Impact Stories from Professional Development Policy Area

Fellows speak on women driving innovation at Kcell ‘23

Fellow(s): Zhanargul Izimova, Zharkyn Chsheglova

Country: Kazakhstan

Cohort: 2018, 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Fellows Zhanargul Izimova (Kazakhstan, 2018) and Zharkyn Chsheglova (Kazakhstan, 2022) shared the stage for a panel discussion entitled “Women Driving Innovation in Kazakhstan” at the Kcell Eurasian Mobile Summit 2023 in Almaty this August. Zhanargul spoke on strategy and Eurasia as a fintech leader of digital transformation, while Zharkyn appeared as an ambassador of the Google Women TechMakers program and fellow of TechWomen. “Behind every successful woman is a tribe of successful women, a mission that I took with me from my Silicon Valley mentors,” Zhanargul wrote in a recent post. The Kcell Eurasian Mobile summit brings together regional experts in telecom to address changes and innovations in the field.

Report Date...: 9/04/2023

Fellows speak on women driving innovation at Kcell '23

Fellow(s): Zhanargul Izimova (Kazakhstan, 2018) Zharkyn Chsheglova (Kazakhstan, 2022)

Country: Kazakhstan

Cohort: 2018, 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Report Date...: 9/04/23

Fellows collaborate on paper addressing crop threat

Fellow(s): Flora Asibe (Nigeria, 2020-2021) Edith Mugehu (Zimbabwe, 2018)

Country: Nigeria, Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2018, 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellows Flora Asibe (Nigeria, 2020-2021) and Edith Mugehu (Zimbabwe, 2018) recently collaborated in the publication of, “Status and management strategies of major insect pests and fungal diseases of maize in Africa: A review.” Combating food insecurity caused by threatened maize crops, the review examines pest and disease management practices in the region and provides integrated recommendations to mitigate the threat. Edith is a research fellow at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Flora is a research fellow at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the co-founder of EduChamps. “Through our work, we have demonstrated that borders cannot hinder our impact,” Flora wrote in a letter to TechWomen. “Instead, they become bridges that transform our communities and the global village.”

Report Date...: 08/07/2023

Fellow serves as cybersecurity panelist and podcast guest during DATAFest Africa conference in Nairobi

Fellow(s): Sophie Ngassa Monkam (Cameroon, 2014)

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2014

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Fellow Sophie Ngassa Monkam (Cameroon, 2014) recently served as a panelist and live podcast guest in Nairobi, Kenya during DATAFest Africa, an annual event centered on the continuously developing impact of data science on the African continent. The podcast session, titled “Innovative pathways to digital resilience for women at work,” revolved around exploring different methods to empower women, improve their proficiency in digital skill and equip them with the necessary tools to adapt and excel in the digital environment of the contemporary workplace. Sophie is an Incident Response Analyst and Digital Security trainer for human rights defenders, social actors and peace advocates working on the frontline of peacebuilding in Cameroon. Among her many projects, she also runs a Tech4Peace podcast powered by DefyHateNow, called “Digital Peace Building with Sophie.” This spring, Sophie served as the Distinguished Trainer at the Digital Security Training for Human Rights Defenders in Limbe and Bamenda, focusing on how women’s rights activists can utilize tools such as encryption, VPNs and two-factor authentication to safeguard their online activity. “I found my passion in cybersecurity,” Sophie explains, “amid the endless attacks that my peers and I face online working in digital advocacy in our efforts to build lasting peace and social cohesion in Cameroon.”

Report Date...: 7/31/2023

Fellow earns prestigious Erasmus+ mobility award

Fellow(s): Nermin Salah (Egypt, 2013)

Country: Egypt

Cohort: 2013

Policy Area(s): Professional Development

Fellow Nermin Salah (Egypt, 2013) has recently been awarded an Erasmus+ student and staff higher education mobility grant. The grant, designed to support university educators in fostering employability, social inclusion, civic engagement, innovation and environmental sustainability in Europe and beyond, will be utilized at the computational chemistry department of the German University in Cairo, where Nermin works as an associate professor. “This collaboration will open up new avenues for groundbreaking research and innovation in the field,” Nermin wrote in a recent post. “Together, we can push the boundaries of computational chemistry and drive advancements in higher education.”

Report Date...: 07/31/2023

Fellows collaborate for Product Management workshops

Fellow(s): Azhar Mambetova (2019), Elena Chigibaeva(2018), Darika Aldasheva (2022)

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2018, 2019, 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Professional Development

Fellow Azhar Mambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2019) recently hosted a webinar series for the Kyrgyzstan product managers community, teaming up with fellows Elena Chigibaeva (Kyrgyzstan, 2018) and Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan, 2022), who served as guest facilitators. The webinar series was delivered in four sessions, covering diverse topics targeted toward professionals in the field. Elena and Azhar moderated Product Management in the Metaverse, an interactive discussion of product market fit with an immersive exploration of the metaverse. Darika taught a module, Personal Brand Development, which focused on brand awareness, personal clarity, and taking the first step. Azhar is a digital financial services consultant and freelance product management mentor and course developer.

Report Date...: 07/31/2023

Fellow and founder of volunteer platform hosts two-day training for social leaders of transformative initiatives

Fellow(s): Hiba Awaysa (Palestinian Territories, 2020-2021)

Country: Palestinian Territories

Cohort: 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Sawaed19, a volunteer networking platform led and founded by fellow Hiba Awaysa (Palestinian Territories, 2020-2021), recently held a training for 25 social leaders who kickstarted 14 transformative initiatives formed under the Giving for Change program. The two-day intensive training included workshops entitled Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Initiatives Identity and Advocacy Campaigns, and Fostering Community-Building Strategy, which was facilitated by Hiba herself. “At Sawaed19, we are committed to empowering volunteers and community leaders with the essential tools, knowledge, and skills to supercharge their initiatives,” Hiba shared in a recent post. Hiba established Sawaed19 in 2019 as a platform to match volunteers to non-profits around the world. The Giving for Change program is organized by Dalia Association, a community development foundation that works to mobilize and utilize Palestinian resources through community-controlled grant-making.

Report Date...: 07/24/2023

Fellow hosts week-long digital youth training camp

Fellow(s): Mahri Gylyjova (Turkmenistan, 2022)

Country: Turkmenistan

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Mahri hosted a week-long series of digital training classes for Turkmen youths with the support of the Union of Economists of Turkmenistan and USAID.

Fellow Mahri Gylyjova (Turkmenistan, 2022) recently hosted a week-long digital training session for youths in concert with the Union of Economists of Turkmenistan and USAID. Mahri utilized the opportunity to cover topics a range of practical and theoretical topics, including the top competitive digital skills in the labor market, the ethics of behavior on the internet, cyber security, advanced Excel skills, rising professions in tech and the ten most common problems with computers and accessories. “It was a busy week full of new acquaintances with talented, energetic young people of Ashagabt,” Mahri expressed in a recent post. Mahri is a freelance trainer of digital skills focused on scratch programming and computer literacy.

Report Date...: 07/24/2023

Fellow shares journey to data on Careers&Things podcast

Fellow(s): Nikita Vala (South Africa, 2022)

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Professional Development

In Nikita’s debut podcast appearance, she discussed her experiences in tech, transitioning from Engineering to Data on Careers&Things: The Podcast.

Fellow Nikita Vala (South Africa, 2022) was recently interviewed by Careers&Things: The Podcast for an episode entitled, “Understanding the Power of Data with Nikita Vala.” During her 45-minute debut podcast appearance, Nikita spoke on her journey from Engineering to Data, covering topics such as the importance of data, how to infuse data into a non-tech role, and skills needed to support a transition into data. “I think as an Engineer, you learn interesting ways to think about and solve problems…and actually that’s very transferrable to many industries,” Nikita shared during the interview. “At my first job [at Accenture], I really enjoyed the tech world… and I realized that my skillset would be great for the tech industry.” Nikita is now an Analytics Lead at Kandua, a tech start-up that provides a platform for people to channel their skills into income.

Report Date...: 07/24/2023

Fellow co-facilitates 10-day African Girls Can Code Initiative sponsored by UN Women and African Union Commission

Fellow(s): Emma Mphahlele (South Africa), Sara Fakhry (Egypt), Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan) 2022

Country: Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellow Emma Mphahlele (South Africa, 2022), founder of non-profit African Youth Ignited 4IR, recently served as co-facilitator of the 10-day African Girls Can Code Initiative sponsored by UN Women and the African Union Commission. The program, designed to teach design thinking, problem-solving and soft skills, selected 40 girls from eight public schools in the inland provinces to take part in the 10-day curriculum. Topics included user interface/user experience (UI/UX), website development, mobile applications development, robotics, cyber security and programming. Emma enlisted several members of the TechWomen community to serve as guest lecturer, including mentors Lori Kahn, Jennifer Martin and Erin Keeley, and fellows Sara Fakhry (Egypt, 2022) and Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan, 2022). “Spending 10 days with the girls has added to my growth as a facilitator and an expert in STEM Education,” Emma shared in a recent post. “It reaffirmed my decision to leave corporate and to focus on the promotion of inclusivity in access to quality education for children and young people in my continent.”

Report Date...: 07/17/2023

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