Impact Stories from Professional Growth Policy Area
Team South Africa makes progress on action plan project
Fellow(s): Chiedza Mnguni, Ridhwana Khan,Fanelwa Ajayi, Emily Pather and Danai Nhando,
Country: South Africa, Zimbabwe
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Team South Africa, one of five teams to win a $3,000 seed grant during the 2017 program for their action plan project, has made considerable progress in the implementation of their initiative, Kasi Maths. Kasi Maths aims to provide math tutoring services to students in underprivileged communities. The team members include fellows Chiedza Mnguni, Ridhwana Khan, Fanelwa Ajayi and Emily Pather, as well as Danai Nhando, a fellow of Zimbabwe currently residing in South Africa.
As part of the initial phase of the project, the team has partnered with the U.S. Embassy in Johannesburg to use the American Space Innovation Studio in Soweto township, including computers, technology kits, books and a 3D printer, for program activities. Through a partnership with the University of Johannesburg’s Community Engagement Department, five university students will serve as volunteers during each Kasi Maths session. The team has identified 20 students from Tlhatlogang Secondary School in Soweto township to participate in the program’s first cohort, and they are currently working closely with the school to design a curriculum that supplements what is taught in class. The first cohort of students will begin the program in June.
Read More »Report Date...: 4/30/2018
Fellow invited to speak at Women Techmakers event
Fellow(s): Imen Ammar
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
2017 fellow of Tunisia, Imen Ammar, was invited by Women Techmakers Sousse to be a speaker at Building a New Horizon, an event to belatedly commemorate International Women’s Day. On May 1, Imen will discuss her TechWomen mentorship experience at Twitter this past September, where she was able to delve deeper into her passion for web programming and machine learning.
This event is part of a larger event series organized by Women Techmakers, a Google initiative that aims to empower women in tech through regular programming all over the world. Women Techmakers programming is tailored to women in local communities who are interested in STEM and includes workshops, networking meetups and lectures with inspiring speakers.
Report Date...: 4/23/2018
Fellow named one of 20 young Nigerians to watch
Fellow(s): Olamide (Mide) Ayeni
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth
Olamide (Mide) Ayeni, 2017 fellow of Nigeria, has been featured in 20 Young Nigerians to Watch in 2018 by Ripples Nigeria. The list celebrates young Nigerians who “have made a great positive impact on their environment and chosen field.” Mide was highlighted for her social enterprise organization, Pearl Recycling, which pays people to collect solid waste items such as plastic, car tires, wood, newspapers and other recyclables in order to turn them into furniture. Mide’s recycled creations include coffee tables, chairs, mirrors, flower vases and wall décor. She started this initiative in the hopes that it would mitigate the growing amount of waste in Lagos that is often dumped into the ocean or burned.
Ripples Nigeria is a multimedia online news platform based in Nigeria that reports on politics and the economy.
Read More »Report Date...: 4/23/2018
Mobile app programming course
Fellow(s): Ala’a Agha Karss
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2017 fellow of Jordan, Ala’a Agha Karss, is teaching a course on mobile app programming for The Hashemite University, her alma mater. Twenty-seven students were selected to participate in the course, which is being hosted at the Zain Innovation Campus, a site that aims to activate and ignite the startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Jordan and the MENA region. The course will provide students with an opportunity to connect with the private sector through quality training, and by the end of the course, students will have developed their own pilot project.
As the founder of Superiors, Ala’a has a breadth of experience with creative web solutions and mobile applications. Her company builds websites, implements ERP systems, provides consultations on web design and conducts training sessions for students.
Report Date...: 4/16/2018
Power of 40
Fellow(s): Nomso Kana, Tiisetso Lephoto, and Lindiwe Matlali
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2013, 2016, 2017
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
Three fellows of South Africa – Lindiwe Matlali (2017), Nomso Kana (2013) and Dr. Tiisetso Lephoto (2016) – recently attended an event at the U.S. Embassy in South Africa honoring the 2017 winners of Destiny’s Power 40 list. The Power 40 list, developed by Destiny Magazine and Destiny Man, honors inspirational and accomplished women and men under 40. Lindiwe and Nomso were both selected for the 2017 Power 40 list, while Tiisetso is connected to Destiny Magazine through being featured in an article about South Africa’s dynamic new female scientists.
During the event, several distinguished attendees recognized those honored and discussed the importance of exchange programs and mentorship. Chargé d’Affaires Jessye Lapenn, from the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, highlighted those on the Power 40 list who participated in exchange programs in the past, noting, “We see these exchange programs as extraordinary tools to support South Africa’s next generation of leaders and to contribute to friendly and close relations between our peoples.”
Read More »Report Date...: 4/16/2018
Team Cameroon makes progress on action plan project
Fellow(s): Beatrice Nguimkeng, Danielle Akini, Meyo Zongo, Mpara Faith and Patu Ndango
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
Team Cameroon, one of five teams to win a $3,000 seed grant during the 2017 program for their action plan project, has taken exciting steps to reach their goal. The team members – Beatrice Nguimkeng, Danielle Akini, Meyo Zongo, Mpara Faith and Patu Ndango – proposed a project called Able Too, which aims to train teachers who work with special needs children. The team plans to create an online platform that will connect 300 trained teachers and specialists to other teachers and parents to enable the sharing of resources, experiences and expertise to best engage and support schoolchildren with special needs.
Thus far, the team has selected special education experts and communicated their mission to parents of special needs children. Most recently, they developed a web platform for ABLE Too that includes a blog, chat forums and a library with resources about different types of special needs. This platform is intended to empower parents and teachers who work with special needs children and provide them with useful information and strategies.
Read More »Report Date...: 4/16/2018
Fellow elected as first female on University Governing Council
Fellow(s): Cisca Oladipo
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
Last week, 2016 fellow of Nigeria ‘Cisca Oladipo became the first and only female to be elected to the Governing Council of the Federal University Lokoja. The Governing Council is the highest decision-making body at the university, responsible for approving financial guidelines and determining the terms and conditions of appointments of Vice Chancellors and other principal officers. “It was a fierce battle seeking election into such an important position in a region with so much cultural bias against females, and I have my TechWomen training to thank for equipping me with the necessary skills for overcoming these initial fears and impostor’s syndrome,” said ‘Cisca.
Report Date...: 4/9/2018
Fellow selected for Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme
Fellow(s): Mpara Faith
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
Mpara Faith, 2017 fellow of Cameroon, was recently selected for the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme for her work on Scholar, an online platform supported by Mpara’s startup New Generation Technologies, which provides valuable software for educational institutions. The software offers admissions and attendance record-keeping, transcript and finance management and a range of other services.
The Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme runs 12 weeks and equips African startups with crucial skills to launch their businesses, covering topics from marketing strategy to product design. The program also provides each participating initiative with a $10,000 seed grant.
Report Date...: 4/2/2018
Fellow named to Forbes 30 under 30 Asia 2018 list
Fellow(s): Sadia Bashir
Country: Pakistan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
Sadia Bashir, was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list in the Enterprise Technology category. Sadia is the cofounder of PixelArt Games Academy, a company that creates a platform for individuals who are interested in game development to enhance their skills and collaborate with others in the field of gaming. In an effort to address the gender gap in the gaming industry, her program maintains an enrollment rate of at least 33% women and has scholarships available for women who wish to participate. Sadia also strives to empower more women to break barriers and enter the tech industry in Pakistan and around the world. As her Forbes profile notes, “her success has inspired women in Pakistan to dream bigger.”
Sadia is one of only seven Pakistanis to make the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and one of only five women to make the list in the Enterprise Technology category.
Read More »Report Date...: 4/2/2018
2017 Kenyan fellows begin work on their action plan project
Fellow(s): Chao Mbogo, Charity Wanjiku, Janet Leparteleg, Ruth Kaveke and Topy Muga
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
Team Kenya, one of the five teams to win a $3,000 seed grant during the 2017 program for their action plan project, has made great progress towards bringing their idea to reality. The team members – Chao Mbogo, Charity Wanjiku, Janet Leparteleg, Ruth Kaveke and Topy Muga – pitched an idea to address the sanitation problem in Kenyan schools by decreasing the toilet-to-student ratio by at least 50%. Their winning project idea, now registered locally as Digniti Charitable Trust, will partner with existing sanitation providers to build new toilets, launch a hygiene curriculum in schools and create an accountability model that rewards schools that sustain high sanitation standards. Team Kenya has recently selected Reten Primary School for the pilot project, a school that currently has only one toilet shared by the entire student body. The pilot will begin implementation at Reten Primary School in May.
Read More »Report Date...: 4/2/2018
