PrograMaria

PrograMaria is a Brazilian social-impact brand and educational platform whose stated mission is to empower women through technology and to reduce the gender gap in the labour market. Its official website frames the work simply: "Empoderar mulheres através da tecnologia diminuindo o gap de gênero no mercado de trabalho. É isso que fazemos." The organisation operates as a community-oriented education provider, offering courses, events and content designed to bring more women and gender-minoritised people into technology careers. The brand's public argument for learning to code rests on three pillars presented on its homepage: the labour-market opportunity, the development of transferable skills, and the power to transform the world. PrograMaria cites the Brazilian software association Softex to warn that Brazil could face a deficit of 408,000 qualified IT professionals, and argues that even people who will not work directly in the field benefit from programming because it builds logical reasoning, creativity and problem-solving. It also positions coding as the first step for anyone who wants to build their own projects, products or services with autonomy. Beyond courses, PrograMaria organises events and runs donation campaigns. Its "Impulsione uma Mulher na Tecnologia" campaign raises money for a scholarship fund so that more free places can be offered to women and people of minoritised genders entering technology. The organisation reports impact through metrics such as women in its base, events organised by its team, and students reached by its courses. PrograMaria's "Sobre Nós" page explains the problem it exists to solve. It notes that computing jobs were expected to more than double to 1.4 million openings, while only around 400,000 were expected to be filled, and that a lack of women in the field is a major reason. It cites the 2010 IBGE census showing that Brazilian women were only 22% of computer science classes, and points out that while 74% of girls show interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at school, only 0.4% choose computer science at university. The brand attributes this not to lack of ability or interest but to missing role models and persistent stereotypes that portray programmers as male, white and genius-like. As a brand, PrograMaria is best understood as a mission-driven education and community platform rather than a conventional software vendor. It combines training, advocacy, events and fundraising under a single identity aimed at making technology a more inclusive space for women in Brazil.

PrograMaria is a Brazilian social-impact brand and educational platform dedicated to increasing the presence of women in technology. Its public identity is built around a single, clearly stated mission: to empower women through technology and reduce the gender gap in the labour market. The organisation presents itself as a community and training initiative rather than a conventional software company, and its activities combine courses, events, content and fundraising. The brand's rationale is documented on its "Sobre Nós" page, which asks why there are so few women programmers, engineers or scientists. Citing Code.org, PrograMaria notes that computing jobs were expected to more than double to 1.4 million openings, while only around 400,000 were expected to be filled, and identifies the low number of women in the field as a principal cause. It cites the 2010 IBGE census showing that Brazilian women represented only 22% of computer science classes, and points out that although 74% of girls show interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at school, only 0.4% choose computer science at university. The organisation argues that this is not due to lack of ability or interest, but to a shortage of visible role models and persistent stereotypes that frame technology as a male field. On its homepage, PrograMaria makes the case for learning to code through three arguments: the labour-market opportunity, the development of transferable skills, and the ability to transform the world. It cites the Brazilian software association Softex to warn of a potential deficit of 408,000 qualified IT professionals in Brazil, and argues that programming builds logical reasoning, creativity and problem-solving even for people who will not work directly in the field. It also presents coding as the first step for anyone who wants to build their own projects, products or services with autonomy. Over time, the organisation has expanded from courses into a broader community and fundraising model. It organises events for its community and reports impact through metrics such as women in its base, events organised by its team, and students reached by its courses. It has also launched the "Impulsione uma Mulher na Tecnologia" donation campaign, which raises funds to expand its pool of free scholarships and create more entry opportunities in technology for women and people of minoritised genders. The available evidence does not specify PrograMaria's founding year, founders, legal structure or headquarters city, and these details should be treated as unknown rather than assumed. What is clear is that the brand operates in Brazil, communicates in Portuguese, and positions itself at the intersection of technology education, gender equity and social impact.

Mission-driven education and community platform working to close the gender gap in Brazilian technology by teaching women to code and creating opportunities for them.

• PrograMaria courses

  Coding and technology courses aimed at women and gender-minoritised people, offered with free scholarship places funded partly by donation campaigns.

• Impulsione uma Mulher na Tecnologia

  A donation campaign to expand PrograMaria's pool of free scholarships and create more entry opportunities in technology for women and people of minoritised genders.

1. 1PrograMariaprogramaria.org
2. 2Sobre nós - PrograMariaprogramaria.org
3. 3PrograMariawikidata.org