“Women must find their own paths in Web3”

Yvonne Kagondu is one of the prominent ladies in the blockchain industry in Africa. After leading the charge for blockchain adoption, particularly in Kenya, East Africa, for many years, Yvonne is now the founder of Kenya Blockchain Ladies DAO. This community brings together Kenyan women in the web3 area.

In a conversation with Technext, Yvonne Kagondu tells how the under-representation of women in Kenya led to the formation of the Kenya Blockchain Ladies DAO.

Yvonne earned her undergraduate degree in financial economics from Strathmore University. Curious to find out what the future of financial economics was, she attended a software development bootcamp at the Moringa School:

“I was able to interact with the technology community. And within that community, I found the blockchain community, this was back in 2018. I found that it was easier to access more opportunities in technology than in regular finance, and in Kenya we suffer from high youth unemployment, so that was a revelation .

Yvonne Kagondu

“So far I can say that it has been very exciting and I get to interact with people from all over the world with different backgrounds. I am learning a lot at a very fast pace., – said Yvonne.

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Being a stakeholder in a predominantly male-dominated industry was not as difficult as expected for Yvonne Kagondu when she joined. Although she struggled with software development because it wasn’t really her forte, she was very determined to play a role in technology, Blockchain technology to be specific.

“I was able to take advantage of the minority advantage of being a young woman in technology. Many men would often go with developer or trading roles in Blockchain, but when I started I chose to be in customer support and marketing which most men in blockchain did not choose. she said.

Her passion and acquired knowledge led her to create opportunities for many Kenyan women due to high demand.

Yvonne Kagondu on the Kenyan Blockchain Ladies DAO

Yvonne Kagondu reached a point in her career where she was overwhelmed. Not many men took up supporting roles, so she had four community leadership roles at once.

“So I decided to hire PAs and I focused on women. I had 2 PAs and I wanted to pay them and they learned about Blockchain technology. After a while I finished the contracts with the jobs, and I let the ladies go.One followed my footsteps and started getting jobs in blockchain, while another had saved enough to open a salon.

Also, there were very few women at meetings, so we would naturally gravitate towards each other. We would advise each other and through this some ladies would get jobs, a few tips from each other and we decided to make this a community rather a DAO. Through DAO, we get to connect women who have been in this industry longer to help them mentor other women who want to build themselves in the Blockchain industry.”

It was a chronicle of how the Kenya Blockchain Ladies DAO (KBL DAO) was born. According to Yvonne Kagondu, most blockchain communities that focus on women tend to focus on women becoming developers. However, KBL DAO stands out because it is not their niche.

“You can do so much in Blockchain and in technology in general. We encourage women to find their own paths, find their niche within the Blockchain niche. You can be a developer, but you can also be a lawyer, you can also build community, it doesn’t have to be one path for everyone.”

Yvonne also believes that one of the systemic barriers is that women’s contributions can easily be overlooked. However, KBL DAO and other women-focused communities must resolve it intentionally.

“When dealing with a minority group, you need to directly target the minority group and focus on what appeals to them. What do women want? Do women want to attend developer bootcamps? Will they attend online events and teach them what blockchain is?

I think what appeals to women, especially African women, is telling them why they should use blockchain. How does decentralization benefit? What is it for them? How does Blockchain solve the daily challenges they face? We have to ask these questions.”

– Yvonne Kagondu.

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By promoting female participation, KBL DAO has been recognized as a key player in the current state of the Kenyan Blockchain community.

“We have helped many women in Kenya learn about blockchain, get jobs in the industry and improve their livelihoods. At the same time, we see that more companies are hiring more women and taking advantage of the benefits of having women in their team.”

The recruitment process of KBL DAO is seamless. You find your way into the community channel and work your way up through participation. Thereafter, everything Yvonne Kagondu does will be aimed at making an impact in the African Blockchain ecosystem.

“Whether it is the Kenya Blockchain Ladies DAO or ICP Kushite Hub. I aim to see the growth of blockchain in Africa, so expect to see more of that.”