Impact Stories from Professional Development Policy Area
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(s): Fellow wins EU Goodwill Ambassador role for creators – Afnan Elsherief Elayesh
Country: Libya
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Afnan Elsherief Elayesh (Libya, 2020-2021) has recently been selected as a finalist for the #InTheirEyes content creation competition sponsored EU (European Union ) Neighbors South, thus also securing the role of a Goodwill Ambassador for the EU in Libya.
#InTheirEyes selects six content creators from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestine Territories and Tunisia to participate in a training cycle during which they learn about European Union activities in the region and various EU-funded projects in different sectors. They are supported by Mentors who provide industry expertise and support them in video production.
Afnan shares that she hopes to be “an honorable example representing my country, Libya” throughout this exciting new journey.
Report Date...: 10/10/2022
Fellow leads project landing acceptance to accelerator
Fellow(s): Safa Buzgeia
Country: Libya
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Non-profit FabLab Libya has recently been selected into Tadamom Accelerator thanks in great part to the contribution of member and fellow Safa Buzgeia (2022). Safa led the proposal of Libyan STEM Hub, which aims to introduce modern, hands-on STEM teaching methods into Libyan elementary schools. FabLab Libya was selected among 50 organizations out of 345 applications from 28 countries. Tadamon Accelerator is a platform of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in 57 Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries which is implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
“Libyan STEM Hub was greatly inspired by my experiences with Techwomen this spring, specifically with Resource Area For Teaching (raft) non-profit organization and a Micro Blocks workshop by Professional Mentor Kathy Giori,” Safa shared. “Furthermore, I directly applied what I learned from the ‘How to Pitch Your Project’ workshop by mentor Eileen Brewer in preparation of the evaluation interview with the UNDP team.”
Report Date...: 10/3/2022
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
Fellow leads Technovation teams to world semi-finals
Fellow(s): Maral Khudaibergenova
Country: Turkmenistan
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Under the leadership of regional coordinator and Fellow Maral Khudaibergenova (2018) two teams from Turkmenistan reached the world semi-finals of the international Technovation Girls competition for the first time ever.
Technovation Girls is a volunteer-led social entrepreneurship competition for young women. With the guidance of mentors, participants develop and present mobile applications designed to address a local issue. This summer, 150 girls took part with the help of mentors and volunteers serving from Turkmenistan and abroad.
“The program is unique in that it encourages children to notice existing problems and develop solutions,” Maral explained. “Participation helps girls develop skills such as design thinking, project management, time management, marketing, business planning, and programming.”
Report Date...: 9/19/2022
Fellow featured on podcast for women in tech
Fellow(s): Salma Bekkouche
Country: Algeria
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development
Fellow Salma Bekkouche (Algeria, 2018) was recently featured on the WTM (WomenTechMakers) Algiers podcast to give advice on achieving career success as women in Engineering. Together with the hostess, Salma discussed her advice for women engineers seeking work in a competitive and limited labor market. She advises to “follow the right people, build your network and personal brand, establish a habit of “technology watching”, look for a mentor, join communities of STEM, apply to exchange programs, stay curious and read books such as Lean In and The Startup of You.”
Salma also recently served as a jurist in the SCALE: Snai3i Camp of Algerian Little Entrepreneurs, a youth competition of three teams who learn to develop and present business plans that utilize skills learned during a preceding five-day camp.
Report Date...: 9/19/2022
Seed grant initiative earns spot with digital accelerator
Fellow(s): “Nezha Larhrissi, Salima Kaissi”
Country:
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
A seed grant-winning Techwomen impact initiative, eSTEM Morocco, was recently selected among seven global organizations for the Aspen Digital Equity Accelerator. Founded in 2014 by Moroccan Fellows Nezha Larhrissi (2013) and Salima Kaissi (2013), eSTEM Morocco provides access and introductions to STEM disciplines for girls and women in Morocco. They host camps, conferences and challenges, and conduct official ambassadorship of Technovation Girls in Morocco. “As part of the grant, we are working on a digital app which will provide 50,000 Moroccan girls with advice, support and effective orientation,” Nezha explained.
The Aspen Digital Accelerator is a four-month mentorship and training program designed to help select international nonprofits scale their efforts. eSTEM Morocco was selected out of 170 applications. In addition to mentorship, winners will receive a cash grant of more than $100,000 USD.
Report Date...: 9/12/2022
"Fellow speaks at Global Shapers event "
Fellow(s): Asha Panyako
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow Asha Panyako (Kenya, 2022) led a talk on “Creating a Powerful Hub Vision” at the Global Shapers Annual Summit 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland held September 2-4, 2022. She has recently assumed the role of curator of Global Shapers in Nairobi, Kenya. She has been working to expand its reach, recently partnering the organization with eMentoring Africa to enroll girls from Samburu Girls Foundation into Technovation, a global education technology nonprofit that teaches teams of mentors, parents and girls to address real-world problems by coding mobile apps.
The Global Shapers Community is a network of young under-30 changemakers developed out of the World Economic Forum to inspire dialogue, action and change surrounding world challenges.
Report Date...: 9/12/2022
