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If you’re like us and don’t drive that often, you probably use a car service like Lyft at least once a week.

But what if we told you that every time you take a ride, you could help raise money to encourage Black girls to get involved in science, tech and coding programs across the country?

Starting Friday, Feb. 9, you can round up your Lyft fares and donate the extra cash to Black Girls Code, a nonprofit that introduces our young girls and women to computer science.

Launching during Black History Month, the goal of this liaison is clear: To increase the number of women of color working in technology, and to provide African-American girls with the coding skills they need to thrive in the digital space.

And there are plenty of reasons why these jobs matter to Black women.

It’s estimated that by 2020, there will be 1.4 million computing jobs available, and it’s important that Black women and women of color can be competitive for those jobs. The key is being introduced to computer science and these skills as early as possible.

READ: Coding Is The New Black: Here’s Why You Should Care About Science, Tech, Engineering & Math 

“Joining Lyft’s Round Up & Donate community provides everyone with the opportunity to support Black Girls CODE and our mission of making programming and technology accessible to a new generation of coders,” said Kimberly Bryant, founder of Black Girls CODE.

She added: “Our collective donations, no matter how small, can make an impact on teen and pre-teen girls of color and ensure they receive the skills, tools, and mentorship they need to become pioneers of the next technological innovation and the architect of their very bright futures.”

For the folks at Lyft, this type of partnership is important in helping diversity the tech world for the future.

“Investing in the development of our next generation of leaders and innovators is our path forward to ushering in the diverse future we seek,” Tariq Meyers, Lyft’s head of inclusion and diversity, stressed.

So how does it work?

It’s pretty simple. First, you have to download the app. When you do, go to settings, tap “round up and donate” and then select “Black Girls Code. From there, the app will automatically round up your fares and give the money to your selected organization.

Even better? It seems to be making a difference. In the past eight months, Lyft has helped raise a whopping $4 million for multiple organizations across the U.S.

READ MORE:

Coding Is The New Black: Here’s Why You Should Care About Science, Tech, Engineering & Math 

Lupita Nyong’o To Write Children’s Book Set To Inspire And Uplift Dark-Skinned Black Girls

Kheris Rogers, Girl Bullied For Her Dark Skin, Stars In Her First Nike Ad

 

Wanna Give Back? Lyft Riders Can Now Donate To Black Girls Code  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com