Empowering minority women in tech: Nurul Jihadah Hussain’s mission with The Codette Project

One might think that Nurul Jihadah Hussain – as a female leader and founder of The Codette Project (a non-profit that provides support and opportunities for minority and Muslim women in tech) – would command attention and respect in the meetings she attends. However, she tells us that till this day, she still experiences being ignored or discounted.

“I no longer work with people whom I have to convince of my value or equality,” she shares. “We work with people who understand the fundamental value of what someone like me (a Malay-Muslim woman) can bring to the table.

People who need to be convinced that inclusion and equality are important are those who have a fundamental moral gap in their understanding, because they don’t believe that people are equal,” she says. Nurul’s firm belief in equality has resulted in her being labelled as “aggressive” by others fairly regularly, she tells us. She is glad for this.

“You can’t do the work I do without rage, because the moment you accept inequitable situations as the norm and stop being angry about them, you become part of the problem,” she explains. This drive to challenge systemic barriers led her to create The Codette Project in 2015.

Given an opportunity by the self-help group Yayasan Mendaki to pitch a social impact idea for the Ridzwan Dzafir Community Awards, Nurul seized the moment. Later, as she completed her MBA, Mendaki continued to support her vision, providing an initial seed fund in lieu of a scholarship.

Her mission is clear: True innovation must be inclusive. As she puts it: “If you’re building a facial recognition tool, it needs to be able to recognise all types of faces. If you’re developing a social media brand, you need to reach a wider set of consumers. If you’re building a start-up, you need to identify different risks and opportunities through diversity of experience and thought.”

The Codette Project is a fully volunteer-run project that aims to redefine success for minority and Muslim women through technology. It provides them with awareness and access to the tech industry through events, workshops and mentorships.

Nurul saw that the minority of Muslim women in the technology field were under-represented, and she felt that it was fundamentally inequitable and needed change. At the same time, she realised that the people who build, define and sell technology are often not the end consumers. “All communities are equal in intelligence and capability, so the reasons for achievement gaps are access and opportunity,” she adds. “I believe that women, especially under-represented women, deserve to be successful on their own terms, and according to their own definitions of success.”

In 2018, Nurul and her team ran Singapore’s first women-only hackathon. The event was sold out within two weeks, and was a monumental moment for The Codette Project. Nurul had the hypothesis that women did not attend hackathons because the events were not designed for females.

“We created a hackathon designed to work with the fact that many Asian women are primary caretakers for their families. We were the first, and probably the only hackathon, to provide breastfeeding rooms, prayer rooms and childcare.” For women who aspire to be part of the technology scene, Nurul has this advice: “Build a support system, be clear about your values, be there for the long term, and don’t take advice from people who don’t truly care about you.”

Photography Lawrence Teo
Art direction Adeline Eng
Makeup Lasalle Lee, using Shiseido
Hijab styling Syazana Hishamuddin

Brought to you in partnership with Singtel, the inspiring Innovators featured in our SG60 issue are women who are driving Singapore’s progress through their bold choices and achievements. With their stories of resilience, reinvention and selflessness, we hope to inspire and empower the next generation of women to take charge of their paths and turn possibilities into reality. Singtel wishes all women a Happy International Women’s Day and Happy SG60.

To learn more about the 60 women who have shaped Singapore as we know it today, click here.