From a first robot to the world stage
Free programmes funded by our partners, paid courses for families and schools, equipment and teaching resources: every activity brings a young person closer to science.
Girls-Focused Robotics Training Programme
Six weeks to go from “robotics isn't for me” to “I programmed my robot”.
GFRTP began after the 2017 FIRST Global Challenge. Team Benin had just finished 1st in Africa, without a single girl on the team. femCoders decided to start earlier: visit classrooms, put robots in girls' hands and show them they belong in STEM.
- Duration : 6 weeks, after school
- Robotics : building and wiring an mBot robot
- Programming : block-based mBlock
- English : speaking and technical vocabulary
- Life skills : teamwork, confidence and public speaking
- Completion : certificate and training manual
A milestone: at Lycée Technique Coulibaly in March 2018, around 50 girls and 20 boys trained over six weeks. GFRTP graduates joined Team Benin from 2018, and some are now instructors.
10 NGOs, 250 girls, a multiplier effect
Through a partnership between femCoders and the US Embassy in Benin, we train volunteers from 10 NGOs across the country. Each then teaches robotics and STEM to 25 girls in its community's secondary schools.
The result: 250 girls reached and 10 local organisations able to carry on independently.
- Selection of 10 partner NGOs
- Intensive volunteer training: robotics, teaching and kits
- Each NGO trains 25 secondary school girls
- Monitoring and evaluation by femCoders
Robotics courses for children and teenagers
Your child builds and programs their first robot, supported by Team Benin's instructors.
Introduction
First builds, sensors and block-based programming.
Robotics & coding
Independent projects, competition challenges and technical English.
Holiday workshop
One intensive week, one robot per pair, and a final demonstration.
Robotics club
A year-round club in your school, kits included.
On requestParents' questions
Do children need to know how to code?
No, we start from scratch.
Does my child need a computer?
No, equipment is provided during sessions.
Are courses only for girls?
Our paid courses are open to everyone. Our free programmes primarily focus on girls.
Do you provide a certificate?
Yes, at the end of each course.
Design Thinking: solving real problems
At the FIRST Global Challenge, each team designs a technological solution to a global challenge: water, energy, biodiversity or wildfires. Design thinking is the method we teach our teams. We are making it accessible to everyone.
100% online · taught in French
Understand
Observe a problem and the people experiencing it.
Define
Identify the right problem before looking for a solution.
Imagine
Generate lots of ideas without holding back.
Prototype
Build quickly and affordably.
Test
Learn from feedback and improve.
Robotics kits and manuals
The same kits and resources we use in class, delivered in Benin. Pay by Mobile Money, card or bank transfer.
Robotics science training manual
Designed by our instructors and tested with hundreds of students, from the first connection to the first autonomous program.
Buy
School pack
10 kits, manuals and teacher training. School licence for the manuals.
On requestRequest a quote
Benin's first national robotics competition
From 12 to 14 August 2019 at Sèmè City, femCoders brought together 13 teams from participating schools around the theme “Designing Benin's future through robotics”.
Team Inspiration and Team Spyder from San Diego provided technical support and kits. Partners: US Embassy, Sèmè City and Soft Digital.
