Building a Python Community in Zimbabwe

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Building a Python Community in Zimbabwe by Anna Makarudze PyCon Nigeria 2018 @amakarudze

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Fundraising Coordinator: Django Girls Foundation Director: Django Software Foundation Board 2018 Organiser: Various events About

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To answer the “What’s in it for me?” question with regards to participating in open source communities. Aim

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How it all started

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Learning about PyCon Namibia 2016

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My first Python events

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Django Girls Harare

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Django Girls Masvingo

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PyCon Zim 2016 & 2017

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Challenges faced setting up the community?

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Lack of direction Volunteering vs Entrepreneurship

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Lack of know-how How to organise not-for-profit open source events.

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Lack of local funding Ailing economy + less Python usage compared to PHP

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African myths about “Python”

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Poverty Volunteering and non-profit work is tough for an unemployed population.

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Political Sanctions against Zimbabwe Blocked international sponsorship for our events.

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Getting past our challenges

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Crowdfunding for first PyCon Zimbabwe

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Partnering with university personnel Access to students and staff who use or have potential to use Python.

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International sponsorship/ support International organisations + individuals (sponsor conference tickets).

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Learning from the community How others organise events, handle CoC issues etc.

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Getting involved with the international community

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DSF Membership Got nominated to join DSF membership in August 2016.

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PyCon events in Africa PyCon Namibia PyCon South Africa

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International Events Django: Under The Hood 2016 DjangoCon Europe 2017 PyCon Italia 2017 DjangoCon Europe 2018

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DSF Code of Conduct Committee My first attempt at working with a remote team, on a volunteer basis.

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Hired for remote position as Fundraising Coordinator. Django Girls Foundation

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Running for 2018 DSF Board Nominated myself and later regretted it after seeing so many nominations.

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Any personal benefits for me?

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Exposure How to organise and run Python events. Develop Python skills.

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Crucial Friendships Awesome friends around the globe.

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Reputation and profile building Showing up when invited and being transparent helps people to trust you.

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Employment Opportunities Meeting potential recruiters at conferences and online.

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Mentors Meeting potential mentors at conferences.

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Access to Resources Programming books donated or buying a few copies of my own through friends.

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Volunteering in the open source community has no direct, tangible financial benefits...

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… but it offers invaluable and immeasurable benefits which eventually result in economic benefit.