Meet Ericka, Esmeralda and Their Robotic Arm [Video]

Erika and Esmeralda two young girls from a province in Bolivia, made news for winning a Science Olympiad in robotics for their hydraulic arm.

Every once in a while the Internet brings to us a story of such promise and hope that I forget how dark it can be occasionally. This is the story of Esmeralda and Ericka, two young girls from a province in Bolivia, who made the news for winning a Science Olympiad in robotics for their hydraulic arm, made of recyclable material such as wood. Take a minute and think about the imagination and intelligence of these two young girls and feel inspired.

Erika and Esmeralda perhaps would not have made it to the headlines and this site, if it weren’t for the Internet.org ad, shot by Epoch Films. The ad has received criticism for different reasons: for the Internet.org platform’s capacity to remove net neutrality, for the implication that access to the internet is always supplemental to intelligence and more. My personal peeve with the ad stems from the co-opting of the success of the young girls as well as the fruitful work being done by the Bolivian government to promote the sciences. What do you think?

Shruti Saxena

I think of myself as a feminist development practitioner with a strong interest in issues

Learn More