Impact Stories from Education Diplomacy/Mentoring Policy Area

Fellow(s): Omnia Eteyari

Country: Libya

Cohort: 2013

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

Omnia Eteyari, 2013 fellow of Libya, was invited to speak at the Youth Connekt Africa Summit, July 19-21 in Kigali, Rwanda. The summit provided a “platform for all partners involved in youth development to synergize around policies, programs and partnerships that will help unleash Africa’s youth potential.”

Report Date: 7/17/2017

Fellow(s): Janet Fofang; Guillaine Neza; Marie Claire Murekatete; Faten Khalfallah

Country: Cameroon, Rwanda, Tunisia, Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2013, 2014, 2015

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

In the inaugural FIRST Global robotics challenge, four of the 163 participating country teams were mentored and supported by TechWomen fellows. Janet Fofang, 2013 fellow of Cameroon; Guillaine Neza and Marie Claire Murekatete, 2013 and 2014, respectively, fellows of Rwanda; Faten Khalfallah, 2015 fellow of Tunisia; and Aretha Mare, 2013 fellow of Zimbabwe, traveled with their teams of students, aged 15 to 18 years old, to the international robotics challenge, July 16-18 in Washington, DC.

Report Date: 7/17/2017

Fellow(s): Aliya Janjua and Reshma Singh

Country:

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring

To help the mentor community become acquainted with TechWomen’s newest program country, Pakistan, the TechWomen Alumnae Council hosted an evening featuring traditional Pakistani cuisine, dance and a panel discussion. With 10 Emerging Leaders making up 10% of the 2017 program, the Pakistani ELs comprise the largest country cohort. Mentors Aliya Janjua of Advent Software and Reshma Singh of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory moderated a panel discussion about Pakistan’s history, tech and startup climate, and education trends.

Report Date: 7/10/2017

Fellow(s): Faten Khalfallah and Eman Abusaada

Country: Palestinian Territories, Tunisia

Cohort: 2015

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

Two girls participating in the 2017 TechGirls program are mentored by TechWomen fellows. Eman Abusaada, 2015 fellow of the Palestinian Territories and co-organizer of Banat-Tech – a program founded by TechWomen fellows, and Faten Khalfallah, 2015 fellow of Tunisia and founder of First Skills Club, have mentees participating in the three-week exchange program. “I volunteered to be a co-organizer and Banat-Tech program coordinator at Gaza Strip. I increased awareness about the importance of diverse skills for teenagers,” Eman said. “I encouraged the girls to apply for Techgirls program. I was really proud to be the coordinator and organizer, and now Lina is in Washington.”

Report Date: 7/10/2017

Fellow(s): Janet Fofang

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2013

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

Janet Fofang, 2013 fellow of Cameroon and director of Girls in Tech – Cameroon, has mentored a team of students, aged 15 to 18 years old, to compete in the inaugural FIRST Globalrobotic competition in Washington, D.C. FIRST Global shared a video of the team that wants “to find long-term solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.” Janet also helped organize the Next Einstein Forum’s Africa Science Week in Yaounde, June 27-29, which included a hackathon, women in STEM event and tech meetup.

Report Date: 7/3/2017

Next Einstein Forum

Fellow(s): Sylvia Mukasa

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2014

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

Sylvia Mukasa, 2014 fellow of Kenya and Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Ambassador, helped launch the first NEF Africa Science Week (ASW) in Nairobi, June 27-30. The celebration of science and technology included a hackathon for farming, women in STEM day and panels open to the general public. “We want to provide that platform for relevant discussions and monetary commitments toward research and development in Kenya,” Sylvia said. “The government needs to empower its young people to increase their ability to personally influence what is happening in their lives and communities.”

Report Date: 6/26/2017

Fellow(s): Cisca Oladipo

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2016

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

Cisca Oladipo, 2016 fellow of Nigeria, presented at the International Conference on Technology, Knowledge, and Society at the University of Toronto on May 26. “I was excited talking about the TechWomen initiative and my experiences, as well as the limitless opportunities after my return to my home country,” Cisca explained. Cisca has been appointed head of the computer science department at Federal University Lokoja and helped launch a tech pipelining project supported by Google. “The Google initiative was made possible with the help of my TechWomen mentor Naisha Silva.”

Report Date: 6/12/2017

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

Fellow(s): Keremet Djolboshbekova; Nakylai Taiirova

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2015, 2016

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

Kyrgyzstani fellows, Keremet Djoldoshbekova of 2015 and Nakylai Taiirova of 2016, co-designed a weeklong program with Alif Khalfan, VP of Product Management & Revenue at Disney Consumer Products & Interactive, to teach approximately 70 students the basics of computer science (CS) and expose them to career opportunities.

Report Date: 6/5/2017

Taungana Africa

Fellow(s): Sandra Tererai; Nomso Kana

Country: South Africa, Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2013

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

Taunganafrica has reached more than 900 students in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe since it launched in 2014 with the support of a TechWomen seed grant. 2013 Fellows, Sandra Tererai of Zimbabwe and Nomso Kana of South Africa, have organized annual weeklong STEM expos for rural high school girls.

Report Date: 6/5/2017

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