Impact Stories from Empowering Women and Girls Policy Area
Fellow speaks on transformational mentoring in aerospace panel
Fellow(s): Madeeha Khan
Country: Pakistan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship
Fellow Madeeha Khan Yousafzai of Pakistan (2022) was honored to speak on the panel “Transformational Mentoring: Inspiring Global Change Makers” at the Womentech Global Conference (WTGC) in June. As founder of House of Passions, a professional coaching and training consultancy, Madeeha brought her extensive expertise in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), IBM Blue Core, scrum framework, and agile and lean methodologies to a discussion on the accelerative value of mentorship in both career and life, with an emphasis on the aerospace industry. Madeeha spoke in the company of four women leaders from the space technology and policy sector to promote the life-changing value of mentorship in advancing entrepreneurship, leadership, diversity and inclusion. Her co-panelists included: Shelli Brunswick, Chief Operating Officer of Space Foundation and a United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Space4Women mentor; Lee Steinke, Chief Operating Officer of CisLunar Industries; Dr. Wumi Alabi, Deputy Technical Director and Head of Space Applications at the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in English (ARCSSTE-E); and Tuana Yazici, an UNOOSA Space4women mentee and space tech policy advocate.
The WTGC 2022 was a hybrid conference hosted across a diverse array of global time zones as a program of the WomenTech Network and the Coding Girls Foundation.
Report Date...: 6/20/2022
Marvell mentors and fellows collaborate to promote TechWomen mentorship
Fellow(s): Cora Wai Sheung Lam, Shailja Garg, Nayanika Diwadkar, Khadija Garamanli and Safa Buzgeia
Country: Libya, Tunisia, United States
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
Mentors and fellows of sponsor Marvell Technology hosted a webinar of nearly 50 attendees to promote the TechWomen (TW) mentorship experience. The event, “TechWomen 2022: Spring Lookback and Autumn Cohort Applications,” was co-organized by various Marvell stakeholders, including mentors Cora Wai Sheung Lam, Shailja Garg and Nayanika Diwadkar. It also featured guest presentations from fellows Khadija Garamanli (Libya, 2022) and Safa Buzgeia (Tunisia, 2022). The event included an opening address, a comprehensive overview of the TechWomen program, an introductory video featuring TW director Katie Zee, remarks from TW Mentorship Initiatives Lead Linda Miles, and detailed first-hand accounts of the experiences of mentor and fellow experiences. The event was launched with opening speaker Kalpendu Pasad, Principal Engineer and Manager at Marvell, who emphasized, “We are at the cusp of a technology revolution [and]… we cannot afford for women to be left out. One-on-one mentoring by the engineering community, at every stage, is essential to ensure that women cultivate a lasting and fulfilling career in technology.”
Report Date...: 6/20/2022
Nigerian fellow wins funding for youth accelerator in Niger; collaborates with TechWomen mentor for technical tools
Fellow(s): Binta Moustapha
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Nigerian alumna Binta Moustapha, 2014, has recently won a grant from the Bank of Africa Foundation in the amount of ten million West African francs (CFA) for use toward her youth training initiative, Cabinet Hub Zinder. Located in her spouse’s home country, the Republic of Niger, Cabinet Hub Zinder, also called the African Street Business School and Entrepreneurship Hub, was founded to accelerate digital and entrepreneurship skills training for young people aged 18-35 who are not currently involved in critical Education Employment or Training programs (NEETs).
When Binta first relocated to Niger in 2016, she faced adjustment issues when she struggled to communicate in the French lanuage. Binta shares that she was inspired by the biblical quote made popular by Hillary Clinton to “bloom where you are planted,” and began volunteering to teach English as a second language at her local American Corner, a regional resource center provided by the US State Department where people can gather, share and learn about American culture, history, current events and government. Her involvement at the American Corner eventually led Binta to the founding of Cabinet Hub Zinder.
In this program, the 120 youth participants, 60% of whom will be women, will receive stipend funds totalling 42,000 CFA each to compensate their time, transportation and data connection expenses. Participants with Cabinet Hub Zinder will also take part in a financial innovation challenge for fintech solutions internship opportunities in mobile device repairs, graphic design and more. Utilizing her TechWomen network, Binta has also partnered with San Francisco mentor Kathy Giori, who will provide MicroBlocks hardware to support program participants. Cabinet Hub Zinder will be hosted at the American Corner in Zinder, Niger.
Report Date...: 6/13/2022
Fellows host roundtable discussion with Kyrgyz National Academy of Sciences
Fellow(s): Kanykei Alipova, Tursunai Bektemirova, Ainura Mitalipova, and Nargiza Abdubalieva
Country: Kyrgyzstan, Palestinian Territories
Cohort: 2014, 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship
In early June, 2022 fellow Tursunai Bektemirova, a chairwoman on the Council of Young Scientists in Kyrgyzstan, co-organized a roundtable discussion with the support and participation of fellows Kanykei Alipova 2022, Ainura Mitalipova 2022, and Nargiza Abdubalieva 2014. The event, “Women in Science and Education: Trends and Perspectives”, was hosted by the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic (NAS KR) and served to highlight, elevate, and support the topic of women’s roles and contributions to science and educational development in the region.
Tursunai shares that she conceived of the idea, “after coming back home from the USA TechWomen program [in] 2022. Right away, I had an idea to organize a roundtable for women in STEM.” During the event, Kanykei supported the talk by spotlighting the team’s TechWomen action plan project Kamkor, an online platform devoted to supporting working mothers at each stage of child care, and Ainura joined remotely to present her own related project, Baby Comer. The event, sponsored by the Kumtor Gold Company JSC, was attended by President of the NAS KR, Murat Dzhumatayev, as well as other noteworthy academicians, entrepreneurs, scientists, leaders and humanitarians. Topics of discussion included the socio-economic opportunities of rural young women, quality and levels of education available for women, and socio-psychological portrayals of women in science.
Report Date...: 6/6/2022
Kenyan fellow offers insights in interview with STEM platform Atingi
Fellow(s): Sylvia Mukasa
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls
Kenyan fellow Sylvia Mukasa, 2014, was recently spotlighted in an interview by Atingi, an online platform designed to inspire and motivate young women worldwide to become trailblazers in STEM. Sylvia, a specialist in Emerging Technologies at GlobalX Investments Ltd/GlobalX Innovation Labs with over 15 years of professional experience, shared her inspirations and advisement for launching and navigating a career in Tech. When questioned about the challenges of working in a male-dominated industry, Sylvia shared, that “unconscious bias has been [her] greatest challenge.” She is an advocate for self-validation, always “bringing [your] A-game” and remembering that “you are just as big or as small as you think you are.” Her greatest advice for young women considering a career in STEM is to, “believe in yourself and seek all the support you need to succeed, but… be ready to knock on many doors without tiring. The worst you will be told is a ‘no’. Try the next door if this happens.”
Report Date...: 6/6/2022
Mentor(s): Cora Wai Sheung Lam
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
Mentor Cora Wai Sheung Lam was honored as one of the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 2022 Women of Influence in its third year. Honorees are selected from the public, private and non-profit sectors, and each recognized for the positive impacts they have effected in Silicon Valley and beyond. Those selected as honorees must demonstrate a “strong record of innovation in their fields, outstanding performance in their businesses and a clear track record of meaningful community involvement.”
In addition to her years as a mentor and champion for TechWomen, Cora has more than two decades of experience in STEM and current serves as Senior Principal CAD Engineer at Marvell Technology. Cora also leads the Women at Marvell organization and describes her dedication for promoting gender equity in STEM by saying, “Witnessing how STEM can exponentially improve millions of people across the globe, especially women, just touches my heart deeply.”
Report Date...: 5/31/2022
Fellow selected as World Bank Youth Summit 2022 Finalist
Fellow(s): Arielle Kitio
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
The World Bank selected 2016 fellow Arielle Kitio as a finalist for its 2022 Youth Summit Competition, representing her organization TechWoman Factory, part of the Cameroon Youth School Tech Incubator (CAYSTI). Arielle was one of six finalists selected from a competitive pool of 1,031 applications representing 107 countries. The 2022 summit theme was “Unlocking the Power of Inclusion for Equitable Growth,” and all finalists were selected for projects that effectively and impactfully spoke to elements of social, environmental and economic inclusion.
TechWoman Factory’s inaugural cohort consists of 179 Cameroonian youth (including 134 women), who receive professional training in one of three fields (data science, web development and digital art) for six months in Yaoundé, followed by a three-month professional mentorship with a partner organization. Additionally, all participants receive a core education in entrepreneurship, financial education, cybersecurity and soft skills such as negotiation, leadership, effective communication and creativity.
Report Date...: 5/31/2022
Kazakh fellows premier film to combat domestic abuse
Fellow(s): Kymbat Yeltayeva, Moldir Kussainova, Ainur Kuanyshbayeva and Raushan Nurdillayeva
Country: Kazakhstan
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
The 2020-2021 Kazakh action plan team composed of Kymbat Yeltayeva, Moldir Kussainova, Ainur Kuanyshbayeva and Raushan Nurdillayeva has recently released a short animated film entitled “”Signs of Abusive Relationships or A Modern Fairy Tale about Bayan-sulu and Kozy-korpesh”” as a key part of their TechWomen seed grant-funded initiative to battle domestic violence against women in their country.
The project re-imagines the nationally-beloved fable of two lovers, highlighting the warning signs of domestic violence embedded in the fabric of the tale. Team Kazakhstan’s analysis of the story challenges the glorification of husband Kozy-korpesh’s overprotective behaviors towards his wife Bayan-sulu and discusses the dangers of relationships based on control, isolation and psychological manipulation. The team hopes this film empowers people to “reconsider the stereotypes created in society regarding women and romantic relationships,” Kymbat shared in a recent post.
Report Date...: 7/18/2022
Fellow featured as keynote at Pakistan Girls in ICT Summit 2022
Fellow(s): Ameni Channoufi
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
A keynote address delivered by 2014 fellow from Tunisia Ameni Channoufi kicked off the Girls in ICT Summit 2022, organized by Ananke, CodeGirls Pakistan and WomenInTechPK in observance of International Girls in ICT Day. The summit’s theme was “Breaking Barriers to Access,” and provided speakers, workshops, panel discussions and mentoring sessions for young women in high school and college who are working towards or interested in careers in technology.
In her keynote, “Global and Local Perspectives of Girls in ICT,“ Ameni spoke on the global nature of the digital gender divide and experience of women in tech and provided strategies for inspiring girls to enter STEM fields and supporting them along the way. “It’s important that girls know early that the door is open to them too, not only to boys,” Ameni said as she explained the importance of introducing STEM education at an early age, organizing events for girls in tech, providing mentorship and job shadowing and sharing success stories of women in tech.
Report Date...: 5/23/2022
Mentor(s): Paria Rajai
Company: ModelExpand
Mentor Type: Impact
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
Mentor Paria Rajai served as a keynote at the Virgin Pulse Thrive Summit and served on a panel, “The Wellbeing Case for DEI” alongside executives from Virgin Pulse, Headspace and Moody’s. The group discussed diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and strategies for their achievement with an audience drawn from leaders and executives in the human resources and benefits industries.
Paria, founder and CEO of ModelExpand, shared her experience as a changemaker in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion industry with hundreds of live and virtual attendees and highlighted actionable ways in which companies can not only recruit top talent from diverse backgrounds, but also boost retention and advancement for all employees.
Report Date...: 5/16/2022
