Impact Stories from Education Diplomacy/Mentoring Policy Area

000 seed grant win

Fellow(s): Safa Buzgeia (Libya, 2022)

Country: Libya

Cohort: 2022

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

Fablab Libya’s “Libyan STEM Hub”, an educational technology project conceived and spearheaded by fellow Safa Buzgeia (Libya, 2022), recently earned 40,000 USD in grant funding from the Islamic Development Bank as a part of their 14-week Tadamon Accelerator experience. Under Safa’s leadership, the Fablab Libya team prepared a non-profit business plan, submitted a pitch deck, and took part in a pitch competition, ultimately placing in the top three among 47 civil service organizations in the accelerator. The project went on to be recognized as one of Tadamon Accelerator’s seven best development projects at this spring’s Forum on Contributing to the Reduction of Poverty in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Fab Lab Libya is an incubator and civil society organization working to spread the culture of digital manufacturing, technology and entrepreneurship, primarily through the implementation of workshops and projects. Libyan STEM Hub aims to establish a first-of-its-kind interactive electronic educational platform, offering modern and practical STEM teaching methods to help bridge the gap in technology content and capacity building around distance learning in the nation. “I think the Tadamon Accelerator experience offered a great next step, with a wonderful conclusion, to what I learned during my TechWomen impact project journey,” Safa shared in a recent letter.

Report Date...: 8/21/2023

Fellow founds nonprofit Data for Africa Impact (D4AI)

Fellow(s): Rosaline Macharia (Kenya, 2022)

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow Rosaline Macharia (Kenya, 2022) recently founded Data for African Impact (D4AI), a non-profit organization that aims to equip and inspire African youth with data science tools. To mark the founding, D4AI hosted its first webinar, “Decoding Data Science: Unleashing Its Potential,” on August 23. The webinar, featuring prominent Australian data scientist Dr. Xin Li and D4AI Head of Training Charles Ndung’u, offered insights into the present and future applications of data science and elucidated the importance of data science literacy in Africa. In September, the program will also launch STEMEd for girls, a free online training program for high school girls. “The establishment of Data for African Impact stands as a remarkable milestone—a testament to the career goals I set following my TechWomen experience,” Rosaline wrote in a recent post. “My heartfelt appreciation goes out to… my impact coaches, Beth Steinberg and Arezoo Riahi,” she continued. “Your insights and guidance have been a guiding lig

Report Date...: 08/28/2023

Fellow discusses AI for impact on ECA exchange Alumni Podcast

Fellow(s): Dr. Reema Diab (Jordan, 2019)

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2019

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

Fellow Dr. Reema Diab (Jordan, 2019) recently appeared on the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ ExchangeAlumni series, Mentor Talks. In the episode, “Using AI as a Force for Global Good,” Reema discusses her role as an AI global ambassador, demystifies popular misconceptions about artificial intelligence and illustrates how it can be deployed for positive impact. Through her non-governmental organization, Galaxy for Technology, for example, Reema uses AI as a tool for education and skill-building for local refugees. “I founded Galaxy because there was a huge need in my community,” she explained. “We give them intensive training from web development to python to machine learning — the main skills and tools needed to work with global markets.” Reema also discussed her journey in TechWomen. “I have this kind of love in my eyes when I speak of TechWomen,” Reema shared, highlighting the mentorships, partnerships, entrepreneurial knowledge and professional networking opportunities she gained. “It was truly a transformative experience that has significantly shaped my career.” Reema is the first female Jordanian AI Global Ambassador for SwissCognitive, an international keynote speaker, and Founder and CEO of Galaxy for Technology. She is a youth influencer and also serves as a senior AI consultant for Tesla Motors and the World Bank.

Report Date...: 08/28/2023

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

« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 … 52 Next »