Impact Stories from Economic Impact Policy Area

Small Grants Program of the U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission

Fellow(s): Nazira Sheraly

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2016

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

Charba, a company started by 2016 fellow of Kyrgyzstan, Nazira Sheraly, received an award through the Small Grants Program of the U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission, administered by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek. Charba’s mission is to use innovative technologies to create affordable and high quality greenhouses. In partnership with Atuul, a local NGO, Nazira’s company is using the grant to educate women on the greenhouse business and business in general, to coach women who are implementing their own business ideas and to monitor and evaluate the newly established businesses. To further motivate the women involved, Nazira plans to hold a competition to provide additional mentorship and support for seven winners to make their businesses more successful.

Report Date: 8/7/2017

One Child, One Desk

Fellow(s): Amanda Gicharu-Kemoli, Angeline Kasina, Cheryl Kerama, Margaret Ndisha and Lucy Wanjiku

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement

In Kenya, the lack of desk space in schools can be a barrier against students completing their education. In a guest blog post, the five 2016 fellows of Kenya, Amanda Gicharu-Kemoli, Angeline Kasina, Cheryl Kerama, Margaret Ndisha and Lucy Wanjiku, share about the launch of their initiative to improve the student-to-desk ratio in their country. Using the $2,500 seed grant they won during the 2016 TechWomen program, and leveraging local resources such as the Kenya Prisons Carpentry Section, the fellows were able to create new desk space for 150 students at a marginalized school outside of Nairobi.

Report Date: 7/31/2017

Fellow(s): Joy Makumbe

Country: Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2015

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability

Joy Makumbe, 2015 fellow of Zimbabwe, discusses her startup challenges and the impact of TechWomen on her personal and professional life in an interview featured on She Leads Africa. SunPower hosted Joy for her mentorship, where she “realized that there was so much untapped potential in Zimbabwe for solar power on the domestic, industrial and agricultural fields,” Joy stated.

Report Date: 6/12/2017

World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa

Fellow(s): Omnia Eteyari

Country: Libya

Cohort: 2013

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Professional Growth

Omnia Eteyari, 2013 fellow of Libya and member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, participated in the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, May 19-21, at the Dead Sea, Jordan. Omnia met leaders from partnering countries and worked with other thought leaders to brainstorm ideas on using technology to prosper and develop the region.

Report Date: 5/22/2017

Fellow(s): Afnan Ali

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2011

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement

Afnan Ali, 2011 fellow of Jordan, founded Eureka Tech Academy in 2013 to teach children the concepts of engineering and invention to transform ideas into products. Since then, more than 500 students have participated in her programs, and she has developed a team of three full-time and 19 part-time employees. In December 2016, Afnan pitched Eureka at the Rise Up Summit in Cairo, Egypt. She was one of six entrepreneurs selected out of 23 pitches to participate in a 10-day acceleration program hosted by RiseUp and TechWadi in Silicon Valley.

Report Date: 4/10/2017

Fellow(s): 2016 Tunisian Cohort

Country: Tunisia

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact

The 2016 Tunisian Cohort is organizing a hackathon this month to increase community contributors and to take the first step in creating the visual image of their mobile app, WA9TECH. The cohort received one of five 2016 TechWomen seed grants to implement their action plan to centralize information about public transportation in Tunisia. The cohort explained, “We will be building an application that enables users to share information about public transit like departure and arrival times or possible incidents. Based on that data, the users can access at any moment that information to schedule their trip, be on time and save money.”

Report Date: 4/3/2017

Fellow(s): Abiola Illupeju

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2015

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship

Abiola Ilupeju, 2015 fellow of Nigeria, founded Moat Academy in 2016 to support locally developed, high-quality software by providing training to ICT graduates to increase their qualifications and employability. In January, the academy’s first cohort graduated, followed by another cohort in March.

Report Date: 3/27/2017

doITwomen

Fellow(s): Shodiyabegim Bakhtiyorzoda

Country: Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2015

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Professional Growth

Shodiyabegim Bakhtiyorzoda, 2015 fellow of Uzbekistan, recently launched doITWomen, an initiative for women in her home country. The social project aims to help females who are on maternity leave, retired or have limited access and knowledge of computers by teaching them about computers, the internet, Microsoft products and programming.

Report Date: 7/25/2016

Mozilla Cameroon Festival

Fellow(s): Dorothée Danedjo Fouba

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2014

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls

Dorothee organized the first Mozilla Festival in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The festival brought together technologists and students to inform individuals about Mozilla products and, in particular, free tech tools for women to launch their own businesses.

Report Date: 11/23/2015

Citizens on the Frontline (Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund)

Fellow(s): Dorothee Fouba

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2014

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact

Cameroon’s TechWomen fellow Dorothee Fouba is engaged in an initiative to leverage the power of technology to mobilize citizens to promote security and safety for people from Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad, and Niger from Boko Haram forces in the region. The goal of this initiative is to empower citizens by equipping them with the tools and technology need to help their communities and address challenges first-hand.

Report Date: 4/6/2015