Impact Stories from Professional Growth Policy Area
a hands-on learning kit
Fellow(s): Aseel Honein
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2013 fellow Aseel Honein has launched Architecture in a Box, a new company that provides hands-on kits teaching the principles of architecture, building and environmental sustainability to youth ages eight to 17. Aseel, an architect and university instructor, wanted to increase the visibility of the architecture field and inspire women and girls to pursue careers in a historically male-dominated space.
In Lebanon, most students are not introduced to architecture, urban planning or interior design at school, and many women trained in architecture are not actively employed as architects. “Due to many challenges, there are no opportunities for all graduates, engineers, and architects in Lebanon,” says Aseel. “Therefore, proper career orientation and design thinking tools and resources are required to create new opportunities.” Each kit provides interactive activities that teach youth about sustainable building, creative problem solving and critical thinking; Architecture in a Box will also offer complimentary workshops to schools that use the kits in their classrooms. Last year, Aseel had an opportunity to pilot her prototype boxes with 100 girls at an event run by Girls Got IT, an initiative co-founded by two Lebanese TechWomen fellows that exposes girls ages 15-17 to STEM through interactive workshops. As the company grows, Aseel hopes to create more kits that will spark creativity, create environmental awareness and help inspire youth – especially girls – to pursue a career in architecture.
Report Date...: 10/12/20
Fellow delivers motivational speech to local women’s club
Fellow(s): Bahara Nurmetova
Country: Turkmenistan
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
This week, 2015 fellow Bahara Nurmetova was invited by Coca-Cola to deliver a motivational speech to the Turkmenistan Coca-Cola Women’s Club. The event, held in celebration of the club’s four-year anniversary, brought together 20 female employees in Coca-Cola’s HR, marketing, sales and accounting departments to network and share skills.
In her speech, Bahara spoke about the importance of women supporting one another by serving as mentors for young women in their fields. She focused on her TechWomen experience, sharing photos and presenting on the professional development opportunities that international exchange programs offer. Bahara also gave advice to the women’s club, sharing ways they can promote women’s empowerment at Coca-Cola through everyday meetings and activities.
Report Date...: 10/12/20
Fellow featured for initiative that brings tech training to youth
Fellow(s): Chepkemoi Magdaline
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2019
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
2019 fellow Chepkemoi Magdaline was featured in a Medium piece by African Innovations Liquid Telecom, an online publication that covers digital transformation on the African continent. Chepkemoi was highlighted in their 21st Century Skills (21CSkills) spotlight, a series that shines a light on innovative programs and the leaders that run them.
Chepkemoi is the founder and executive director of Eldohub, an education technology platform that brings digital skills and ICT training to young people, focusing on empowering them to solve community challenges using technology. Eldohub also supports Kenyan entrepreneurs, helping them build their businesses and expand their reach through educational resources and mentorship. Recently, Chepkemoi and Eldohub partnered with 21CSkills to create training programs in data science and artificial intelligence. In the feature, Chepkemoi explains that as Eldohub expands its programming, online learning will play a key role: “COVID-19 has made very evident the need to localize e-learning for our local context,” she says.
Report Date...: 10/12/20
Fellows hold alumnae Q&A to inspire girls in STEM
Fellow(s): Alice Tyan, Elena Chigibaeva, Mira Abdimetalieva, Kyzzhibek Batyrkanova, Aigerim Beishenbekova
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Cohort: 2017, 2018, 2019
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
This week, TechWomen fellows collaborated to hold a virtual session themed on encouraging women and girls to pursue STEM fields. 2017 fellow Alice Tyan, 2018 fellows Elena Chigibaeva and Mira Abdimetalieva, and 2019 fellows Kyzzhibek Batyrkanova and Aigerim Beishenbekova organized the webinar in partnership with the High Technology Park of the Kyrgyz Republic as part of its ongoing series that promotes IT fields.
During the session, “Why Should Girls Consider an IT Career,” the fellows shared advice on how to succeed in tech and spoke about how to develop skills that can lead to a career in STEM. They explored the diverse careers within IT that go beyond programming: data analytics, project management, product management, Scrum, quality assurance and more. Elena also presented on the TechWomen program, speaking about the opportunities it provides to international women in STEM.
Although women’s representation in tech is growing in Kyrgyzstan, the fellows spoke about the need for gender equality, and encouraged the girls to claim their space within STEM. At the conclusion of the webinar, each fellow gave advice on why girls should consider an IT career: “It doesn’t matter what gender you are if you do your job well,” said Aigerim.
Report Date...: 10/5/20
Fellow launches virtual program for young leaders
Fellow(s): Omnia Eteyari
Country: Libya
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
This week, 2013 fellow Omnia Eteyari debuted Oratoriia, an online program that educates and empowers young leaders. Omnia is the founder of Jordan-based BulbulHub Academy of Public Speaking, an academy that provides public speaking, leadership and personal development courses to youth ages 11-17.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced Omnia to suspend BulbbulHub’s in-person activities, she wanted to continue providing value to the community and its young leaders. With all-virtual programming, Oratoriia allows young leaders to access courses in leadership, public speaking, effective communication and more. Omnia has also started an Oratoriia YouTube channel, where she will provide content for its students. Her first video shares strategies for how leaders can solve common workplace challenges.
Report Date...: 10/5/20
Fellow featured as a leader in architecture
Fellow(s): Charity Wanjiku
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth
2017 fellow Charity Wanjiku was highlighted in the Daily Nation newspaper, featured as a woman who is “rocking the world of architecture” in Africa. In addition to founding energy solution company Strauss Energy, Charity is the co-founder, director and architect for Trioscape Space Planning Services. Through Trioscape, Charity designs residential and commercial buildings, including a 500 car capacity underground parking facility at Nairobi’s Holy Family Minor Basilica. She is also a member of the National Construction Authority, a committee that is evaluating alternative and sustainable building materials.
In the article, Charity speaks about her journey to becoming a successful architect and the people who inspired her along the way. Despite being told that architecture was a course for boys, she committed herself to becoming the first girl to enroll. “We need to encourage girls and let them know they can do it,” she says. “We also need to normalize women into taking up STEM-related courses.”
Report Date...: 10/5/20
TechWomen/TechGirls Club hold second summit
Fellow(s): TechWomen/TechGirls Club in Uzbekistan
Country: Uzbekistan
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
This week, Uzbekistan’s TechWomen/TechGirls Club hosted their second summit, bringing together alumnae of both programs to network, discuss their community projects and brainstorm ways to enhance mentorship and support in a virtual setting. Launched in 2018, the cross-program clubs provide a space for career counseling, mentoring, leadership development and more. The club’s first summit, held in January of this year, established their foundational goals, provided opportunities for mentorship and laid the groundwork for future projects and collaboration.
This week’s summit brought together 22 participants, including TechWomen alumnae from multiple cohorts, TechGirls alumnae and incoming TechWomen 2020-2021 Emerging Leaders. After a welcome from the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, the club’s participants introduced themselves to one another, speaking about their careers and their participation in the TechWomen and TechGirls programs. Despite challenges that have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic, the group discussed creating future online workshops and masterclasses themed on soft skills, pitching, design thinking and more. The club also discussed future impact projects, including a virtual STEM school for girls as well as an awareness campaign that educates youth on environmental issues. The club hopes to hold its third summit this spring.
Report Date...: 9/28/20
Mentor(s): Claudia Galván (mentor)
Company: TechWomen Alumni Council
Mentor Type: Cultural
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Professional Growth
TechWomen mentor Claudia Galván moderated a panel on cloud infrastructure and machine learning at the 2020 Anitab.org Grace Hopper Celebration, the world’s largest gathering of women technologists. With a theme of #TOGETHERWEBUILD, this year’s virtual conference convened 30,000 attendees from 115 countries for over 200 sessions. In addition to serving as a TechWomen Cultural Mentor, Claudia is a co-chair for the TechWomen Alumni Council and a computer science Facilitator for the TechWomen 2020-2021 Professional Interest Groups.
Claudia’s panel, “When Moore’s Law is Dead: Cloud Infrastructure Capacity & Machine Learning,” brought together panelists from Facebook, Google and Nasdaq to discuss the exponential increase of data volume and the need for a holistic approach for infrastructure capacity management. The panelists explored how we use machine learning to address elastic compute problems as well as how cloud infrastructure became part of the solution during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Report Date...: 9/28/20
Fellow recognized for achievements in engineering
Fellow(s): Joy Makumbe
Country: Zimbabwe
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth
2015 fellow Joy Makumbe was recently featured by Visibility STEM Africa, an initiative that amplifies the voices of STEM leaders and inspires young Africans to pursue careers in STEM fields. Joy, a water sanitation engineer, currently works for Egis Group. She recently completed a water sanitation project in Tanzania, leading a team in the construction of water pump stations, guard houses, electro-mechanical improvements and more.
In her feature, Joy spoke about her passion for creating community impact through bringing water and sanitation solutions to the African continent. Joy also gave advice to young Africans who are interested in STEM: “You can! Be tough. Don’t give up. Don’t look back. Remember, there is always someone to hold your hand along the journey,” she said.
Report Date...: 9/28/20
Fellow named Schwab Foundation Social Innovator of the Year
Fellow(s): Lindiwe Matlali
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2017 fellow Lindiwe Matlali is an awardee of the 2020 Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur award, recognized as an outstanding leader who is pioneering innovative solutions for social challenges in her community. Lindiwe is the founder of Africa Teen Geeks, the largest computer science NGO in Africa that is dedicated to teaching and training underserved students. To date, Africa Teen Geeks has trained over 48,000 children in IT skills.
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a sister organization of the World Economic Forum, supports global social entrepreneurs who are creating a more equitable world. Lindiwe was honored alongside 12 international changemakers who are driving change in education, government, healthcare and more. Recently, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lindiwe and Africa Teen Geeks launched STEM Digital School, an online school that brings free classes to students throughout the African continent. The school partnered with South Africa’s Department of Basic Education, working to expand their comprehensive and interactive curriculum in order to reach a wider audience both online and on community television.
Report Date...: 9/21/20
