Since 2010, Mbadika has fostered the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs by providing resources and educational workshops to youth around the world, regardless of where they call home.

Since 1990, employment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields has increased by 79%. Though the STEM workforce has become more diverse during this period, there is still a lot of work to do. Half of STEM workers are women, but they’re underrepresented in computer and engineering jobs. A 2018 report from the Pew Research Center found that only 9% and 7% of all STEM workers are Black and Hispanic, respectively. 

Problems are solved by teams of scientists and engineers, with each member bringing talent and skills, but also their lived experience. A team lacking a diversity of perspectives won’t be able to address the problem from all angles and for all people.

Diversity in STEM is necessary to solve global problems and to make sure the solutions work for everyone. 

Founded in 2010 by our Executive Director, Netia McCray, while she was an undergraduate at MIT, Mbadika (pronounced bah-GEE-ka) has been working to close that gap in the United States, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The name comes from the Kimbundu word for “idea” and our goal is to give young students the resources to transform their ideas into a reality.

For over 10 years, Mbadika has partnered with a wide range of organizations and entities including the U.S. State Department, NASA, MIT, Autodesk, Microsoft, and the Ministry of Supply in order to fulfill its motto; Ideas and Those Who Create Them.