SheildHer

What Inspired Us

As four young women(Basadi and Beyond) passionate about tech, we were inspired by how many South African women remain financially disempowered facing issues like economic abuse, low financial literacy, and a lack of safe, accessible financial tools. We realized we could use the tech skills we’re learning to start building something that can educate, protect, and empower women like us and beyond.

What it does

ShieldHer is a web and mobile platform (currently in design phase) that aims to: Provide basic financial education using gamified modules and local content. Help women avoid digital scams and financial abuse. Empower users to make safe and informed financial decisions. We’re designing it to be accessible (even on low end devices), secure, and user friendly, with the goal of adding more advanced features as we grow our skills.

How we built it (so far)

We're still in the design and planning phase. So far we have: Conducted deep research and analyzed data from South African studies (HSRC, Stats SA, etc.) Identified the most pressing challenges women face in finance and tech Right now, we’re in the research and planning phase, using tools and technologies we already know: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript & Django for our future website prototype. Android Studio (Java) for mobile-side experiments. Networking knowledge for designing secure user flows and SQL for databases. We’re also learning about AI, chatbots, and cybersecurity so we can build safer, smarter features in future stages. The next step is building our first prototype and testing with real users.

Challenges we ran into:

Ensuring our idea is doable based on current skills. Narrowing the focus to one strong, data-driven problem statement. Finding ways to make the app inclusive, multilingual, and accessible offline. Learning new concepts (like AI and fraud detection) while still building our foundation. Balancing innovation (AI, fintech, cybersecurity) with simplicity and safety.

Accomplishments that we're proud of:

Finalized a problem statement backed by real-world data and SDG alignment. Created an innovative but achievable project roadmap based on our strengths. Designed the learning journey to be inclusive, gamified, and community-driven.

What we learned:

That we still have much to learn but our vision is clear and we’re committed. That even with basic skills, we can begin something big by starting small. That designing for vulnerable users requires deep thinking and simplicity.

What’s next for ShieldHer:

Building a website prototype with our existing development skills Develop the first few financial education modules. Use Android Studio to build a basic version of the app interface. Continue learning about AI, chatbots, and cybersecurity, and reach out to mentors. Collaborate with NGOs or programs that can help us pilot or test early ideas.