About

WHO WE ARE

Globally, women make up 54% of all STEM graduates. South Africa is sorely lagging behind, with only 13% of women holding STEM degrees. Add to this the historical context of inequality, and it paints a grim picture of slow transformation, poor representation, and lack of mentorship for black women in the sciences.

It was this “leaky pipeline” that our founder, Ndoni Mcunu observed on her own academic journey toward her PhD. Eager to create lasting change, Black Women in Science was founded in 2015 to address the issues particular to black women in academia, but more importantly, to provide a platform for networking, development, and mentorship.

BWIS creates an enabling network for black women in science, while targeting these issues through our Fellowship and Membership programs.

VISION

To demystify science for black women and girls so that they are empowered to unlock their full potential of scientific discovery.

We will achieve this by establishing and enabling their access to locally relevant training and research opportunities for global impact; increasing their ownership of businesses and startups with an international footprint and creating network platforms to bring together scientists from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

MISSION

We will achieve our vision by:

Advocating for mainstreaming national science teaching institutions with black girls while campaigning for the proliferation of quality science education institutions to accommodate growing numbers of students;
Ensuring that science curricula and research is responsive tothe everyday problems faced by women specifically and communities in general, through engaging stakeholders and leaders in academia and science institutions;
Creating programmes that will enable women members to own and/or lead science businesses that have global impact and repute.