Impact Stories from Education Diplomacy/Mentoring Policy Area

Meeting with President of Tunisia and U.S. Ambassador

Fellow(s): Amel Ghouila

Country: Tunisia

Cohort: 2014

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth

Amel met with Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi and U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia Daniel Rubinstein, along with other alumni of U.S. government-funded academic and professional exchange programs. During this meeting, the alumni presented details of their accomplishments since returning to Tunisia. Amel’s accomplishments include: launching the Technovation Challenge in Tunisia, which started with just 54 girls during its first year and now enrolls more than 100 girls across the country; excelling in her role as a bioinformatician at the Institut Pasteur and implementing related training across Africa; receiving the 2016 Regional Ambassador Award from Technovation; and, with other TechWomen fellows in Tunisia, launching Women Leaders in Tech (WOLTECH), a group to empower Tunisian women working in STEM fields.

President Caid Essebsi highlighted the important role of exchange programs in empowering Tunisians with tools to be successful and boost the Tunisian economy.

Report Date...: 9/4/2017

AEIF for Mombasa Girls in STEM

Fellow(s): UmiKaltuma Ibrahim, Serah Kahiu, Sandra Kambo, Sylvia Mukasa and Annie Njenga

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2014

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement

UmiKaltuma Ibrahim, Serah Kahiu, Sandra Kambo, Sylvia Mukasa and Annie Njenga, 2014 fellows of Kenya, have received an Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) grant for Mombasa Girls in STEM, their project to increase girls’ interest in STEM-based subjects. Ruth Kaveke, 2017 Emerging Leader from Kenya, is also involved with the organization. Participants of Mombasa Girls in STEM will be challenged to develop solutions to community problems. Those solutions will be displayed and presented to local leaders at a Girls in STEM Fair, with the goal that local leaders implement the winning solutions in the community. Mombasa Girls in STEM is one of just 68 projects selected for an award out of more than 1,000 proposals.

Report Date...: 8/28/2017

Voice of America Afrique interview

Fellow(s): Janet Fofang

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2013

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement

Janet Fofang, 2013 fellow of Cameroon, appeared on an episode of Vous et Nous, a news show broadcasted by Voice of America Afrique (video in French). Janet spoke about her work with a technology club at Tassah Academy, where she is the director. Thanks to Janet’s work, the technology club, which previously comprised more male participants than female, is now made up of 60% girls, including as young as age seven. Janet believes that by getting girls involved in the technology club at a young age, she can help them realize that there are many paths they can take in their lives beyond marrying and staying in the home. As more girls joined the club, enthusiasm grew to the point where the technology club is now considered to be the “cool club” for girls at the school.

Report Date...: 8/28/17

Africa Alumni TIES Small Grants Competition

Fellow(s): Lydie Umubyeyi and Rita Mutabazi

Country: Rwanda

Cohort: 2013&2014

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Environmental Sustainability, Youth Engagement

Lydie Umubyeyi and Rita Mutabazi, 2014 and 2013 fellows of Rwanda, respectively, have received a grant from the Africa Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminars (Alumni TIES) Small Grants Competition. Lydie and Rita received a grant for the Engaged Youth in Energy Conservation Project, which will address the issue of energy inefficiency in schools, focusing on five Rwandan technical schools. The project will support students to empower themselves to take the lead in finding solutions appropriate to their energy challenges, including through student-led energy audits and an energy efficiency competition.

Report Date...: 8/21/2017

Africa Alumni TIES Small Grants Competition

Fellow(s): Azizat Gbadegesin and Oluremi Hamid

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Environmental Sustainability, Youth Engagement

Azizat Gbadegesin and Oluremi Hamid, 2016 fellows of Nigeria, have received a grant from the Africa Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminars (Alumni TIES) Small Grants Competition. Azizat and Oluremi are joined by two alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders program in launching Nigerian Energy Ambassadors, a project that will build a network of young energy ambassadors and entrepreneurs by creating awareness and sharing basic knowledge on energy efficiency, energy conservation and renewable energy.

Report Date...: 8/21/2017

Small Grants Program of the U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission

Fellow(s): Nazira Sheraly

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls

Charba, a company started by 2016 fellow of Kyrgyzstan, Nazira Sheraly, received an award through the Small Grants Program of the U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission, administered by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek. Charba’s mission is to use innovative technologies to create affordable and high quality greenhouses. In partnership with Atuul, a local NGO, Nazira’s company is using the grant to educate women on the greenhouse business and business in general, to coach women who are implementing their own business ideas and to monitor and evaluate the newly established businesses. To further motivate the women involved, Nazira plans to hold a competition to provide additional mentorship and support for seven winners to make their businesses more successful.

Report Date...: 8/7/2017

One Child, One Desk

Fellow(s): Amanda Gicharu-Kemoli, Angeline Kasina, Cheryl Kerama, Margaret Ndisha and Lucy Wanjiku

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement

In Kenya, the lack of desk space in schools can be a barrier against students completing their education. In a guest blog post, the five 2016 fellows of Kenya, Amanda Gicharu-Kemoli, Angeline Kasina, Cheryl Kerama, Margaret Ndisha and Lucy Wanjiku, share about the launch of their initiative to improve the student-to-desk ratio in their country. Using the $2,500 seed grant they won during the 2016 TechWomen program, and leveraging local resources such as the Kenya Prisons Carpentry Section, the fellows were able to create new desk space for 150 students at a marginalized school outside of Nairobi.

Report Date...: 7/31/2017

Fellow(s): Nadia Habsatou

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement

In 2014, Boko Haram attacked a small village in the Far North Region of Cameroon. Several public places were destroyed, and today, thousands of children and young people are affected by armed conflict. “They face harm, fear, loss, kidnapping and exploitation. Schools are damaged or overtaken by armed groups.” In this guest blog post, Nadia Habsatou, 2016 fellow from Cameroon, provides an update on her team’s action plan that is helping students receive training and access to education amid many challenges.

Report Date...: 7/24/2017

Fellow(s): Lina Lebedeva

Country: Kazakhstan

Cohort: 2015

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement

Lina Lebedeva, a 2015 fellow from Kazakhstan, was inspired by her TechWomen experience to start a school for Kazakhstani students between the ages of 13 to 18 who are interested in biology. Started shortly after returning home from the United States, the program has grown from just ten students to now approximately 100 enrolled. Popular courses include those focused on genetics and biotechnology.

Report Date...: 7/24/2017

Fellow(s): Nisreen Deeb, Aida Nassr-Eddine, and Hanan Khader

Country: Jordan, Lebanon

Cohort: 2013

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement

2013 fellows from Lebanon, Nisreen Deeb and Aida Nassr-Eddine, and 2013 fellow from Jordan, Hanan Khader, were selected as award recipients in the 2016 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AIEF) competition. Their project, The Mini Programmer, expanded upon curriculum from Hello World Kids, founded by Hanan after and inspired by her TechWomen exchange experience, to teach nearly 500 students from grades three and four the basics of computer programming. The closing ceremony of their project, which took place on July 27, 2017, included in-person remarks from Kristin Smith, Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, and video remarks from Jillian Scott, Lead of TechWomen at IIE. Ten Mini Programmer students highlighted their projects at the event, pitching their ideas and running demonstrations for attendees.

Report Date...: 7/24/2017

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