Impact Stories from Professional Growth Policy Area
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
Fellow begins 3D printing masks for Tunisian hospitals
Fellow(s): Faten Khalfallah
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
This week, 2015 fellow of Tunisia Faten Khalfallah began designing and 3D printing personal protective equipment for the healthcare workers in Tunisia who are caring for patients affected by COVID-19. Faten is the founder of First Skills Club, a STEM education initiative that introduces Tunisia’s youth to technologies such as mobile apps, robotics, electronics, design and 3D printing. She moved from her home to the First Skills Club headquarters alongside her family in order to make as many face shields as possible.
After preliminary trials, Faten began printing the shields; each piece takes slightly over an hour to print and five minutes to join. Already, Faten has been contacted by Yes We Breathe, an initiative that is working to create additional equipment for Tunisian hospitals, as well as local doctors requesting supplies. Each day, Faten sends the equipment she creates to a local doctor in Sfax who is distributing them to his medical staff. It is her goal to print over 1,000 pieces.
Faten has also recruited help from her First Skills Club mentees, who are all working to create mobile apps, awareness videos, and robots that can serve as resources. “It’s my duty toward my country and my community, and I’m so happy to help and inspire young generation,” says Faten. “I will not stop working.”
Report Date...: 3/23/20
Fellows host first Women Techmakers event in Turkmenistan
Fellow(s): Maral Hudaybergenova, Merjen Saparmyradova
Country: Turkmenistan
Cohort: 2018, 2019
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
This week, 2018 fellow Maral Hudaybergenova organized Turkmenistan’s first Women Techmakers event, hosted by Ashgabat’s local Google Developer Group (GDG) that she launched this month alongside fellows from multiple cohorts in Turkmenistan. GDG chapters offer local developers a space to learn new skills, network and advance their careers. Women Techmakers, a global program from Google, is dedicated to helping women succeed in tech through resource-sharing and community events.
Maral and 2019 fellow Merjen Saparmyradova hosted the event in celebration of International Women’s Day, bringing together TechWomen fellows and other local women in tech to discuss Turkmenistan’s technology sector, share best practices and brainstorm projects they can implement in their community. Moving forward, Maral and Merjen hope to use GDG Ashgabat to educate and inspire local women in tech and encourage them to apply for TechWomen.
Report Date...: 3/23/20
Fellow featured in AnitaB.org spotlight
Fellow(s): Chepkemoi Magdaline
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2019
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
2019 fellow Chepkemoi Magdaline was featured by Wogrammer, an AnitaB.org program that highlights stories and successes of diverse women in tech around the world. Chepkemoi recently won the 2019 AnitaB.org Systers Pass it On Award, a program that offers grants to support women whose projects empower women in computing.
In the article, Chepkemoi speaks about her work as the founder of EldoHub, an innovation platform that provides tech bootcamps, resources and mentorship to young students in Kenya. Since winning the award, Chepkemoi has begun to organize 15 bootcamps that will support 450 women and girls in the North Rift region of Kenya. “I want to encourage, support and inspire girls and women to consider careers in STEM and help them to excel in the tech field,” she said. “This will contribute to increasing the number of girls joining and excelling in STEM fields.”
Report Date...: 3/23/20
Fellow named a 2020 AfricanDoer
Fellow(s): Crescence Elodie
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
This week, 2018 fellow Crescence Elodie was named a 2020 top 500 #AfricanDoer, joining innovators, thought leaders, entrepreneurs and CEOs throughout the African continent who were recognized for their contributions. The annual list from Tropics Magazine features the most powerful leaders working to shape the future of Africa through their companies, initiatives and research. The list of 500 changemakers were chosen from a list of 1,500 candidates and judged based on their impact, their digital influence and their economic power.
Crescence is the founder and managing director of EN group, a platform that designs tech entrepreneurship programs to create digital empowerment and community development in Central and West Africa. She also recently founded Women in Entrepreneurship and Technology (WETECH), an organization dedicated to supporting African girls and women entrepreneurs through leadership programs, digital entrepreneurship bootcamps and capacity-building trainings. Currently, WETECH is working to support campaigns such as Young African Aviation Professional Association, a non-profit that encourages girls to enter careers in aviation, as well as FAY’AM, an initiative that trains women to craft household products.
Report Date...: 3/16/20
Fellow featured for work in technology and business
Fellow(s): Esra’a Alsanie
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2019
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
2019 fellow of Jordan Esra’a Alsanie was recently featured in Girl Talks Tech, a platform that highlights diverse stories of women in STEM fields. Esra’a is the founder of EnvaTechs, a startup that offers Virtual and Augmented Reality simulation to spread awareness about environmental issues.
In her interview, Esra’a spoke about her career, her advice for women in technology and the core characteristics that have led to her success: “I believe that persistence, dedication and commitment were the main ingredients of my journey, regardless of the challenges associated with it,” she said. Esra’a also listed her top tech influencers, which included Ebony Beckwith, the EVP and chief philanthropy officer at Salesforce who spoke to the TechWomen 2019 cohort during the 2019 Leadership Workshop. Since TechWomen, Esra’a has joined regular mentorship sessions that Ebony hosts, learning more ways to succeed as a woman in tech.
Report Date...: 3/16/20
