Belize Bank and Master Card Train Tomorrow’s Female Tech Leaders

The Belize Bank is stepping up its mission to shape the next generation of women in tech. Today, the bank rolled out the third cohort of its Girls 4 Tech program, an initiative aimed at closing the gender gap in STEM by giving young girls early access to hands‑on, confidence‑building learning. In partnership with Mastercard, this year’s program will reach nearly three hundred primary school students, helping them see themselves as the innovators of tomorrow. News Five’s Shane Williams has more.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

With a new cohort and a growing mission, Girls 4 Tech is once again opening doors for young girls across Belize to explore the world of science and technology. Launched by the Belize Bank in collaboration with Mastercard, the initiative is now in its third year and continues to expand its reach.

 

Filipo Alario, Executive Chairman, Belize Bank

“The Girls 4 Tech Program now is in our third year and is one of the cornerstones of our social responsibility. We’re extremely excited to have it. It’s one of those events that we put in our calendar and we highlight it and we put a little circle and we put a little exclamation mark. We wanna make sure that we are here because I think that the value that this program gives the girls is unique and what we love is the fact that it is also very interactive. MasterCard brings very senior leadership people to interact.”

 

The program is designed to be interactive, bringing in industry professionals to guide students through real-world applications of STEM concepts. Globally, Mastercard’s Girls 4 Tech initiative has reached millions of girls, and here in Belize, participation continues to grow each year.

 

Soledad Rovira, Country Manager, Mastercard Panama & Belize

“It was created in 2014 to inspire girls to explore careers in STEM fields such as technology, engineering and scientific fields. The program, it’s a hands-on interactive program, which is based or divided in modules that help connect MasterCard’s business foundations such as algorithms, data analysis, encryption to core STEM principles to show the girls how technology can impact our everyday life and inspire them to persue careers in these fields in which we still have a gender gap. In 2026, our program edition is based on four different high impact modules, which are big data, artificial intelligence and the internet of things, local intelligence and fraud prevention.”

 

For schools in under-resourced communities, the program offers a crucial chance to help close the digital gap.

 

Dr. Denise Neal, Principal, Our Lady of The Way RC School

“The students from Ladyville, a lot of them don’t really get the opportunity to interact with technology, so this is an awesome opportunity to give them the type of exposure that they would need. And I love the initiative because it will prepare them for the real world. We’re living in an era where technology is not just an opportunity for you to say you have a technology, but it’s a must in our daily lives. And with AI around, I want my students to be prepared and to know how to use it in a way that it will enhance their future and it will make life a whole lot easier for them.”

 

And for many of the students, the experience is already leaving a lasting impression, sparking curiosity and inspiring future ambitions.

 

Taraji Miranda, Student, Wesley Primary School

 “One of the sections that I love was the big data and I learned that you can do anything with data and data can be used for anything.”

 

Dejhanae Jones, Student, Wesley Primary School

“I liked the local intelligence because they let us experience how it is, for like the future.”

 

Tiraji Miranda

“I love the internet because on that I can see fun videos and then I watch how people do works and stuff that and when I watch those, it makes me think, it makes me feel and think about what I will do in the future.”

 

Shane Williams

“Wait, and what do you plan to do with what you’ve learned?”

 

Dejhanae Jones

“I love technology from what I learned yesterday and I plan to be better at technology.”

 

Beyond the lessons and activities, organizers say the goal is to build confidence and encourage girls to see themselves as future innovators and leaders in technology.

 

Shane Williams

“We get the sense that staff members are motivated and are encouraged and inspired by this program. Why do you think that is?”

 

Filipo Alario

“Because we were all there. Especially the girls. We have, our executive team has three senior women and, they all feel that they were there sitting down on those chairs. The bank is committed, to our youth. They’re committed to ensuring that we can give back not only physical things, but the best thing that we can give back is get them to think openly and for them to believe that they can be the leaders of the future, that they can actually create the next big technology, the next big company. So that for us would be the most incredible gift.”

 

Shane Williams for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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