HS Alliance
In 2012, Nila founded Women In Digital with the goal of “empowering women through technology”. She wanted to help women have a bigger footprint on digital platforms
Women in Digital is now in its ninth year of operation, since 2013, and Nila is still with the project. Photo: courtesy
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Women in Digital is now in its ninth year of operation, since 2013, and Nila is still with the project. Photo: courtesy
In 2012, Achia Nila, a programmer, had been working as a software engineer in the computer industry for almost a decade. During her career, she couldn’t help but notice an under-representation of women in the field. She had been the only woman on many teams she had worked with up to that point.
As she rises through the ranks in her workplace and is included in decision-making roles, she wants to attract more women to the sector. However, the number of women who applied for these jobs was very low.
And so, that year, Nila founded Women In Digital with the goal of “empowering women through technology.” She wanted to help women be more present on digital platforms. It was essentially a manifestation of his longstanding determination to attract more women into IT.
But that wouldn’t have happened if her father hadn’t interfered with her pursuit to go abroad for higher education.
“At that time, I was planning to go abroad. I was fully prepared. I was admitted to a university and in a few months my classes would start. At the time, my father stopped me. He wasn’t happy that I went overseas,” she said.
Her father had somehow convinced her to stay in Bangladesh and do something for his country.
Photo: courtesy
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Photo: courtesy
“I didn’t take it very seriously. I was half-heartedly trying to do something. I was sure I would fail and end up going abroad.”
She quickly developed the Women In Digital business model. She first introduced and introduced him to his father. Seeing the proposal, his father’s response was, “I didn’t tell you to do something so difficult!”
She knew it wouldn’t be easy, just like her own journey as a woman wasn’t easy. But somehow it clicked; probably because of his rebellious nature.
Nine years later, Women in Digital is operational; Nila is also still with the project.
Women in Digital’s journey began with five daughters, including Nila herself. The initiative was officially registered in 2013.
“Since then, we’ve been serious about business. We’ve created a buzz and made people believe that women can work in the tech world and are no less than men.”
Women in Digital offers a multi-faceted approach. Above all, the main mission of the organization is to help women develop technical skills and find jobs in the software industry. But it goes beyond that. In addition to providing training, it is also a software solutions company.
In addition to its core purpose, the organization serves as an advisor to graduate schools and software companies to educate them about the need to train girls in IT and hire them.
Photo: courtesy
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Photo: courtesy
The organization also runs campaigns at the root level and has five training centers outside Dhaka. Additionally, Women in Digital has recently expanded its activities beyond the Bangladesh border. They provide training facilities in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
“A lot of girls now dare to come and work in the tech industry. Our mission is succeeding to a large extent. I’m also happy with our progress,” Nila said.
To date, Women in Digital has trained approximately 15,000 girls across Bangladesh since its inception. Market-related IT skills such as web, application and software development, graphic design and animation, digital marketing, etc., are taught to these girls.
“Our model is that after teaching programming. We will give them jobs or connect them with other employers, or at least help them find employers. In addition, we also help many girls start their journey in the freelance markets. We have a module for working as a freelancer”, explains Nila.
Indeed, many women who complete their training join the organization itself. Currently, they have 23 such employees. The team includes web developers, app developers, graphic designers, digital marketers, and more.
Women in Digital has come a long way over the years. However, they faced and still face fundamental problems. One of them is the question of “trust”.
Nila said: “As a woman, I was trying to start an IT business that relied solely on women – it was difficult. customers, customers – many thought we wouldn’t be able to do the job well or couldn’t deliver perfectly.”
Photo: courtesy
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Photo: courtesy
“We faced negative feedback. After six months of official launch, we decided that we would not do any work in the local software market. Instead, we are creating developers who can serve the local market. We turned to international. Even now, we work on the international market.”
Nila received her BSc in CSE from United International University and her Masters from Daffodil International University. From her second year in college, she worked at several software companies.
Currently, she works as an international IP expert at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and as a researcher for the Alliance for Affordable Internet.