Impact Stories from Empowering Women and Girls Policy Area
TechWomen mobilize around the world in response to COVID-19
Fellow(s): Faten Khalfallah, Lindiwe Matlali, Asmara Rahat, Reshma Singh
Country: Cameroon, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, South Africa, Tunisia, United States
Cohort: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded, TechWomen alumnae were already thinking ahead, applying their ingenuity to innovate for change. The latest TechWomen blog features stories of our fellows and mentors who, amidst uncertainty, have gone above and beyond to serve their communities.
After reaching her goal of 3D printing 1,000 masks for hospital staff, 2015 fellow of Tunisia Faten Khalfallah has begun production of protective gowns and face shields, sewing with colorful fabric that will, in her words “spread joy.” Africa Teen Geeks, the initiative founded by 2017 fellow of South Africa Lindiwe Matlali, has launched STEM Lockdown Digital School, a comprehensive online curriculum for students throughout the African continent. As of last week, the school had reached over 53,000 students. In Pakistan, 2019 fellow Asmara Rahat designed the first of its kind SMART thermal scanning and sanitizing gate, a system that both sanitizes and takes temperature readings in order to keep quarantine centers, mosques and public spaces safe. Mentor Reshma Singh created the Emergency Community Food Pantry, organizing volunteers to deliver food and goods to vulnerable families; the pantry has served over 1,000 families and counting. TechWomen will share additional updates as our alumnae continue to innovate, lead and support their communities.
Report Date...: 4/20/2020
Fellow featured as an EdTech leader in Cameroon
Fellow(s): Angele Messa
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2019
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2019 fellow of Cameroon Angele Messe was recently interviewed for Gal Talks Tech, a website that features inspiring stories from leading women in tech around the world. Angele is the founder of EduClick, an initiative that brings alternative learning solutions to refugees and internally displaced persons in Cameroon. In the feature, Angele speaks about her work as an EdTech entrepreneur and her passion for educating rural youth who don’t have access to quality education. In addition to online learning, EduClick also runs a makerspace that offers classes in 3D printing, coding, virtual gaming and more.
Working in a male-dominated field, Angele strongly believes that women can excel through mentorship and creating supportive communities: “It’s important for women in tech to have that support system which will not only positively impact their professional lives but their personal lives as well,” she says.
Report Date...: 4/20/2020
Fellow leads online bootcamp for women in MENA
Fellow(s): Ala’a Agha Karss
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
This week, 2017 fellow of Jordan Ala’a Agha Karss hosted “Unleash Your Creativity,” a five-day online bootcamp for women in tech. For four hours each day, 19 women in Canada, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates participated in practical activities and group sessions themed on the principles of design thinking.
Ala’a is a design thinking coach and coding consultant for Superiors TechHub, regularly holding in-person and online learning to empower women and youth throughout the MENA region. In this week’s class, Ala’a used the IDEO model of design thinking, demonstrating how to gather insights, ideate, prototype, and tell stories. In a Facebook post celebrating the conclusion of the training, Ala’a addressed her trainees: “By inspiring and empathizing more, you have been more creative in ideation, and more flexible in prototyping until you crafted your wonderful story. Now you are one of the creatives in the designer community! Keep it up, keep innovating.”
Report Date...: 4/20/20
Mentors visit Pakistan to promote STEM and entrepreneurship
Fellow(s): Eileen Brewer and Cathy Simpson (Mentors)
Country: Pakistan, United States
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Recently, longtime mentors Eileen Brewer and Cathy Simpson traveled to Pakistan for three weeks of activities with women, students and community organizations. Organized in partnership with the U.S. Embassy, the trip brought the mentors to universities, incubators and secondary schools throughout Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi. Both Eileen and Cathy served as Impact Coaches for Emerging Leaders from Pakistan during TechWomen 2019.
During the trip, Eileen and Cathy held multiple workshops and sessions meant to share knowledge and empower women and girls in STEM fields. At a girl’s school, they held hands-on workshops that exposed students to motherboards, geodomes and STEM games. At the National Skills University in Islamabad, Cathy held a session on 21st century job trends and Agile for success with 50 students. Eileen met with 30 startups at a local makerspace to hold a workshop on how to build successful teams and best practices for pitching. Cathy also organized the Marshmallow Challenge, an activity also used during TechWomen that encourages team problem-solving and cohesion. Eileen and Cathy had the opportunity to reunite with TechWomen fellows from multiple cohorts, including their 2019 mentees Farhat Nadeem, Asna Javed and Ayesha Kahn.
Report Date...: 4/13/20
Fellows conduct online training for remote teaching
Fellow(s): Elena Chigibaeva and Gulzire Minbaeva
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
This month, 2018 TechWomen fellows Elena Chigibaeva and Gulzire Minbaeva spearheaded online training sessions for educators on best practices for remote teaching. The training was launched through Techaim, an AEIF-winning mentorship program launched by TechWomen fellows from multiple cohorts.
The presentation was attended by over 60 educators from preschools, elementary schools, secondary schools and high schools, as well as professors from the universities. During the session, the fellows demonstrated how to optimize tools such as Google Classroom, Zoom, Canva and Kahoot to digitalize the learning process. Currently, the fellows are working to create a STEAM teachers club in order to share curriculum ideas. “We see ourselves as STEAM promoters in the country and aim to develop the community and STEAM development,” says Elena.
Report Date...: 4/13/20
Fellow launches virtual MENA Startup Summit
Fellow(s): Noha Mahmoud
Country: Egypt
Cohort: 2012
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
This month, 2012 fellow Noha Mahmoud launched the inaugural MENA Startup Summit, a one-day online event for founders, designers and developers. Noha, the director of product at Bosta, co-founded the event to inspire the next generation to step into leadership and build exceptional products along the way. The summit featured speakers from throughout the MENA region who shared their expertise in UX, product engineering, building viral startups and more. In one session, a Dubai-based UX specialist presented on commonly held myths and misconceptions when conducting user research. The final session, led by a software engineer, was themed on working from home, incorporating practical tips and tricks for those who are unaccustomed to remote work. The entire summit was recorded, and published on YouTube for free access.
In addition to co-founding the summit, Noha is the chapter president for Arab Women in Computing (ArabWIC) Egypt, leading technical workshops, mentorship sessions and panel discussions for women in technology and academia in her region. Formerly, Noha collaborated with 2014 fellow Yassmeen Abd El Ghaffar to form the Hypatia Initiative for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (HISTEM), an initiative that offered workshops in mobile app development, engineering and science to girls ages 14 to 23.
Report Date...: 4/6/20
Fellow honored as trailblazer on OkayAfrica 100 Women List
Fellow(s): Baratang Miya
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
This week, 2015 fellow Baratang Miya was named to the OkayAfrica 100 Women 2020 List, recognized for her efforts as a change agent and innovator in her industry. Over the course of a year, OkayAfrica researches and curates a list of African women who are using their platform to create positive change and make a significant impact for women in their communities. Bara was recognized as the founder of GirlHype, an initiative that empowers women and girls from disadvantaged background through tech training, coding clubs and digital literacy workshops.
Bara is also the CEO of Uhuru Spaces, a coworking space designed to bring together and support female founders. “Focused on empowering young women through programming and app development training, Miya hopes to see more women taking up space in the tech world, says her OkayAfrica feature. “Thanks to Miya’s work, thousands of girls have built a new understanding of technology and the paths it can lead to.”
Read More »Report Date...: 4/6/20
Fellow featured for innovative work in green energy
Fellow(s): Charity Wanjiku
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth
This week, 2017 fellow Charity Wanjiku was featured in an article for Ensto, a green tech company based in Finland. Charity is the founder of Strauss Energy, a firm that brings green energy products to off-grid communities in Kenya. The article highlights Strauss’s innovative roofing tiles that serve a dual function, both roofing and powering homes that did not otherwise have access to electricity.
In the article, Charity speaks about her career journey, chronicling the challenges she faced as a woman entering a male-dominated field. Although she was discouraged from pursuing architecture, she persisted, graduating with only five other women in her class. “Women number roughly half the planet’s population, and if we don’t use them it’s like we’re playing with only half the team,” she says. She also shares a challenge she gives her audiences when public speaking, calling on them to curate a three-pillared life philosophy based off of three-stone cooking culture in Africa. “I challenge you to find your three stones,” she says. “If you do that, everything else will align itself.”
Report Date...: 4/6/20
Fellow named to the 100 Women Creating A Better Africa list
Fellow(s): Mide Ayeni
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth
This month, 2017 fellow Mide Ayeni was recognized for her work building sustainable cities and communities on the 100 Women Creating A Better Africa list, an initiative created in commemoration of International Women’s Day. The campaign was organized by WeForGood International, a sustainable development consulting firm that focuses on fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the African leaders who are leading the way.
Mide is the founder of Pearl Recycling, a social enterprise that collects waste such as plastic, car tires, newspapers and other recyclables and trains youth and women to transform them into furniture and upcycled items. WeForGood recognized Mide for her efforts in addressing SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Recently, a Ford Foundation grant allowed Mide to expand Pearl Recycling’s programs and train 100 young women in Lagos in eco-friendly furniture making. She also plans to equip 20 Nigerian public schools with 400 ergonomic classroom chairs made from recycled materials, as well as train 800 young students on waste re-use in Lagos.
Report Date...: 3/30/20
Fellow interviewed about empowering women in aerospace
Fellow(s): Zainab Saleem
Country: Pakistan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
2017 fellow Zainab Saleem was recently featured in a blog post for her accomplishments in STEM and her commitment to empowering other women and girls. Zainab, an aerospace engineer, is currently working in Finland at ICEYE, a radar satellite imaging company. In the post featured on ICEYE’s blog, Zainab is interviewed about her work at ICEYE’s spacecraft engineering department, her TechWomen experience and her projects designing, developing and launching satellites.
In the interview, Zainab spoke about her efforts to combat gender disparity in STEM fields and encourage more women and girls to enter STEM. Currently, she mentors the all-women Kyrgyz Space Program, headed by 2019 fellow Kyzzhibek Batyrkanova, by delivering bi-weekly training sessions. When asked about her advice for women and girls in STEM, Zainab said, “I want to say to all the girls: please, don’t do it because you are good at it, do it because you love it. Don’t let the opinions of others and standard examinations define what you want to be in life.”
Report Date...: 3/30/20
