Recently, TechWomen Mentors and Emerging Leaders met in Rwanda and Morocco alongside representatives from the U.S. Department of State to explore the thriving STEM ecosystem in Africa and the Middle East and connect with women and girls to encourage them to pursue opportunities in the STEM fields. Highlights from the trip to Rwanda included engaging with female entrepreneurs at innovative start-ups in Kigali and visiting the Mayange Millennium Village’s Connect To Learn facility, which provides female students technology training, education, and hands-on practice. In Morocco, members of the delegation visited many of the country’s cultural sites in the cities of Rabat, Casablanca, and Fez, spoke with female high school and university students about STEM careers, and exchanged ideas with female technology professionals at the Women Entrepreneurs in Technology Conference.
The delegation trips are a key component to the TechWomen program, and help the program come full-circle with reciprocal cultural exchange. The visits to Rwanda and Morocco strengthened TechWomen’s network while reconnecting alumnae with one another, and left Mentors excited about working with the next class of Emerging Leaders in October. During the trips, delegates shared their experiences through the #TWrwanda and #TWmorocco Twitter hashtags. Our favorite tweets, photos, and videos from the delegation trips are highlighted below.
#twmorocco @nezhalahrissi Thank you for the warmest welcome we @techwomen could ever ask for! https://t.co/0Gvx0okZF1
— Ann (@WhereAnnFlies) March 9, 2014
#twrwanda panel shares their stories of finding a passion for STEM careers pic.twitter.com/kqd2aAG0gz
— Julie Baher (@jarber) February 3, 2014
.@TechWomen from around the world collaborate in Morocco. Their experience in their words here: http://t.co/IbxwXUv116 #TWmorocco
— Exchange Programs (@ECAatState) March 14, 2014
Rockin’ the Qasbah de Chellah with #TWmorocco pic.twitter.com/UlHNPdOua9
— Andrea Leszek (@aleszek) March 9, 2014
Missing you in Rwanda, @LeeSatterfield! pic.twitter.com/zvvtreZvPh
— Sheila Casey (@SheilaDCasey) February 7, 2014
With US Ambassador to Rwanda Donald Koran in support of @TechWomen & girls in STEM #twrwanda @SFDCtechwomen pic.twitter.com/feGe43D52a
— Jeanette Zalder (@jzalder) February 8, 2014
The multiplier effect on the #techwomen community explained by @jfinlayson #twmorocco pic.twitter.com/REY0ZgKUpp
— Cecile Thirion (@CecileSF) March 13, 2014
The #twrwanda team checking out @NiNyampinga magazine: written for girls, by girls. #girleffect pic.twitter.com/iu6zaLEWPU
— Girl Hub Rwanda (@GirlHubRwanda) February 6, 2014
Empowering women leaders in tech begins with mentoring girls about #STEM fields: http://t.co/0mHlagOgyQ #TWmorocco pic.twitter.com/HdLPZ0GeJh
— TechWomen (@TechWomen) March 14, 2014
@TechWomen alumni travel Morocco on their big green bus! #TWmorocco w/ @SheilaDCasey @hramseySF @WhereAnnFlies pic.twitter.com/5H6HuyvW4k
— Kelsey Brannan (@KelsBran) March 11, 2014
Gashora girls solving slow restaurant service in Africa 🙂 #twrwanda pic.twitter.com/hLeO43KG7V
— Jill Wetzler (@JillWetzler) February 13, 2014
@sheiladcasey adressing @TechWomen @techwomen women in stem event in #kigali. #twrwanda pic.twitter.com/2EXiwoOF2C
— Lexi Curtice (@LexiKCurtice) February 3, 2014
Eman from Egypt walking us thru the impact of #techwomen pg on mentees #twmorocco pic.twitter.com/K93GBLWiFO
— Cecile Thirion (@CecileSF) March 13, 2014
On the board at @HeHeMobile. I love it! #twrwanda pic.twitter.com/o3zT8TolwZ
— Beth Steinberg (@bsteinbe) February 7, 2014
To learn more about the 2014 TechWomen Delegation Trips, subscribe to our blog and read our day-by-day coverage of the trips to Rwanda and Morocco. We also encourage you to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on the TechWomen program.
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