Sisters of Code - Cambodia's First Girls' Coding Club Adds Generative-AI Tools to Close the Confidence Gap

Founded in early 2019 by IT Academy STEP Cambodia in Phnom Penh, Sisters of Code is Cambodia's first coding club exclusively for girls, created after its founders found girls were being steered away from technology subjects.
Members complete 14-18 week clubs with weekly trainer-led sessions; a 2022-2023 cohort of 180 female students from public and private schools produced 110 graduates. Self-reported pre/post surveys of members found the share agreeing "not all girls can study technology" fell from 14% to 7% after completing the programme, 96% rated the training useful or very useful, and 100% said they would recommend it to other girls - while the same surveys found roughly half of members had felt unsupported in computer-science studies and 18% had been told they were not allowed to study it.
In April 2026 the club integrated generative AI directly into its programming, running a "Girls Can Code with AI" session using Google AI Studio at its Girls-in-ICT Day event with the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and IT Academy STEP Cambodia; roughly 300 students attended, over 90% of them girls, alongside sessions on AI careers and AI's role in Cambodia's tech sector.
Evidence is self-reported by the operating organisation rather than independently verified, and the belief-change and satisfaction figures come from the club's own alumni surveys; funding partners include the Liechtenstein Development Service.

Read the full analysis: https://www.sistersofcode.org/