Women researchers and technologists in the Earth observation (EO) and geospatial information technology (GIT) sector are close to nearly nonexistent in the HKH. In 2021, we organised five country-focused Empowering women in GIT (WoGIT) trainings, which equipped 235 women from 166 diverse institutions in Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, with basic knowledge and skills in EO and GIT. We further customized training materials to cater to participants’ subject knowledge and needs, and country-specific needs and challenges. Through the virtual training mode, we were able to reach out to more women from remote areas.

We plan on offering this training in 2022 as well and will refine and update training materials to sustain women’s interest in EO and GIT. We also plan to offer advanced trainings to the WoGIT alumni.