, July 2026.
Uganda – Kampala, 11–13 December
In Kampala, the hackathon is hosted by the National ICT Innovation Hub, Uganda’s public-sector innovation hub. Garage48 has worked in Kampala since 2014, most recently through the GreenGrowth AgriHack. Kujia Club of Kampala brings about 20 women from outside Kampala, and WOUGNET shares the call with women in ICT.
Teams look for solutions that help people find reliable information, use local services or grow a small business. Themes include stronger communities (including services for people with limited connectivity), greener lives and farming, opportunities and livelihoods, and digital confidence and trustworthy information. Teams can also bring their own idea.
- Online preparatory workshop: 30 November – 5 December
- Applications close 27 November; applicants are notified by 2 December
- Language: English
- Local partners: National ICT Innovation Hub, Kujia Club of Kampala and WOUGNET
- More info and applications: garage48.org/events/empoweringwomenuganda
Key facts for all three hackathons
- 48 hours, about 70 participants and at least eight teams per event; every team presents to the jury
- Open to everyone aged 16–26, with girls and young women especially encouraged to apply
- No technical experience, idea or team needed; apply individually or as a team (each member registers separately under the same team name)
- Free for selected participants; travel and accommodation provided for selected participants from outside the host city
- A 1500 € prize fund for the top three teams
- An online preparatory workshop before each hackathon and an online follow-up session for teams that want to continue
- Applications: garage48.org/events
About the organisers
kood/Garage48 Empowering Women is a series of 48-hour hackathons in Kenya, Uganda and Ukraine for young people aged 16–26, with girls and young women at the centre. It is organised by //kood and Garage48 with local partners, with support from ESTDEV, the Estonian Centre for International Development, as part of the EU-funded project Women Leadership in the Public ICT Sector.
//kood is an Estonian tech school built on peer-to-peer, project-based learning: learners build real software from day one, without traditional teachers. The //kood model runs in Estonia, Finland, Ukraine, Kenya and Moldova. kood.tech
Garage48 has designed and run hackathons, bootcamps and acceleration programmes for more than 16 years in over 50 countries, and has run Empowering Women hackathons in Estonia, Ukraine, the Middle East and East Africa for more than ten years. garage48.org
ESTDEV, the Estonian Centre for International Development, implements Estonia’s development cooperation initiatives. estdev.ee
/ with Garage48, supported by ESTDEV
Media contact
Mari-Liis Kitter, //kood
mariliis@kood.tech