Impact Stories from Youth Engagement Policy Area

Fellow wins twice at East Africa Com Awards

Fellow(s): Chao Mbogho

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2017

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

Dr. Chao Mbogho, 2017 fellow of Kenya, recently received the top individual honor awarded at the 2022 East Africa Com Awards, part of Africa Tech Festival. Chao was named Inspiring Leader of the Year for her accomplishments as “a Founder, Mentor, Innovator, Educator and one of the few Kenyan women with a PhD in Computer Science.” East Africa Com praised her achievements by saying “Her prowess in all these areas has made her one of the most inspiring role models of our generation.”
Chao is also founder and CEO of KamiLimu, which itself was also honored at East Africa Com with the 2022 Changing Lives Award. East Africa Com describes why KamiLimu was selected by saying: “Up to 80% of Kenyan tertiary-level students do not receive mentorship outside the classroom, which leads to insufficient expertise in 21st-century skills. KamiLimu, an award-winning non-profit organization, addresses this. Their mission is to bridge the skills gap between classroom learning and global competitiveness for tertiary-level tech students in Kenya.”

Report Date...: 5/16/2022

Mentor(s): Teresa Williams

Company: Office of Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky

Mentor Type: Professional

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement

Mentor Dr. Teresa Williams was recently invited to speak on a panel at Google’s 2022 She’s So STEM virtual event, sharing her experience as a woman in STEM with San Francisco Bay Area high school students. She’s So STEM, now in its sixth year, hosts high school girls at the San Francisco Bay Area to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View to learn about the diverse opportunities in STEM careers. This year’s event featured a coding session, a game design workshop and an opportunity for students to use Google’s virtual reality system. Teresa, a scientific researcher, shared about her career path and the role models who guided and mentored her along the way. She also spoke about the challenges she has faced as a woman in her field, having often been mistaken for an intern or an executive assistant at work. “We need to redefine what a scientist looks like,” she said. The panelists also answered student questions, giving advice on impostor syndrome and encouraging them to avoid comparison: “I told them that we are all on our own individual paths,” Teresa said. “Rather than comparing ourselves to each other, we should really be celebrating each other.”

Report Date...: 5/9/2022

Fellow launches Girls in STEM Mentorship with alumnae support

Fellow(s): Ines Umuhoza, Emma Marie Ndoringoma, Solange Tuyisenge, Marie Claire Murekatete, Christa Uwamahoro, Nadine Uwizeyimana and Felicie Nyinawabali

Country: Rwanda

Cohort: 2014, 2015, 2018, 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

Fellow launches Girls in STEM Mentorship with alumnae support

Before the start of TechWomen 2022, fellow Ines Umuhoza set a goal to leverage her TechWomen mentorship to inspire and mentor young girls in Rwanda. During the program, Ines collaborated with her mentor, Tawish Naqvi of Microsoft, to build out Girls in STEM Mentorship, a project she created of before TechWomen. Shortly after she returned from the U.S., Ines held her first session for 120 girls from Maranyundo Girls School, hosting them for an introductory session about mentorship and how they can benefit from the six‐month Girls in STEM Mentorship project. Ines is the director of programs for Girls in ICT Rwanda/Rwanda Women in Tech, an initiative whose mission is to inspire women and girls to pursue STEM careers. Rwandan fellows Emma Marie Ndoringoma (2013), Solange Tuyisenge (2015), Marie Claire Murekatete (2014),Christa Uwamahoro(2018), Nadine Uwizeyimana (2022) and Felicie Nyinawabali (2022) have joined the mentorship program, serving as advisors and co‐organizers; the program will also receive support from Girls in ICT Rwanda. Solange and Ines are collaborating to create career fair sessions, invite guest speakers and deliver training on soft skills and career guidance. At the Maranyundo Girls School introductory session, the girls were encouraged to ask questions about STEM careers and learn about their choices within STEM fields. “We designed this program to create awareness of different STEM careers by conducting STEM Career Fair days with different women in STEM professions to inspire the girls,” said Ines. “Not only are we inspiring more girls to be part of the women in STEM movement, but we are also going to be providing career guidance, self‐confidence and other soft skills needed to succeed in their future.”

Report Date...: 5/9/2022

Fellow brings STEM training to girls in Ethiopia and Tanzania

Fellow(s): Amanda Obidike

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

2022 fellow Amanda Obidike recently launched STEMNovation, a STEM initiative that trains girls in mobile app development, 3D modeling, 3D printing and basic computer skills. Amanda is a data scientist, general manager for the Sir Emeka Okwuosa Foundation and founder of STEMi Makers Africa, an organization that trains young Africans with 21st century skills. She was recently named to the Most Distinguished African Women Changemakers list by Humanitarian Awards Global. Last month, STEMi Makers launched STEMNovation’s first bootcamp in Tanzania and Ethiopia, bringing young female students through training courses that will prepare them for STEM careers. At the Ethiopia bootcamp, supported by Addis Ababa University and Abugida Robotics Technology Center, girls ages 10-16 learned about computer software, coding and 3D modeling. At the bootcamp’s conclusion, trainees demonstrated their work for other students, parents and community supporters. In Tanzania, STEMi Makers partnered with the Timizandoto Initiative and dLab to support 40 girls in Dar es Salaam with training on AI, drone technologies and data analytics. “We understand that the increasing demand for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are vital to the development and economic growth of a nation,” said STEMi Makers. “As such, women and girls should not be left behind.”

Report Date...: 5/2/2022

Fellow selected as youth speaker at UN event

Fellow(s): Tala Qawasmi

Country: Palestinian Territories

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

2022 fellow Tala Qawasmi was a featured speaker at the 2022 United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, joining the Arab States Region breakout session to discuss supporting youth in developing their skills and finding job opportunities. ECOSOC is focused on advancing economic, social and environmental sustainable development. Their 2022 Youth Forum, “COVID-19 recovery: Youth taking action for a sustainable future,” brought together youth to contribute their ideas and innovations to create sustainable change. Tala is a Geographic Information System (GIS) expert at Preventative Security, an intelligence service of the Palestinian Territories. She previously collaborated with the UNDP to create Get That Job, an initiative that addressed youth unemployment in her community by connecting new graduates with consultants to support with training and job services. At the Youth Forum, Tala shared her story, the challenges she has overcome and how she has made an impact in youth unemployment. Although Get That Job did not officially launch, Tala will soon merge the platform with Josour, the social impact initiative she created alongside her country team during TechWomen 2022. Josour, which means “bridge,” will support women and youth with soft skills training and provide resources on local and international opportunities. “When I worked with my team during TechWomen, I thought it would be better to have this platform in-person and focus on all soft skills that not only fresh graduates need but also students in colleges and schools,” said Tala. “These two initiatives have the same goal. UNDP and Sharek Youth Forum are our partners now and will cooperate with us to make this project a success.”

Report Date...: 4/25/2022

Fellow featured for being an automotive industry trailblazer

Fellow(s): Oduwa Agboneni

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2019

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

2019 fellow Oduwa Agboneni was featured in a spotlight from United Bank of Africa, highlighted for her work as an entrepreneur, mechanical engineer and founder of Nenis Auto Care, an auto garage with a mission to empower women and girls in Nigeria. In addition to founding Nenis Auto Care, Oduwa established Nenis E-Learning Hub where she hosts courses on electric vehicles and trains women with essential skills like changing a tire and checking a car battery. Nenis Auto Care also works with the University of Lagos to host its women engineering students for hands-on internships, and, in 2019, Oduwa created Girls Auto Squad, an automotive training program that addresses the skills shortage and gender gap in the Nigerian automotive industry through empowering underserved girls. “There are very few women in this field because of lack of interest due to societal beliefs that it’s a man’s world,” Oduwa said in the feature. “I’ve tried as much as possible to encourage females…there’s a pride that comes with this field. It comes with respect; it comes with dignity…ladies should not be cut off from benefiting from the automotive industry.”

Report Date...: 3/28/22

TechWomen alumnae support Technovation Turkmenistan

Fellow(s): Maral Hudaybergenova, Radha Basu, Eileen Brewer, Janice Campbell, Erin Keeley, Cora Lam, Zulya Achilova, Zeenat Anjum, Ozoda Ismailova, Sitora Salaeva

Country: Pakistan, Turkmenistan, United States, Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2016, 2018, 2019

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

2018 fellow of Turkmenistan Maral Hudaybergenova recently brought together the TechWomen community to help girls from Technovation Turkmenistan build their confidence, refine their pitches and prepare for Technovation’s global technology competition. Maral, the chapter ambassador for Technovation, launched the first season of the program in Turkmenistan last year. This month she organized a Live Speed Mentoring event, bringing in mentors Radha Basu, Eileen Brewer, Janice Campbell, Erin Keeley and Cora Lam as well as 2019 fellow of Turkmenistan Zulya Achilova, 2019 fellow of Pakistan Zeenat Anjum and fellows of Uzbekistan Ozoda Ismailova (2016) and Sitora Salaeva (2019) to serve as mentors. Together, the fellows, mentors and other supporters met with the Technovation Turkmenistan girls, helping them with their projects that aim to use technology to address leading issues in their communities. 18 teams of girls ages eight to 18 had the opportunity practice pitching their projects to the mentors and gather feedback on their projects and pitch delivery.

Report Date...: 3/21/2022

fellow shares passion for uplifting women and girls, In interview fellow shares passion for uplifting women and girls

Fellow(s): Joy Makumbe

Country: Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2015

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

2015 fellow Joy Makumbe was featured in Harare-based newspaper The Sunday Mail, interviewed about her passion for engineering and her commitment to bringing more women and girls into the field. Joy, a civil and water engineer and project manager, recently published Tech Girl Diaries, a book that chronicles her personal and professional journey in STEM. Through a series of essays, Joy shares lessons and practical advice on how parents, communities and workplaces can support girls and women on their STEM journeys and work together towards addressing the gender imbalance in STEM fields.
In the interview, Joy spoke about her hope for women and girls: “My vision to see more women in Africa take up positions of impact and influence in the engineering and science fields led me to start the Joy Makumbe Trust…a trust dedicated to empowering women with entrepreneurial skills and career guidance.” She also spoke about her role as secretary for the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities, sharing her projects that will house Zimbabweans in need.

Report Date...: 3/14/2022

In TEDx talk fellow speaks about African innovation

Fellow(s): Sharon Telewa

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2018

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

2018 fellow Sharon Telewa was a speaker at TEDxKassel, presenting on the “rise and rise” of technology in the African ecosystem. The TEDx event was themed on “New Realities,” exploring the interplay between society and technology. Sharon, an innovation and business development manager, is currently based in Germany. She began her talk speaking about her education, culture and family, using her own story to dispel common stereotypes of Africa and the African people. She then explored her roles at Safaricom, Andela and Kenya Flying Labs, using her career experience to communicate the ways in which the innovation and technology ecosystem in Africa can be better supported: by strengthening education systems, supporting digital transformation in rural areas and investing in African startups. Sharon also introduced Jedimu Elimu Trust, the initiative she founded that supports local schools with STEM resources, builds digital literacy through training and offers economic empowerment opportunities. “I believe that I can make a difference for my home village and for surrounding villages,” Sharon said. “We’re a small organization with big dreams.”

Report Date...: 3/7/2022

Fellows’ TechWomen social impact project hosts STEM event

Fellow(s): Flora Asibe, Ehiaghe Aigiomawu, Olayinka Fagbemiro, Oluwatoyin Adegoke, Happy Amos and Damilola Asaleye

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

During TechWomen 2020-2021 action planning alongside their Impact Coaches, fellows Flora Asibe, Ehiaghe Aigiomawu, Olayinka Fagbemiro, Oluwatoyin Adegoke, Happy Amos and Damilola Asaleye created EduChamps, a social impact project that provides educational supplies like school bags, textbooks, writing materials and sanitary pads for girls, as well as empowerment trainings in recycling, gardening and more. This month, the fellows held an event with 30 girls from the African Church Grammar School, hosting a day of mentorship and skills training. Jennifer Foltz, U.S. consulate deputy public affairs officer, delivered closing remarks to the students. The day featured workshops in upcycling as well as tech talks from fellows on automotive engineering, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and space science. The students also received solar lanterns and educational supplies such as bags, uniforms, textbooks and sanitary pads to encourage them to stay in school. “My favorite moment was answering the questions from the girls on the career paths they could have in the technical industry,” said Damilola. “Thank you to TechWomen for supporting us with a seed grant for the project, an enabling environment, sisterhood, networks and much more.”

Report Date...: 2/21/2022

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