Impact Stories from Empowering Women and Girls Policy Area

Kyrgyz Fellows host U.S. mentors for week of collaborative events in advance of Kazakhstan delegation

Fellow(s): Fellows: Kseniia Tysganova, Dinara Moldosheva, Darika Aldasheva and Kyzzhibek Batyrkanova

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2018, 2022

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

Kyrgyz Fellows host U.S. mentors for week of collaborative events in advance of Kazakhstan delegation

In the week before the TechWomen delegation to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz fellow Kseniia Tysganova (2022), with the robust support of Dinara Moldosheva (2022), Darika Aldasheva (2022), Tursunai Bektemirova (2022), Nuraiym Azygalieva (2022), Bermet Dosmambetova (2022), Ainura Mitalipova (2022) and Kyzzhibek Batyrkanova (2019), independently collaborated with U.S. mentors Cora Lam, Kathy Giori, Jayme Farrell-Ranker, Meg Gordon, Debbie Whaley and Nancy Hendrickson, to initiate a self-directed agenda of workshops, panels and cultural events in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The several-day itinerary included workshops for schoolchildren and university students, master classes on leadership and technology trends and panel discussions. Highlights included visits with students, scientists and leaders of the Kyrgyz State Technical University, the Council of Young Scientists of the National Academy of Sciences, Billimkana American School and Ala-Too International Medical University. Workshops included Mentoring for Impact, led by Cora, and Physical Computing with MicroBlocks, led by Kathy. For the main event, the collaborators gathered with an audience at Ololo Planet, a creative hub and co-working venue in Bishkek, where mentors presented an overview of the TechWomen program and took part in a panel discussion moderated by Kyzzhibek. The Kyrgyz fellows also hosted a cultural send-off party for the mentors, who continued on to Kazakhstan, along with several Kyrgyz fellows, for the TechWomen delegation.

Report Date...: 05/01/2023

Fellow talks equity in tech in interview for The Ouut

Fellow(s): Tamadur Almahdi Abukhamadah (Libya, 2022)

Country: Libya

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Fellow talks equity in tech in interview for The Ouut

Fellow Tamadur Almahdi Abukhamadah (Libya, 2022) was recently interviewed by online emerging market news platform The Ouut for an article entitled “African Women In Tech; Tamadur Almahdi Discusses, Tech, Empowerment [and] Participation.” “Women are more likely to do the work that is behind the scenes…and end up unrecognized,” Tamadur explained, sharing her thoughts on the gendered digital divide. “The continuous unrecognition of women’s impact in various organizational projects can leave them feeling unappreciated…and ultimately mean they leave the job they are really good at and really love.” Tamadur is the Chief of Staff at Speetar, a health tech startup that has brought accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to over two million patients in conflict-affected communities since its launch in 2020. “At Speetar, we’re committed to fostering an inclusive environment and promoting women in leadership roles,” the company shared in a post on Tamadur’s interview.

Report Date...: 04/10/2023

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

Fellow launches DigiWomen Camp with USAID Future Growth Initiative

Fellow(s): Merjen Saparmyradova (Turkmenistan, 2019)

Country: Turkmenistan

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

Fellow launches DigiWomen Camp with USAID Future Growth Initiative

Fellow Merjen Saparmyradova (Turkmenistan, 2019), founder and director of Sanly Bilim Educational Center in Turkmenistan, has recently launched DigiWomen Camp in partnership with USAID’s Future Growth Initiative. This four-month program provides access to spaces and training in IT and software development for women and girls over the age of 16. The nearly 100 participants to-date, upon successful fulfillment of the program, will earn a completion certificate and have developed a portfolio and/or finished product to kick-start their own IT business. DigWomen Camp is the first program of its kind in Turkmenistan. It aims to augment the qualifications of women and girls as a pipeline towards heightening their presence in the virtual and in-person IT job market in the country. “The first step towards increasing women’s and girls’ access to technology and digital spaces,” Merjen explained in a recent post, “is to promote digital education and actively support and encourage girls’ participation in related subjects.” Sanly Bilim Educational Center first began working with USAID projects in November of 2022, and in December partnered with the USAID Youth Development Project to host their six-month TechYouth Bootcamp, which provides tech training for youths aged 18 to 25 in the areas of web and mobile application development, user interface and experience (UI/UX), graphic design, and IT and system administration. In that same month, Merjen won the Alumni of the Year in Women’s Empowerment Award during the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat’s first ever New Year’s Alumni Gala.

Report Date...: 3/27/2023

Fellow delivers keynote at innovation center launch

Fellow(s): Fellow Sebay Bintu Koroma, née Momoh (Sierra Leone, 2018)

Country: Sierra Leone

Cohort: 2018

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

Fellow delivers keynote at innovation center launch

Fellow Sebay Bintu Koroma, née Momoh (Sierra Leone, 2018) recently delivered the keynote address for the official launch of Kamara Yokie Innovation Center (KYIC), the first youth-owned and youth-led innovation center of its kind in Sierra Leone. The center aims to leverage modern entrepreneurial leadership and STEM education principles to unlock the potential of youths, with support and resources including free computers and robotics tools. “In an age shaped by technological advances,” Sebay recapped in a recent post, “it is imperative that young people have the know-how to create and operate technology and science-based solutions, as it is critical to their advancement…and will strengthen their agency in terms of decision-making over their health, financial and career choices.” Sebay is a petroleum engineer for Petroleum Directorate Sierra Leone.

Report Date...: 3/27/2023

Mentor named among 50 Women of Impact honorees

Fellow(s): Mentor Ishita Majumdar

Country:

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Mentor named among 50 Women of Impact honorees

Mentor Ishita Majumdar was recently honored as one of the 50 “Women of Impact” awardees by Women Impact Tech, a woman-owned community that aims to advance gender equity in tech by promoting diverse, inclusive and equitable hiring and knowledge sharing practices. Honorees were selected for their significant efforts towards promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in a field that has been traditionally dominated by men. “This recognition is very special to me, as it amplifies my passion to ‘pay it forward’ as an ally, mentor, counsel and sponsor for women and men in their professional journeys,” Ishita wrote in a recent post. Ishita is Vice President of Data Analytics Platforms at eBay, where she has worked since 2014.

Report Date...: 3/27/2023

Fellow shares inspirational journey on BBC Sounds Podcast

Fellow(s): Baratang Miya (South Africa, 2015)

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2015

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

Fellow shares inspirational journey on BBC Sounds Podcast

Fellow Baratang Miya (South Africa, 2015) was recently featured as a guest on BBC Sounds Podcast “Women leading the tech revolution in Africa” episode, where she discussed her journey into tech, the power of teaching women and girls how to code and the sociocultural, infrastructural and policy changes needed to make that possible. “Walking into a board room with men [who] judge you and tone you down,” she confided,” really made me cry at some points… [and] I feel like it’s what keeps women behind. I used to be very emotional about that. I’m not anymore.” When asked how she overcame this struggle, Baratang explained that “the mindset and the policy issues are not going to change unless I become the most powerful and strong woman [and] can withstand the rocks that come my way. …And once I started taking it as it comes and telling myself, I’m going to sit in the boardroom and say, ‘we have to talk about women and girls,’ then I started hearing my voice getting stronger and seeing the change. It became a passion for me. Change is what I do.” Baratang is the founder of Girlhype Coders Academy, which has taught more than 1,000,000 women and girls how to code. She is also the founder of Women Tech Policy Hub (WTPH), which trains leading women in STEM in policy entrepreneurship through fellowship and executive education. Founded in 2022, the fellows of the WTPH include a vast number of women from the TechWomen community, including at least fourteen fellows from Cameroon, Kenya, Libya, Nigeria, Tunisia and Uzbekistan. Baratang was also named among the 50 People Who Made the Internet a Better Place in 2016 and regularly serves as a technology writer, judge, speaker and advisor in tech competitions and hackathons.

Report Date...: 3/20/2023

Mentor speaks at Tradewinds Conference in Bangkok

Fellow(s): Mentor Jeannice Fairrer Samani

Country:

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Mentor speaks at Tradewinds Conference in Bangkok

Mentor Jeannice Fairrer Samani, CEO of digital transformation firm Fairrer Samani Group, recently spoke on a panel at the TradeWinds ASEAN conference in Bangkok, Thailand, where she shared her insights on trade and how governments can support women’s economic empowerment. Jeannice was joined on the panel by Under Secretary of Commerce Marisa Lago, as well as the CEO of MULA-X and the Country Manager for Pfizer. Organized by the U.S. Commercial Service, Trade Winds brings together U.S. commercial diplomats from over 20 countries in Asia for meetings, panels, networking and other engaging programming for the largest U.S. government-led trade mission and business development forum of its kind.

Report Date...: 3/30/2023

Fellow initiative named in Young Global Changemakers Top 50

Fellow(s): Rim Assaad (Lebanon, 2018)

Country: Lebanon

Cohort: 2018

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellow initiative named in Young Global Changemakers Top 50

Rim Assaad (Lebanon, 2018) has recently been named one of the Top 50 semifinalists for the Young Global Changemakers Recoupling Awards 2023, which recognizes young enterprisers from all over the world who institute tangible, youth-led initiatives contributing towards community economic prosperity by environmentally sustainable means. She is recognized as executive director of RISE2030, a community-led initiative managed by Sustain The World NGO in Lebanon, of which Rim is president and co-founder, and SEFY international NGO in the US, on which Rim serves as a board member. RISE2030 focuses on empowering women and youth through capacity building education and employment and has recently been recognized for launching the first all-women solar team in Lebanon to lead a complete installation project. RISE2030 has led the training of more than 1,250 female technicians and engineers who installed solar photovoltaic systems for multiple facilities such as wastewater treatment plant, waste recycling facilitiy, waste sorting and material recovery facility, solar tree in a public park, women cooperatives and MSMEs.

Report Date...: 3/13/2023

Fellow speaks at ICRC panel

Fellow(s): Salome Gathoni (Kenya, 2018)

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2018

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Fellow speaks at ICRC panel

Fellow Salome Gathoni (Kenya, 2018) recently spoke on an ICT career panel in Geneva, Switzerland for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Women in Tech (WiT) initiative. As the ICT Coordinator for the ICRC field operations in Somalia, Salome addressed “how technology drives humanitarian footprints and operations for the benefit of remote communities, despite the challenges that come in armed conflict contexts,” she explained in a recent post. The ICRC event, attended by global internal and external ICT leaders, technology experts and executives, was centered on strategizing the use of digital advancements on the execution of humanitarian operations and aid initiatives that benefit individuals impacted by armed conflict. Salome joined the ICRC in June of 2021 at the launch of the WiT initiative. She has been actively involved as a Program Co-Leader, where she plans activities, coordinate events and invites guest speakers to mentor and inspire the women in ICT. “I appreciate my TechWomen experience,” she shares, “for not only exposing me to many career insights, but also enlightening me on many ways to drive impactful community programs leveraging the power of partners & networks.”

Report Date...: 3/13/2023

« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 60 Next »