Impact Stories from Empowering Women and Girls Policy Area
Fellow Elmira Obry discusses TechWomen journey in recent interview
Fellow(s): Fellow Elmira Obry discusses TechWomen journey in recent interview
Country: Kazakhstan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Elmira Obry (Kazakhstan, 2022) recently interviewed with Kazakh online media outlet ER10 to discuss her career journey and experience as a TechWomen emerging leader. Topics included the mission of TechWomen, the application process, the cross-cultural mentorship and Elmira’s intentions going forward. “I plan to investigate the impact of technology on the involvement of women in the country’s economy,” Elmira shared, “and the development of sustainable technologies through the prism of a multiplier economic effect.”
Elmira is the founder of QWANT programming school founder and the CEO of the Bureau for Continuing Professional Development (BCPD) of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC). “By pooling resources, efforts and expertise,” Elmira emphasized, “we can turn the tide not only on gender equality, but also on growing social and economic stratification.” During the interview, Elmira also stressed the importance of supporting teachers, modernizing technical colleges, and “developing the institution of mentoring” in Kazakhstan. “Many people think that Silicon Valley is about money,” she explained. “Actually, it’s about the supportive environment. In order to attract young people, it is necessary to create a benevolent climate [and] to maintain interest in innovation from an early age.”
Report Date...: 12/12/2022
"Fellow initiative expands to include coding bootcamps"
Fellow(s): Fellow initiative expands to include coding bootcamps – Selma Ndi
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow Selma Ndi (Cameroon, Spring 2022) successfully ran two coding bootcamps this year for her startup, DataGirl Technologies. DataGirl Technologies is an ICT initiative that aims to introduce university girls to coding as a pipeline to career opportunities. This year’s bootcamps consisted of 12 weeks of full-time web development training followed by three-month internships. The first cohort graduated 10 full-stack developers in July, with four participants having already secured gainful employment. This October, they graduated their second batch of 15 full-stack web developers. “DataGirl leaves no one behind by focusing on equal opportunity in technology and using an individualized approach to teaching,” Selma explains. DataGirl Technologies’ impact was recently highlighted in a Technext news story this summer, most notably for training over 3,000 girls since inception.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/28/2022
"Fellows present EmpowerHER initiative idea to World Bank"
Fellow(s): Fellows present EmpowerHER initiative idea to World Bank – Inobat Allobergenova, Elmira Obry, Emma Mphalele, Hadiza Abdullahi, Hajar Salamt, Iman Dankar and Syeda Sadaf Shah
Country: Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Uzbekistan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fall 2022 Fellows Inobat Allobergenova (Uzbekistan), Elmira Obry (Kazakhstan), Emma Mphalele (South Africa), Hadiza Abdullahi (Nigeria), Hajar Salamat (Morocco), Iman Dankar (Lebanon) and Syeda Sadaf Shah (Pakistan) recently teamed up to present a multi-national initiative idea at the World Bank in Washington DC. These seven fellows conceived of the project, EmpowerHER, to introduce girls from rural areas aged 12 to 18 to STEM careers. With the motto “Small Money, Big Impact,” EmpowerHER will be focused on raising awareness of careers that address climate change and environmental issues. The presentation was met with great interest by the 35 World Bank personnel who welcomed the fellows at their Washington D.C. headquarters.
Inobat helped facilitate this meeting after having recently accepted a position with the World Bank in Uzbekistan as a natural resource management specialist.
Report Date...: 11/21/2022
"Fellows wins Top 10 spot in UNFPA Innovation Challenge"
Fellow(s): Fellows wins Top 10 spot in UNFPA Innovation Challenge – Crescence Elodie
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
WETECH, an initiative presided by fellow Crescence Elodie Nguimbus Nonga (Cameroon, 2018) was recently selected as one of 10 winners in the Joint Innovation Challenge 2022 “Positioning to Scale: Innovations to Empower Women and Girls,” sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Crescence founded WETECH (Women in Entrepreneurship and Technology), shortly after completing her TechWomen program, as a platform to develop a network of African women leaders in entrepreneurship and technology by offering opportunities, resources and mentorship.
The UNFPA works in concert with the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, and the International Trade Center to fund woman-led social enterprises that develop solutions in the areas of maternal health, sexual and reproductive health, and gender-based violence.
Winners of the Joint Innovation Challenge sign a 9-month agreement with the UNFPA and receive an equity-free investment of $60,000 USD as well as customized mentorship and training opportunities provided by the UN network. WETECH was selected from a field of 300 submissions from 61 countries and 20 finalist pitches.
Report Date...: 11/14/2022
Fellow(s): Fellow speaks on LEAP Africa annual conference panel – Damilola Asaleye
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow Damilola Asaleye (Nigeria, 2020-2021) recently spoke on a panel at LEAP Africa’s Social Innovators Program (SIPA) 2022 conference. LEAP Africa is “a youth-focused leadership development organization committed to raising leaders that will transform Africa.” Damilola highlighted her organizations, Ashdam Solar Company Limited and Girls and Women Technological Empowerment Organization (GWTEO), sharing her mission of “closing the gender gap in technology and bringing energy security to last-mile communities in Nigeria.” She also encouraged African youths to “develop sustainability through monitoring and evaluating their impacts starting from personal goals to organizational goals.” On top of this, Damilola was also recently named one of the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society Rising Leaders Class of 2022.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/07/2022
Mentor(s): Mentor recognized in Top 100 or DEIB – Paria Rajai
Company: ModelExpand
Mentor Type: Impact
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development
Mentor Paria Rajai has been presented with a “Walk the Walk Award” by recruiting platform Untapped for their Top 100 Leaders in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) of 2022. Untapped is a fully virtual recruiting platform designed to help businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies develop globally representative workforces, develop engaging virtual content and measure return on investment for their DEIB efforts.
Paria is CEO of ModelExpand, “an inclusive workplace strategy firm focused on radically accelerating the presence of historically underrepresented talent in the workforce.” ModelExpand has brought inclusive hiring practices to brands including Levi’s, Lyft and Twitch. She previously worked in the Business and Human Rights Division at Yahoo. Paria has been an active mentor and delegate with TechWomen since 2014.
Report Date...: 10/31/2022
Fellow(s): Mentor leads Fulbright Specialist mission in Tajikistan – Erin Keeley
Country: Tajikistan
Cohort: 2015, 2016, 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
TechWomen mentor Erin Keeley recently completed a Fulbright Specialist assignment in Tajikistan. Erin provided workshops and mentored entrepreneurs in the National Association of Business Women Tajikistan Business Accelerator and the United States Alumni Network of Tajikistan. She also met with Access, Flex, and Fulbright students in Khujand and Dushanbe. TechWomen Fellows supported Erin throughout her time in Tajikistan, including Mahina Usmonova (2016), Anzurat Kosimiva (2016), Manzura Khurshed (2022), Matriba Akhmedova (2015), and Sumbulmo Nekqadamova (2015). Erin’s visit culminated in a panel of TechWomen and TechGirls in the American Space in Dushanbe discussing career journeys, TechWomen, and other U.S. State Department programs. The accomplished panelists, including Anzurat, Natalya Tyudina (2018), Zevar Bordachyova Davlatmamadova (2018) and Adolat Shabozova (2022), shared inspiring stories of their time in the United States, critical decisions and career advances following the program.
Read More »Report Date...: 10/10/2022
Fellow discusses tech journey on TV and podcast interviews
Fellow(s): Roshaan Saeed
Country: Pakistan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development
Fellow Roshaan Saeed of Pakistan (2022) was recently featured on National Television of Pakistan (PTV) to speak about her Techwomen journey. During the interview, she spoke about the application process and why eligible women should make the attempt. She also shed light on the three cornerstones of mentorship within the program and how it provides maximum exposure through networking.
In addition to this interview, Roshaan also recently spoke on an episode of Happy Chirp, one of the most followed women-based podcasts in Pakistan. There, she discussed her STEM career journey, disclosing challenges she faced such as harassment. She encouraged women to move confidently in their careers and inspire cultural change in their workplaces. “Once you have decided to step into professional life, prepare yourself for any circumstances that will come on your way,” Roshaan explained. “You have to fight for it and stay firm and persistent towards your goals.”
Report Date...: 10/3/2022
Fellow solar-training initiative forms U.S. partnership
Fellow(s): Gisele Beatrice Sonfack
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
A fellow-founded initiative, Women in Engineering and Technology (WENTECH), created by Fellow Gisele Beatrice Sonfack (Cameroon, 2016) has recently launched its first solar energy training with a new U.S. based partner, Remote Energy. Since September 12th, 14 young women have started training to become instructors with partner Remote Energy, who has provided training and materials for WENTECH with the objective of developing at least one instructor in each major city in Cameroon to facilitate trainings and impact in local schools. Gisele created WENTECH in 2017 to attract and empower women in Cameroon to STEM fields, following her participation in Techwomen in 2016. Since its founding, WENTECH has trained and empowered over 2,000 girls in Cameroon in solar power with the support of local partners Douala Advanced Vocational Training Center and Limbé Advanced Vocational Training Center. That support system has since expanded to include international partnership with Remote Energy.
Report Date...: 9/26/2022
Fellow holds agricultural trainings for rural women
Fellow(s): Rym Khemiri Moussaoui
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development
In continuity with Alyssa for Rural Women Investment (ARWI), the action plan project developed by the Tunisian team of TechWomen 2020-2021, fellow Rym Khemiri Moussaoui provided a capacity-building training workshop for rural women workers in agriculture. The goal is to enhance their entrepreneurial skills and promote financial autonomy. Rym shares that she was pleased “to use all the pedagogic tools I have learned in my last Training of Trainers (TOT) and Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) certifications financed by the Techwomen professional development stipend,” which was provided for fellows of the 2020-2021 virtual program. This event was carried out as part of the Action and Innovation Fund for Refugee Entrepreneurs (FAIRE) project, co-financed by the European Union and implemented by COSPE, an Italian NGO operating in the North West region of Tunisia.
Report Date...: 9/26/2022
