Impact Stories from Empowering Women and Girls Policy Area
In TEDx talk fellow speaks about African innovation
Fellow(s): Sharon Telewa
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2018 fellow Sharon Telewa was a speaker at TEDxKassel, presenting on the “rise and rise” of technology in the African ecosystem. The TEDx event was themed on “New Realities,” exploring the interplay between society and technology. Sharon, an innovation and business development manager, is currently based in Germany. She began her talk speaking about her education, culture and family, using her own story to dispel common stereotypes of Africa and the African people. She then explored her roles at Safaricom, Andela and Kenya Flying Labs, using her career experience to communicate the ways in which the innovation and technology ecosystem in Africa can be better supported: by strengthening education systems, supporting digital transformation in rural areas and investing in African startups. Sharon also introduced Jedimu Elimu Trust, the initiative she founded that supports local schools with STEM resources, builds digital literacy through training and offers economic empowerment opportunities. “I believe that I can make a difference for my home village and for surrounding villages,” Sharon said. “We’re a small organization with big dreams.”
Read More »Report Date...: 3/7/2022
Fellow interviewed in celebration of Girls in ICT Day
Fellow(s): Salma Bekkouche
Country: Algeria
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
2018 fellow Salma Bekkouche was interviewed for the Girls and Women Talking Tech series, speaking about her career in ICT and her commitment to connecting people to opportunity. The talk was hosted by EQUALS Global Partnership, a global network of professionals working to address the gender gap in technology. The series highlights women in ICT in celebration of April’s Girls in ICT Day. Salma, a recruiter and content creator, was interviewed by Kusuma Kumar, a student at Middlebury College. In the interview, Salma spoke about her studies in computer science and her passion for the field: “When you learn computer science you learn how to think,” Salma said. “You learn how to use logic to develop new solutions to different problems.” Salma also talked about her passion for connecting with people and matching them to new opportunities: “My job is more than just a title, it’s a mission,” she said. The interview concluded with Salma sharing how women can support other women: “We can support them through mentoring. Mentoring is a powerful tool for learning. Women and girls need to see and connect with role models,” she said.
Read More »Report Date...: 3/7/2022
Mentor(s):
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
After spending their first weekend in the Bay Area, Emerging Leaders were hosted by Autodesk on Monday for a virtual Impact Design Workshop. There, they were brought through an introduction to design thinking by Autodesk’s JoAnna Cook: “As you’re innovating, you can always correct,” JoAnna reminded them. “We don’t get it right the first time in all cases. What you can do is not lose your passion to follow up and listen.” After learning about the cornerstones of the design thinking process – intentionally identifying a problem, starting with the end user, iterating on ideas and maximizing collaboration and alignment – Emerging Leaders were led through a stakeholder mapping exercise, drawing out all stakeholders at their workplaces or businesses. In breakout rooms led by Autodesk facilitators, Emerging Leaders applied the method of abstraction laddering to the underrepresentation of women in STEM, discussing together how to reframe problems to create solutions. Week one concluded at the Leadership Workshop with two sessions on advancing women leaders and understanding individual and team strengths. Shannon Bayer of Linkage led the morning session, presenting on Advancing Women in Leadership. “Now more than ever, women are a part of the solution,” she said. “We need to look at how we can influence the change that considers us in the structure moving forward.” Samantha Raniere, TechWomen Impact Coach and principal at Raniere Consulting, led the afternoon session on leveraging individual and team strengths. “We can acquire any skill. Nothing holds us back from doing that,” she said.
Report Date...: 2/28/2022
Fellow discusses Black women entrepreneurs at Embassy event
Fellow(s): Michelle Sesay
Country: Sierra Leone
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
2013 fellow Michelle Sesay served as a panelist at a U.S. Embassy Freetown film screening themed on Black History Month and the upcoming International Women’s Day. The event, a screening of the documentary “She Did That” at Fourah Bay College, featured a discussion on Black women entrepreneurs with women alumni and entrepreneurs of U.S. exchange programs. Michelle is a civil engineer, entrepreneur and YALI fellow. In her panel, attended by aspiring entrepreneurs and university students, Michelle and fellow U.S. exchange program alumni talked about impostor syndrome, lack of funding for female-owned startups and the need for more women in leadership to acknowledge and celebrate their successes. The group also discussed similarities and differences among women entrepreneurs in the U.S. and Sierra Leone, speaking about the need to support Black-owned businesses. “We spoke about superwoman syndrome, where we take it upon ourselves to do everything and not delegate roles to our staff,” said Michelle. “Women generally don’t give themselves credit or acknowledge how far they have come.”
Report Date...: 2/28/2022
Fellow speaks about work-life balance for mothers at live event
Fellow(s): Dalia Shurrab
Country: Palestinian Territories
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
2018 fellow Dalia Shurrab was featured in a Startups without Borders online event, speaking about how to balance motherhood and entrepreneurship. Dalia is the project manager of Mompreneur, a 2020 AEIF-winning project that supports mothers from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank with training, workshops and starting their own online businesses. At the Instagram Live event, Dalia spoke about challenges that women in MENA face juggling start-up life and family life and offered solutions to women who are seeking better work-life balance. “Moms should find and create a support system and never feel shy or ashamed to ask for help,” said Dalia. “She does a great job as a mom and she should put herself on top of her priority list to give herself some time to meditate, self-heal and to take care of her mental health.” Dalia also shared freelance platforms and ways to find jobs online, offering tools and tips for women entering or re-entering the workforce.
Read More »Report Date...: 2/28/2022
Mentor(s):
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
108 Emerging Leaders from 20 countries arrived in the U.S. for TechWomen 2022, embarking on five weeks of professional development, mentorship and exchange. In the spring 2022 hybrid program, Emerging Leaders will be guided and supported by nearly 300 Professional Mentors, Cultural Mentors and Impact Coaches and will be learning together in interactive professional development workshops and Professional Interest Groups. After Wednesday’s arrival day, Emerging Leaders gathered online as a group for the first time at the Welcome Orientation, where they learned about essential program information, additional details on their mentorship and other important logistics about the spring program. At Friday’s Cultural Kickoff, Emerging Leaders had the opportunity to share their country’s cultures and engage in cross-cultural dialogue and exchange with their fellow Emerging Leaders and the TechWomen mentor community. The event was presented in an online world café format, where each country group shared about their country and cultures in a fun and creative way during four breakout room sessions. The event also featured five presentations: a language lesson from Cameroon, a traditional dance lesson from Kyrgyzstan, a cooking lesson from Lebanon, a sing-along from Morocco and a lesson in tribe totems from Zimbabwe.
Report Date...: 2/21/2022
Fellows’ TechWomen social impact project hosts STEM event
Fellow(s): Flora Asibe, Ehiaghe Aigiomawu, Olayinka Fagbemiro, Oluwatoyin Adegoke, Happy Amos and Damilola Asaleye
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
During TechWomen 2020-2021 action planning alongside their Impact Coaches, fellows Flora Asibe, Ehiaghe Aigiomawu, Olayinka Fagbemiro, Oluwatoyin Adegoke, Happy Amos and Damilola Asaleye created EduChamps, a social impact project that provides educational supplies like school bags, textbooks, writing materials and sanitary pads for girls, as well as empowerment trainings in recycling, gardening and more. This month, the fellows held an event with 30 girls from the African Church Grammar School, hosting a day of mentorship and skills training. Jennifer Foltz, U.S. consulate deputy public affairs officer, delivered closing remarks to the students. The day featured workshops in upcycling as well as tech talks from fellows on automotive engineering, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and space science. The students also received solar lanterns and educational supplies such as bags, uniforms, textbooks and sanitary pads to encourage them to stay in school. “My favorite moment was answering the questions from the girls on the career paths they could have in the technical industry,” said Damilola. “Thank you to TechWomen for supporting us with a seed grant for the project, an enabling environment, sisterhood, networks and much more.”
Read More »Report Date...: 2/21/2022
Fellow delivers workshop on public speaking for 300 students
Fellow(s): Omnia Tayari
Country: Libya
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2013 fellow Omnia Tayari delivered a webinar on the foundations of public speaking to 300 students from North Africa and the Middle East this month, sharing tips and strategies to help students succeed in their careers. Omnia is the co-founder of BulbulHub Academy of Public Speaking as well as the founder of Oratoriia, an online program that educates and empowers young leaders. The students in attendance are enrolled in a full stack developer course from Edraak, an online course portal established by Queen Rania al Abdallah of Jordan; Omnia has been supporting this credential course as a communications and public speaking instructor. In her workshop, Omnia spoke about why public speaking is essential for career success, sharing tools and simple strategies for overcoming the fear of public speaking. “I was welcomed with great energy,” said Omnia. “The engagement was amazing that I could hardly manage to read the answers when I asked a question. Their insights, honesty and obvious desire to learn and grow was overwhelming.”
Read More »Report Date...: 2/21/2022
Fellow shares passion for mentorship in video interview
Fellow(s): Faten Khalfallah Hammouda
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2015 fellow Faten Khalfallah Hammouda was recently interviewed by CIO News, a platform for business and IT leaders. Faten was featured for Wonder Women in Tech, their series led by Khushubu Soni, CIO’s chief editor. Faten is the founder, president and project manager at First Skills Club, a STEM education initiative that introduces Tunisia’s youth to technologies such as mobile apps, robotics, electronics, design and 3D printing. She is also a lead organizer for Teens In AI, an initiative launched at the 2018 UN AI for Good Global Summit, as well as a TechGirls local engagement coordinator. She was recently named Outstanding Mentor at First Global, a yearly Olympics-style global robotics competition for youth. In the video interview, Faten spoke about her career in technology, finding her niche as an educator and mentor and her passion for facilitating early STEM competency. Through dedicating her time to empowering young students with 21st century skills, Faten is fostering a generation of critical thinkers who will be ready to solve leading issues in their communities. “I find myself trying to change the way to teach IT, trying to solve community problems via technology,” she said. “If I succeed I’ll help make future leaders that can inspire others.” Faten concluded the interview by reflecting on her TechWomen experience, explaining how TechWomen challenged her to think differently and pass on knowledge: “To any woman in tech: make yourself someone who can guide others, and share your knowledge with them,” she said.
Read More »Report Date...: 2/14/2022
Emerging Leader shares her journey in science
Fellow(s): Naomie Kayitesi
Country: Rwanda
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
The TechWomen blog has published its final post for Emerging Leader Voices, a series that invites incoming Emerging Leaders to share about their background, their STEM careers and their paths to TechWomen. In Motivation, the pillar of my journey in science, 2022 Emerging Leader Naomi Kayitesi of Rwanda writes how the Genocide against the Tutsi and her country’s resilience in the face of tragedy inspired her to achieve: “I was blessed to grow up in the time where education was accessible to everyone as a right and not a privilege,” she writes. Naomie is currently pursuing her PhD, focusing on river hydrology and how rivers are affected by climate change. “Women are more affected than men by these environmental challenges, especially in developing countries, where women are responsible for farming, fetching water, and gathering fuelwood,” she writes. “Therefore, I am looking forward to meeting other women in STEM to brainstorm these topics. It is important to look beyond our boxes and discuss these global challenges, thus contributing to the global agenda.” Naomie concludes her blog post with a message of hope for the next generation of STEM leaders, especially women: “You are capable…believe in yourself and work hard.”
Read More »Report Date...: 2/14/2022
