Impact Stories from Education Diplomacy/Mentoring Policy Area

9 Fellows provide leadership support as Techgirls LECs

Fellow(s): Anzurat Kosimova (Tajikistan, 2016), Arielle Kitio Tsamo (Cameroon, 2016), Carolyn Seaman (Nigeria, 2018), Ghada Amin (Egypt, 2018), Helen Mburu (Kenya, 2018), Nadiah Saba’neh, (Palestinian Territories, 2015) Nisreen Deeb (Lebanon, 2013), Ramia Bakain (Jordan, 2022) and Refilwe Ledwaba (South Africa, 2019)

Country: Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Nigeria, Palestinian Territories, South Africa, Tajikistan

Cohort: 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022

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

Fellows Anzurat Kosimova (Tajikistan, 2016), Arielle Kitio Tsamo (Cameroon, 2016), Carolyn Seaman (Nigeria, 2018), Ghada Amin (Egypt, 2018), Helen Mburu (Kenya, 2018), Nadiah Saba’neh, (Palestinian Territories, 2015) Nisreen Deeb (Lebanon, 2013), Ramia Bakain (Jordan, 2022) and Refilwe Ledwaba (South Africa, 2019) recently served as Local Engagement Coordinators (LECs) for the 2023 TechGirls program. LECs provide ongoing mentorship and support for 100+ girls from 35 countries who travel to Virginia Tech for one month per year to further their futures in STEM. “An absolute highlight for me was when Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for the ECA (Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs), addressed the TechGirls community,” Nadiah shares. “[And] the special message from Secretary of State Antony Blinken left us all with a renewed sense of hope for a brighter tomorrow.”

Report Date...: 08/07/2023

Fellow leads Dell design thinking workshops

Fellow(s): Zeinab El Sayed (Egypt, 2020-2021)

Country: Egypt

Cohort: 2020-2021

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

Fellow leads Dell design thinking workshops

Fellow Zeinab El Sayed (Egypt, 2020-2021) recently led the delivery of two design thinking (DT) workshops at Dell Technologies Egypt for high school and undergraduate university students. At the Dell star and summer academy workshops, Zeinab, along with a team of coaches, taught design thinking methodology to over 100 students engaging in interactive technical, soft skills, and career workshops with experts from Dell Technologies. The students would go on to utilize their learnings to develop and pitch practical solutions for real world issues as part of their mentorship programs. Zeinab currently serves as lead on all design thinking programs at Dell Technologies in Cairo. She is also a certified lean six sigma—yellow belt instructor.

Report Date...: 10/02/2023

Fellow founds STEM Sensitization Talks for Nigerian girls

Fellow(s): Adeola Aremu (Nigeria, 2022)

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow Adeola Aremu (Nigeria, 2022) recently launched her first event for nonprofit initiative, STEM Sensitization Talks, which was held for secondary school girls in Kwara State, Nigeria. The purpose of the event was to educate girls on the gender gap in STEM and encourage them to enroll in science and technology classes for the upcoming academic year. “It was an eye opening session for the girls as they affirmed that STEM seeds have been sown in their hearts,” Adeola shared in a recent post. She has launched this initiative to steer girls toward STEM courses on their promotion to Senior Secondary classes, which is a major determinant for continuing on into higher education and careers in STEM. “It’s a ‘catch them young’ approach,” Adeola wrote in recent communications with the team. “It’s a way of giving back to TechWomen.”

Report Date...: 9/18/2023

Fellow organizes AI-centered hackathon for Arab youths

Fellow(s): Ruba Awais and Rasha (Hammo) Abu Dayyeh (Palestinian Territories, 2017)

Country: Palestinian Territories

Cohort: 2017

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

Ruba and Rasha organized the fourth hackathon of their platform, Vtech Road, which empowers Arabic youth to develop UN SDG-focused innovations.

Cofounders of Vtech Road, fellows Ruba Awais and Rasha (Hammo) Abu Dayyeh (Palestinian Territories, 2017), recently organized their fourth VTech Road hackathon, AI4us. Composed of six teams charged with utilizing artificial intelligence to develop entrepreneurial ideas targeted at United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Vtech Road is an innovation platform that empowers Arabic youth to develop SDG-focused tech projects. Each team was provided access to educational content from the platform, AI4us.tech, which included mentor-led live training sessions centered on the ethics and applications of AI. “Seeing the passion and enthusiasm of young Palestinian entrepreneurs, their creativity and commitment to making a difference through technology, has always been incredibly inspiring,” Ruba shared in a recent post.

Report Date...: 9/11/2023

Fellow advocates for youth sexual health on panel

Fellow(s): Ngwashi Christabel, MD (Cameroon, 2020-2021)

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2020-2021

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

Ngwashi spoke on a panel focused on helping youth break the stigma around sexual health education and discussion this August.

Fellow Ngwashi Christabel, MD (Cameroon, 2020-2021) recently spoke on a panel, “Normalizing Age Appropriate Sex Education and Conversations,” at a summit produced by Sexual Health Companion in Buea, Cameroon. The aim of the event was to empower youths in understanding their sexual and reproductive health and rights by breaking the stigma around the topic. During the panel, Ngwashi focused on “the 3 ‘I’s of sexual education: being intentional, incidental and inclusive.” Ngwashi is a medical doctor and global health specialist focused on maternal, adolescent, reproductive and child health (MARCH) care services and counselling, particularly in conflict-affected areas in Cameroon. She is also the founder of More Than Just An MD (MT-JAM Health), a platform that utilizes storytelling as a tool to increase health literacy and patient-centered care. She also serves as a Health Specialist African Fellow for the World Bank.

Report Date...: 09/04/2023

Fellow serves as cybersecurity panelist and podcast guest during DATAFest Africa conference in Nairobi

Fellow(s): Sophie Ngassa Monkam (Cameroon, 2014)

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2014

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

Fellow Sophie Ngassa Monkam (Cameroon, 2014) recently served as a panelist and live podcast guest in Nairobi, Kenya during DATAFest Africa, an annual event centered on the continuously developing impact of data science on the African continent. The podcast session, titled “Innovative pathways to digital resilience for women at work,” revolved around exploring different methods to empower women, improve their proficiency in digital skill and equip them with the necessary tools to adapt and excel in the digital environment of the contemporary workplace. Sophie is an Incident Response Analyst and Digital Security trainer for human rights defenders, social actors and peace advocates working on the frontline of peacebuilding in Cameroon. Among her many projects, she also runs a Tech4Peace podcast powered by DefyHateNow, called “Digital Peace Building with Sophie.” This spring, Sophie served as the Distinguished Trainer at the Digital Security Training for Human Rights Defenders in Limbe and Bamenda, focusing on how women’s rights activists can utilize tools such as encryption, VPNs and two-factor authentication to safeguard their online activity. “I found my passion in cybersecurity,” Sophie explains, “amid the endless attacks that my peers and I face online working in digital advocacy in our efforts to build lasting peace and social cohesion in Cameroon.”

Report Date...: 7/31/2023

Fellow hosts week-long digital youth training camp

Fellow(s): Mahri Gylyjova (Turkmenistan, 2022)

Country: Turkmenistan

Cohort: 2022

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

Mahri hosted a week-long series of digital training classes for Turkmen youths with the support of the Union of Economists of Turkmenistan and USAID.

Fellow Mahri Gylyjova (Turkmenistan, 2022) recently hosted a week-long digital training session for youths in concert with the Union of Economists of Turkmenistan and USAID. Mahri utilized the opportunity to cover topics a range of practical and theoretical topics, including the top competitive digital skills in the labor market, the ethics of behavior on the internet, cyber security, advanced Excel skills, rising professions in tech and the ten most common problems with computers and accessories. “It was a busy week full of new acquaintances with talented, energetic young people of Ashagabt,” Mahri expressed in a recent post. Mahri is a freelance trainer of digital skills focused on scratch programming and computer literacy.

Report Date...: 07/24/2023

Fellow initiative hosts U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission to raise awareness of State exchange programs

Fellow(s): Janatu Veronica Sesay (Sierra Leone, 2022)

Country: Sierra Leone

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow initiative hosts U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission to raise awareness of State exchange programs

STEM Girls Initiative Sierra Leone, a program of which fellow Janatu Veronica Sesay (Sierra Leone, 2022) is founder and CEO, recently hosted U.S. Embassy Freetown Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie A. Bunce during an event held to raise awareness of exchange programs offered by the U.S. Department of State. Held at Njala University, the STEM Girls Initiative event was attended by hundreds of staff and students, to whom the U.S Embassy representatives provided insights and encouragement on eligibility and application for these programs and how to become part of a community of impact. Fellows from these programs, including TechWomen, Fulbright and YALI, also contributed to the program, sharing their exchange experiences and the positive impacts they’ve since been able to effect on their communities upon returning home. “TechWomen has helped me connect with changemakers across the globe and build lifelong relationships that will lead to collaboration,” and U.S. Public Relations Officer Sarah Van Horne, who was also in attendance at the event. STEM Girls Initiative Sierra Leone was born out of Janatu’s experience as a TechWomen Emerging Leader. It aims to raise awareness among junior and secondary school girls on how to find career paths in STEM, aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal three (SDG3).

Report Date...: 04/10/2023

"Fellows announces partnership with UpLink at UN Summit"

Fellow(s): Fellows announces partnership with UpLink at UN Summit – Lindiwe Matlali

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2017

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

This fall at the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development Goals in New York, Fellow Lindiwe Matlali (South Africa, 2017) announced a partnership between her initiative Africa Teen Geeks and UpLink, a division of the World Economic Forum (WEF) tasked with supporting innovation. Together they “hope to build a movement of teen innovators and raise awareness of sustainability issues around the globe,” she noted, with a program designed to arm the next generation of students with the hard and soft skills needed to lead creative STEM-based innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa.
Lindiwe became a contributing writer, interviewer, speaker and panelist for the WEF after winning their Social Innovator award in 2020. She also spoke at their Pioneers of Change event in 2020 and interviewed African-American tech-preneur and inventor of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Marian Croak, about whom she is also producing a documentary.
In her involvement with the WEF, Lindiwe is particularly focused on democratizing access to power and influence by bringing in children from disadvantaged communities to participate in the exclusive business network. “How can we take children with skills and talent and put them in front of someone who can make it happen for them?” she asks. “This is really about teaching kids how to innovate for non-consumption and innovate themselves out of poverty. It’s about leveling the playing field and a creating an ecosystem of innovators who can access WEF networkers, the people looking for those innovations,” Lindiwe expanded. “I want every kid to know that they can create global companies by serving the underserved.”

Report Date...: 11/21/2022

"Fellow leads UX workshop for EdTech platform"

Fellow(s): Fellow leads UX workshop for EdTech platform – Wadzanayi Kimberley Bwanya

Country: Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow Wadzanayi Kimberley Bwanya (Zimbabwe, Spring 2022) recently led a UX Design workshop for students at Uncommon.org, an EdTech nonprofit. The training session included the topics of soft skills that define great designers, understanding problems before “diving into design” and methods for justifying design decisions.
Wadzanayi, a leader in UX design and development in her community in Bulawayo, is the founder and CEO of Beedesigned Studio, which provides UX services for socially-conscious organizations. She’s also the cofounder of Tea in 60, a platform for women and girls to network, co-mentor and share opportunities and learnings in STEM. Additionally, she recently served on an expert-led panel discussion, “Utilizing Technology for Growth,” an event sponsored by several tech hubs and studios in the Bulawayo region.

Report Date...: 10/31/2022

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