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.
Read More »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.
Read More »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.
Read More »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.
Read More »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.”
Read More »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.
Read More »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.
Read More »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.
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Report Date...: 4/6/2015