Impact Stories from Empowering Women and Girls Policy Area

TechWomen and TechGirls alumnae meet A/S Satterfield
Fellow(s): TechWomen and TechGirls alumnae meet A/S Satterfield
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2019
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls
Seven TechWomen and TechGirls alumnae from Jordan recently took part in a fireside chat with Assistant Secretary of the ECA Lee Satterfield at the U.S. Embassy in Amman. The purpose of the event was for A/S Satterfield to learn more about how these exchange programs have influenced the fellows’ lives and ability to affect local impact. “The session was full of inspiration,” said fellow Esra’a Elsanie (2019), “from hearing the ladies’ stories to feeling the attention that A/S Satterfield is giving to these programs. I really felt empowered that there’s someone in such a position who cares to hear our story and understand our journeys.” As a cornerstone of her visit, A/S Satterfield also delivered remarks at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Jordanian-American Commission for Educational Exchange (JACEE), also known as the Jordan Fulbright Commission.
Read More »Report Date...: 06/26/2023

Fellow speaks at water and sanitation conference
Fellow(s): Sylvia Nyaga (Kenya, 2022)
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow speaks at water and sanitation conference
Fellow Sylvia Nyaga (Kenya, 2022) led a session entitled, “Gender and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) financing: Overcoming challenges faced by women-led SMEs (small and midsized enterprises)” at the National Conference on Bankability and Blended financing for SMEs and WASH initiatives, held in Nairobi this spring. “Billions of people worldwide, including 1 billion people with #disabilities, still live without safely managed drinking water, safely managed sanitation and basic hygiene services,” Sylvia wrote in a recent post. “The financing of water and sanitation infrastructure projects in emerging markets is at the heart of this global challenge.” Sylvia is the founder of Syna Consultancy, a social enterprise dedicated to providing safe, inclusive and dignified sanitation experiences, with a focus on elderly, sick, and mobility-impaired individuals. Through Syna, she has developed the UTULAV toilet, an accessible and portable device for the physically challenged.
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Report Date...: 06/19/2023

will travel to U.S. for whirlwind visit to NASA and more
Fellow(s): Dania Maraqah (Palestinian Territories, 2022)
Country: Palestinian Territories
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow mentors winning high school team in Tech-Talent 2023, will travel to U.S. for whirlwind visit to NASA and more
Fellow and physics teacher Dania Maraqah (Palestinian Territories, 2022) recently mentored a winning team in the Tech-Talent 2023 Grand Finale, a science and entrepreneurship competition for high school students in Gaza and the West Bank. As the supervising teacher, Dania and her team, along with 11 other teams selected from hundreds of students, have won the opportunity to experience a 10-day trip to the U.S. to visit NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the University of South Florida College of Marine Sciences and the Imagineers at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. The Tech-Talent program, created by Al-Nayzak (the Meteor Foundation), offers the opportunity for Palestinian high school students to innovate and present unique STEM projects intended for real-world applications. The U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs partners with the Meteor Foundation to help sponsor this event. “As an alumna of TechWomen 2022 Fall,” Dania shared in a recent post, “I am truly grateful for the profound impact the TechWomen program has had on my life, inspiring me to step up and become a mentor for a team of incredible girls in the tech-talent contest.”
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Report Date...: 06/12/2023

Fellow featured in article on Technovation Girls’ success
Fellow(s): Maral Hudaybergenova (Turkmenistan, 2018)
Country: Turkmenistan
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow featured in article on Technovation Girls’ success
Fellow Maral Hudaybergenova (Turkmenistan, 2018) was featured in a recent article for her role in the success of Technovation Girls Turkmenistan as their Regional Ambassador. The story covers the program’s second year in the country, during which participants engaged in 12 weeks of training and project development that included market research, application buildout and video production. The Regional Pitch Day, held at Ashgabat International School, was attended by U.S. Ambassador Matthew Klimow and resulted in four teams, double over the year prior, being selected for the world finals. Finalists, to be announced June 30, will attend the World Summit in Silicon Valley this October. “Technovation is not just a competition,” Maral shared. “There are no winners and losers. All participants are part of a global community of like-minded people striving to change the world for the better.”
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Report Date...: 06/12/2023

Mentor-conceived Climate Smart Women Energy Leaders program launches at Berkeley National Lab
Fellow(s): Mentor Reshma Singh
Country:
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development
Mentor-conceived Climate Smart Women Energy Leaders program launches at Berkeley National Lab
Mentor Reshma Singh recently took part in the formal launch of the Climate Smart Women Energy Leaders program (CS-WEL) as part of the Net Zero World (NZW) Initiative. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where Reshma works as a Senior Advisor and Program Director, the new initiative serves to empower women leaders in the energy sector from partner countries through intensive training, peer learning and ongoing coaching and mentoring. The launch included leaders from seven countries, including India, for which Reshma serves as the Country Co-Coordinator for the NZW. The NZW initiative was launched in 2021 by DOE Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, with the aim of transitioning to net zero energy systems across multiple sectors, including transportation, industry, buildings, carbon capture and geologic storage, energy storage and the power grid. Berkeley Lab contributes leadership and technical expertise in the recently established NZW Action Center, which is part of a network that promotes global net zero emission energy systems that are inclusive, equitable and resilient.
Read More »Report Date...: 06/05/2023

Fellow speaks at Africa Energies Summit in London
Fellow(s): Sondos Samara (Jordan, 2018)
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow speaks at Africa Energies Summit in London
Fellow Sondos Samara (Jordan, 2018) recently met with U.S. First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, during a USAID event organized with the U.S. Embassy of Jordan in Amman. Sondos Samara was one of four women entrepreneurs currently receiving USAID Business Growth Activity (BGA) support who were invited to the event, where they had the opportunity to discuss their businesses and the contributions that they are making to their sectors. The USAID BGA is a five-year project implemented by Financial Markets International that provides technical and financial support to qualifying small and medium enterprises in Jordan. Sondos is a quality manager at the Environmental Laboratory for Microbiological and Chemical Analysis in Jordan and the founder of Sanadyme, a medtech social entrepreneurship startup.
Read More »Report Date...: 06/05/2023

Fellow to serve as jurist for Project Afaq competition
Fellow(s): Nadiah Saba’neh (Palestinian Territories, 2015)
Country: Palestinian Territories
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow to serve as jurist for Project Afaq competition
Fellow Nadiah Saba’neh (Palestinian Territories, 2015) was recently selected to serve as a jury member for Project Afaq in Jericho. Supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by Ma’an Development Center, Project Afaq aims to promote economic empowerment for low income residents of the Jericho and Jordan Valley Governorate, with a focus on women aged 19 to 50. Technical and financial support will be provided to assist women in establishing and leading their own initiatives with the goal of promoting their economic participation and reducing poverty in the targeted regions.25 out of 50 women will compete for the chance to secure grants for entrepreneurial ventures and 18 women will receive vocational training opportunities targeted at their specific interests and passions. Through a comprehensive intervention,” Nadiah wrote in a recent post, “we strive to empower them economically and enhance their resilience in a sustainable manner. Nadiah is the founder of FINOMENA (Female Innovators & Investors of MENA), a digital platform for women entrepreneurs. She also recently completed the European Elective module offered by the Kellogg-WHU Executive MBA Program in Vallendar, Germany.
Read More »Report Date...: 05/22/2023

Team Pakistan launches seed grant-funded mobile app & campaign to address climate change
Fellow(s): Team Pakistan 2022
Country: Pakistan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Team Pakistan launches seed grant-funded mobile app & campaign to address climate change
Fall 2022 Team Pakistan, made up of fellows Amara Dar, Sadaf Gul, Ramla Hassan, Sadafi Shah, Anum Sadiq and Shehnaz Zakia, has recently launched their climate change awareness campaign as part of their TechWomen seed-grant winning initiative. The project, AGAHi, seeks to help people understand, prevent and protect themselves from the devastating effects of climate change following the catastrophic floods that took place in Pakistan last summer. The cornerstone of the campaign is the AGAHi SOS mobile application, available in the Google Play store. It provides real-time flood warning notifications, location risk tracking, local emergency and service contacts, safety tips, and the option to report floods, road blockages and other climate-based hazards. The campaign includes in-person events, such as a recent visit and clean-up project hosted at a girls’ middle school, the distribution of physical literature teaching how to take action and reduce one’s carbon footprint, and a social media push featuring photos of Pakistani women, men and children holding signs with messages such as, “global warming isn’t a prediction, it is happening,” and “the earth is what we have in common.”
Read More »Report Date...: 05/15/2023

Fellow podcast to be broadcast on VIU streaming
Fellow(s): Thulile Khanyile (South Africa, 2022)
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development
Fellow podcast to be broadcast on VIU streaming
“Let’s Talk Science with Thuli”, a podcast developed by fellow Thulile Khanyile (South Africa, 2022), is now available as a televised show on the VIU video streaming platform, which is available in 16 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. With a three season distribution deal, Thulile aims to communicate the relevance of STEM to mainstream society through relatable stories of the innovations and solutions of scientists, engineers and technologists. Season 2 of the show features TechWomen fellows Dilnoza Ibragimova (Uzbekistan, 2022) and Emna Harigua (Tunisia, 2022). The podcast version is also still available on most popular audio streaming platforms, with new episodes coming out this summer.
Read More »Report Date...: 05/15/2023

Fellow NGO collaborates with Riga TechGirls in Latvia
Fellow(s): Fellows: Elena Selezneva, Saida Yusupova
Country: Uzbekistan
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow NGO collaborates with Riga TechGirls in Latvia
Tech4Iimpact, an NGO founded by fellows Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova (Uzbekistan, 2016) recently sent a delegation to the TechChill conference in Latvia, April 26 to 28, as part of their program, “Female Founders Across Borders (FFAB),” which was co-organized with Riga TechGirls and funded by the Ministry of foreign affairs of Latvia. The delegation of finalists from the FFAB program, including startup founders and mentors, participated in panel discussions, pitch sessions, master classes and networking opportunities with global contemporaries. A cornerstones of the trip was the “Women in Tech Community Networking” event, held in Riga Castle, the official residence of the President of Latvia, which was attended by the First Ladies of Latvia and Estonia, Andra Levite and Sirje Karisas. Tech4Impact was founded in 2019 to support innovation, IT entrepreneurship and green tech among youth and women in Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region.
Report Date...: 05/08/2023