Programa HERoSTEM
From HERe to HERo
In 2024, Xcalibur Foundation, in collaboration with Xcalibur Smart Mapping, launched HERoSTEM, our second project within our gender equality programme. The initiative aims to support female talent in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and open up new opportunities for young women to develop their professional careers.
Since its launch, the programme has reached more than 100 participants, organised in cohorts of around 50 students per academic year from the African Science Academy (ASA), a school founded by the African Gifted Foundation that brings together high-potential young women in mathematics and science from different African countries in Ghana. ASA provides specialised STEM education designed to prepare the next generation of scientists, technologists and engineers across the continent.
Aligned with ASA’s mission, our work combines training, mentoring and practical experience in the workplace. Through speaking sessions delivered by Xcalibur Smart Mapping professionals, individual mentoring and an internship programme across different XSM Business Units, we give participants access to knowledge, experiences and professional role models.
Our purpose is to provide students with the knowledge, tools and experiences they need to face professional challenges with greater confidence and take their first steps into the world of work. Education is the cornerstone of our work and is aligned with SDG 4: Quality Education, which guides our approach across all Xcalibur Foundation projects.
Why do we invest in female talent in science and technology?
The young women who take part in HERoSTEM come from different African countries and join the programme with diverse backgrounds, experiences and opportunities. Although circumstances vary significantly from one country to another, the underrepresentation of women remains a shared challenge across many STEM fields.
According to UNESCO, in most African countries, fewer than one in three graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are women. This gap limits not only women’s professional opportunities, but also the diversity of talent contributing to the continent’s scientific and technological development.
These disparities are not solely related to access to education. A lack of female role models, professional networks, guidance and exposure to real working environments can also shape young women’s academic and professional choices and make it more difficult for them to progress in sectors where women continue to be underrepresented.
Through HERoSTEM, we aim to help bridge the gap between talent and opportunity. We connect students with industry professionals, provide support throughout their education and facilitate their first professional experiences so they can develop their potential, build confidence and progress towards positions of responsibility within STEM.
Mentoring, Education and Professional Development
HERoSTEM begins by creating a space for exchange between cultures, experiences and professional realities. Before taking part in activities with the students, volunteers receive preparation and intercultural exchange sessions designed to foster close, respectful and enriching relationships with young women from different countries and backgrounds.
From there, Xcalibur Smart Mapping employee volunteers and other invited professionals share their career journeys through seminars and professional sessions. Geologists, geophysicists and specialists in technology, sustainability, artificial intelligence, communications, human resources and other fields introduce students to the realities of their professions, the lessons they have learned and the different pathways available within the STEM sector.
This exchange takes on a new dimension through the mentoring programme. Mentoring creates a space for individual guidance in which participants can discuss their academic and professional goals, learn from different experiences and make decisions with greater knowledge and confidence.
During the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic years, Xcalibur Smart Mapping employees contributed 384 hours of volunteering across the different HERoSTEM activities.
The programme is completed by the opportunity to apply this learning in a real professional environment. Participants can undertake internships in different departments and business units at Xcalibur Smart Mapping, working alongside company teams and gaining first-hand experience related to their areas of interest. Up to 2026, 12 ASA students and alumnae have completed internships at Xcalibur Smart Mapping: five in 2025 and seven in 2026.
In this way, HERoSTEM supports young women throughout a journey that ranges from discovering different career paths to receiving individual guidance and experiencing the professional world first-hand, connecting their academic education with the opportunities available to them in the future.
Aligning with the 2030 Goals
At the Foundation, we align our activities with several specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to maximise our impact and contribute to a better future. In order not to lose sight of our overall mission, the main SDG that we address in all our programmes is SDG 4: Quality Education. The specific SDGs of the HERoSTEM programme are the following:
5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decisionmaking in political, economic and public life.
10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
17.9 Increase international support to carry out effective and targeted capacity-building activities in developing countries in order to support national plans for the implementation of all Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South, and triangular cooperation.
Who makes HERoSTEM possible?
HERoSTEM is made possible through collaboration between Fundación Xcalibur, Xcalibur Smart Mapping and the African Gifted Foundation, combining educational expertise, professional experience and volunteering to provide students with new opportunities for learning and professional development in STEM.
The African Gifted Foundation (AGF), founder of the African Science Academy (ASA), contributes its educational expertise and in-depth knowledge of the students and their academic journeys. Within HERoSTEM, it works alongside Fundación Xcalibur and Xcalibur Smart Mapping to identify areas for collaboration, integrate activities into the ASA educational experience and support the development of the programme.
Xcalibur Smart Mapping, in turn, contributes the knowledge and experience of professionals from different countries, offices and areas of specialisation. Through seminars, mentoring and professional internships, employee volunteers share their career paths, support participants as they reflect on their next steps and give them first-hand insight into different professional environments and opportunities. The Xcalibur Smart Mapping Sustainability Department coordinates this participation and facilitates connections between professionals and students.
Fundación Xcalibur leads and coordinates HERoSTEM, bringing together the different organisations involved and promoting a model that connects the students’ academic education with role models, professional networks and experience in real working environments.
As Yasameen Al-Jboury, then Executive Director of African Gifted Foundation, explained at the launch of HERoSTEM: ‘The HERoSTEM initiative aligns perfectly with our mission to unlock the potential of young women across Africa, empowering them to become leaders who will shape the future of STEM on the continent. Together, we will contribute to advancing gender equality in STEM fields and inspire a new generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians’.
Committed to Change
Through HERoSTEM, we continue to develop our gender equality programme and our commitment to creating a positive and lasting impact in the lives of Africa’s future science and technology professionals. We work to reduce inequalities, improve well-being and promote gender equality, while providing young women with the knowledge, support and practical experience they need to contribute to lasting social change. We believe that every girl and boy deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, and we are committed to helping make that vision a reality.
Join us in this mission and be part of the change we want to see in the world. Together, we can build a better future for the next generation.
