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Impact Stories from Empowering Women and Girls Policy Area

Next Generation Women Leaders Award

Fellow(s): Asal Ibrahim

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2014

Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth

Asal Ibrahim, 2014 fellow of Jordan, has received a Next Generation Women Leaders (NGWL) award from McKinsey & Company. NGWL awards are presented to women who want to use their talents to create positive change in their lives and the world we share. The program aims to connect entrepreneurial women from all over the world through events hosted by the company. Winners receive a financial award to implement a project of their choice and are mentored by a consultant at McKinsey. According to Asal, this award “boosts [her] confidence and gives [her] access to vast global networks which open doors to endless possibilities for the future.” Asal plans to use the financial award to broaden her volunteer work in Africa.

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Report Date...: 8/14/2017


Inspiring South African Women in Tech

Fellow(s): Baratang Miya, Nomso Kana, Lindiwe Matlali

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2013, 2015, 2017

Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth

Baratang Miya, 2015 fellow of South Africa, was named by Business Tech as one of five inspiring South African women working in technology. Baratang was recognized for her work as the founder of Girl Hype, a not-for-profit organization that provides coding and app development training for girls and young women. Her work was also featured in a podcast interview by the Grey Ave Podcast, where she spoke about Girl Hype, shared her personal story of how she got started in technology and talked about her travels, including to the United States as part of TechWomen. In addition to herself being an inspirational woman in tech, Baratang served as a judge in the Inspiring Fifty: South Africa 2017 competition in which Nomso Kana, 2013 fellow, and Lindiwe Matlali, 2017 Emerging Leader, were named as winners.

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Report Date...: 8/14/2017


Middle East North Africa Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminars (TIES)

Fellow(s): Mariam Keriakos and Nazha Larhissi

Country: Egypt, Morocco

Cohort: 2013, 2015

Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth

Mariam Kariakos, 2015 fellow of Egypt, and Nezha Larhrissi, 2013 fellow of Morocco, were invited to speak at the Middle East North Africa Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminars (TIES) seminar held in Casablanca, Morocco in July. Funded by ECA, Alumni TIES brings together alumni of U.S. State Department exchange programs for regional, thematically focused seminars. Mariam and Nezha spoke on an all-female panel called “Identifying and Leveraging Untapped Resources and Markets.” Mariam highlighted how she used her business consulting and technology experience to launch her own business, Craftista.me, and offered guidance on how to blend entrepreneurship with social impact and strategies to create women friendly working environments. Nezha spoke about how her experience as an advisor to Morocco’s Minister of Environment brought her to realize how much global collaboration was crucial to the fight against global warming and how she used the network she established with TechWomen to co-found e-STEM Morocco with two other TechWomen fellows.

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Report Date...: 8/7/2017


Small Grants Program of the U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission

Fellow(s): Nazira Sheraly

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2016

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

Charba, a company started by 2016 fellow of Kyrgyzstan, Nazira Sheraly, received an award through the Small Grants Program of the U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission, administered by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek. Charba’s mission is to use innovative technologies to create affordable and high quality greenhouses. In partnership with Atuul, a local NGO, Nazira’s company is using the grant to educate women on the greenhouse business and business in general, to coach women who are implementing their own business ideas and to monitor and evaluate the newly established businesses. To further motivate the women involved, Nazira plans to hold a competition to provide additional mentorship and support for seven winners to make their businesses more successful.

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Report Date...: 8/7/2017


Fellow(s): Marie Claire Murekatete

Country: Rwanda

Cohort: 2014

Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

Marie Claire received the Change Agent ABIE Award, which honors an outstanding non-U.S. woman who created or expanded opportunities for girls and women in technology. Marie Claire’s accomplishments include founding a non-profit organization called Refugee Girls Need You and becoming a Master Educator with the Technovation Challenge.

 

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Report Date...: 7/31/2017


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.

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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.”

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Report Date...: 6/26/2017


Fellow(s): Beatrice Sonfack

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement

Beatrice Sonfack, 2016 fellow of Cameroon, has launched an association to empower and inspire young girls to engage in engineering and technology. Women in Engineering and Technology (WENTECH) targets girls from 13 to 18 years old through interactive workshops. After returning from the TechWomen program, Beatrice met with Cameroon’s Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, who has provided space for WENTECH to hosts its workshops. In March, Beatrice organized the first workshop for 17 girls with three trainers. In the most recent workshop sponsored by Orange Cameroon, June 19-20, 45 girls participated with four trainers, including Arielle Kitio, 2016 fellow of Cameroon. The workshops introduced girls to robotics and mobile application development.

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Report Date...: 6/26/2017


Fellow(s): Aretha Mare, Maha Ech-Chefaa, Sarah Abdallah

Country: Lebanon, Morocco, Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2013, 2016

Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls

Aretha Mare, 2013 fellow of Zimbabwe, and 2016 fellows Maha Ech-Chefaa of Morocco and Sarah Abdallah of Lebanon participated on virtual panels hosted by Heart of All Women and Women Network earlier this month. The panel discussions were moderated by Cultural Mentor Ruby Yeh, founder of Heart of All Women. In the panel series, “Women’s Global Healing and Empowerment Fest,” which was organized by region, fellows shared personal stories about their experience and challenges of being women in STEM.

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Report Date...: 6/19/2017


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Impact Story Policy Areas

  • Economic Impact
  • Education Diplomacy/Mentoring
  • Empowering Women and Girls
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Professional Development
  • Professional Growth
  • Public Health
  • Special Report
  • Youth Engagement
Back To Impact Map

Recent Impact Stories

  • Fellow(s): Ayeni Olamide

    Country: Nigeria

    Region: SSA

    Cohort: 2017

    Project/Action: Fellow returns to UNEP as a Change Maker

    Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

    Fellow Ayeni Olamide (Nigeria, 2017), founder of circular economy company HOPCYKU, was recently invited to the North America Office of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in Washington, D.C., as a recognized Change Maker in sustainability. The invitation followed her participation as a panelist at the 2025 WWF Plastic Summit, where she spoke alongside policymakers, academics and global sustainability leaders.
    Ayeni’s journey with UNEP began in 2019, when she was awarded a fellowship to attend the 79th UNEP/UNESCO/BMU International Short Course on Resource Efficiency, Circular Economy, and Waste Management in Dresden, Germany—her first formal education in environmental sustainability.
    Reflecting on the milestone, Ayeni shared, “Visiting the UNEP Office was a full-circle moment. I got to share our journey, how we started, what we’ve achieved and where we’re headed.”​

    Read More »

    Report Date: 05/05/2025

  • Fellow(s): Raushan Nurdillayeva

    Country: Kazakhstan

    Region: SCA

    Cohort: 2020-2021

    Project/Action: Fellow & Mentors publish international research paper

    Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability

    Fellow Raushan Nurdillayeva (Kazakhstan, 2020–2021) and LBNL mentors Virginia Altoe and Carolin Sutter-Fella have co-authored a recently-published materials science paper, “Humidity Disrupts Structural and Chiroptical Properties of Chiral 2D Perovskites”. Featured in the ACS Nano journal, the publication is the result of a global research collaboration spanning institutions in the U.S., Kazakhstan, and Europe—including the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), where Raushan completed her TechWomen professional mentorship.
    The study explores the effects of humidity on a promising class of materials known as chiral 2D perovskites, which have potential applications in advanced electronics such as spintronics. Their cross-border collaboration included researchers from Akhmet Yassawi University, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Eindhoven University of Technology.
    Raushan’s participation was supported by the Bolashak “Internship for 500 Scholars” initiative under Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education.​

    Read More »

    Report Date: 05/05/2025

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