Impact Stories from Entrepreneurship Policy Area
"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
Fellow(s): Mentor leads Fulbright Specialist mission in Tajikistan – Erin Keeley
Country: Tajikistan
Cohort: 2015, 2016, 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
TechWomen mentor Erin Keeley recently completed a Fulbright Specialist assignment in Tajikistan. Erin provided workshops and mentored entrepreneurs in the National Association of Business Women Tajikistan Business Accelerator and the United States Alumni Network of Tajikistan. She also met with Access, Flex, and Fulbright students in Khujand and Dushanbe. TechWomen Fellows supported Erin throughout her time in Tajikistan, including Mahina Usmonova (2016), Anzurat Kosimiva (2016), Manzura Khurshed (2022), Matriba Akhmedova (2015), and Sumbulmo Nekqadamova (2015). Erin’s visit culminated in a panel of TechWomen and TechGirls in the American Space in Dushanbe discussing career journeys, TechWomen, and other U.S. State Department programs. The accomplished panelists, including Anzurat, Natalya Tyudina (2018), Zevar Bordachyova Davlatmamadova (2018) and Adolat Shabozova (2022), shared inspiring stories of their time in the United States, critical decisions and career advances following the program.
Read More »Report Date...: 10/10/2022
Fellow(s): Fellow wins EU Goodwill Ambassador role for creators – Afnan Elsherief Elayesh
Country: Libya
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Afnan Elsherief Elayesh (Libya, 2020-2021) has recently been selected as a finalist for the #InTheirEyes content creation competition sponsored EU (European Union ) Neighbors South, thus also securing the role of a Goodwill Ambassador for the EU in Libya.
#InTheirEyes selects six content creators from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestine Territories and Tunisia to participate in a training cycle during which they learn about European Union activities in the region and various EU-funded projects in different sectors. They are supported by Mentors who provide industry expertise and support them in video production.
Afnan shares that she hopes to be “an honorable example representing my country, Libya” throughout this exciting new journey.
Report Date...: 10/10/2022
Fellow leads project landing acceptance to accelerator
Fellow(s): Safa Buzgeia
Country: Libya
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Non-profit FabLab Libya has recently been selected into Tadamom Accelerator thanks in great part to the contribution of member and fellow Safa Buzgeia (2022). Safa led the proposal of Libyan STEM Hub, which aims to introduce modern, hands-on STEM teaching methods into Libyan elementary schools. FabLab Libya was selected among 50 organizations out of 345 applications from 28 countries. Tadamon Accelerator is a platform of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in 57 Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries which is implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
“Libyan STEM Hub was greatly inspired by my experiences with Techwomen this spring, specifically with Resource Area For Teaching (raft) non-profit organization and a Micro Blocks workshop by Professional Mentor Kathy Giori,” Safa shared. “Furthermore, I directly applied what I learned from the ‘How to Pitch Your Project’ workshop by mentor Eileen Brewer in preparation of the evaluation interview with the UNDP team.”
Report Date...: 10/3/2022
Fellow solar-training initiative forms U.S. partnership
Fellow(s): Gisele Beatrice Sonfack
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
A fellow-founded initiative, Women in Engineering and Technology (WENTECH), created by Fellow Gisele Beatrice Sonfack (Cameroon, 2016) has recently launched its first solar energy training with a new U.S. based partner, Remote Energy. Since September 12th, 14 young women have started training to become instructors with partner Remote Energy, who has provided training and materials for WENTECH with the objective of developing at least one instructor in each major city in Cameroon to facilitate trainings and impact in local schools. Gisele created WENTECH in 2017 to attract and empower women in Cameroon to STEM fields, following her participation in Techwomen in 2016. Since its founding, WENTECH has trained and empowered over 2,000 girls in Cameroon in solar power with the support of local partners Douala Advanced Vocational Training Center and Limbé Advanced Vocational Training Center. That support system has since expanded to include international partnership with Remote Energy.
Report Date...: 9/26/2022
Fellow holds agricultural trainings for rural women
Fellow(s): Rym Khemiri Moussaoui
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development
In continuity with Alyssa for Rural Women Investment (ARWI), the action plan project developed by the Tunisian team of TechWomen 2020-2021, fellow Rym Khemiri Moussaoui provided a capacity-building training workshop for rural women workers in agriculture. The goal is to enhance their entrepreneurial skills and promote financial autonomy. Rym shares that she was pleased “to use all the pedagogic tools I have learned in my last Training of Trainers (TOT) and Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) certifications financed by the Techwomen professional development stipend,” which was provided for fellows of the 2020-2021 virtual program. This event was carried out as part of the Action and Innovation Fund for Refugee Entrepreneurs (FAIRE) project, co-financed by the European Union and implemented by COSPE, an Italian NGO operating in the North West region of Tunisia.
Report Date...: 9/26/2022
Fellow’s healthtech startup earns spot at VIVATECH
Fellow(s): Ghofrane Ayari
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Healthtech startup GEWINNER, co-founded by fellow Ghofrane Ayari (2022), was recently selected for the Tunisian delegation to VIVATECH, an annual conference on technology and innovation that took place in Paris, France this summer. GEWINNER was founded five years ago “to change the lives of disabled people using advanced technologies and innovation.”
GEWINNER is known for their award winning premiere product, MOOVOBRAIN, which is “an ‘all-in-one’ wheelchair driving solution developed for people with physical disabilities, specifically paralysis. It functions with a mobile application and a small electronic board plugged into the wheelchair’s joystick.” GEWINNER was selected to join the delegation in part after having won a national competition for MOOVOBRAIN in 2019.
Report Date...: 8/29/2022
"Fellow speaks at agripreneurs workshop "
Fellow(s): Evangelista Chekera
Country: Zimbabwe
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Evangelista Chekera (Zimbabwe, 2022) recently served as a guest speaker at the SACCAU Young Poultry Agripreneurs Workshop held August 28 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Evangelista has been making big waves in the agricultural industry of her region with her groundbreaking Passion Poultry enterprise, which simplifies and accelerates the chicken slaughter process for small farmers.
“When I started Passion Poultry in 2016, I attended the Zimbabwe Farmers Union young farmers summit and became a member, “Evangelista recounts. “At first I felt out of place because all my colleagues were farmers while I was more inclined to designing, building and distributing agri innovations. I am excited to be representing Zimbabwe Farmers Union at the #SACAU young Poultry agriprenuers workshop as an innovator within the poultry industry.”
Report Date...: 8/29/2022
Fellow empowers 120 girls with Green Tech Girls Summer Bootcamp
Fellow(s): Damilola Asaleye
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Fellow Damilola Asaleye of Nigeria (2020-2021) recently helped produce the Green Tech Girls Summer Bootcamp, a five-day program for high school girls organized by the Girls and Women Technological Empowerment Organization (GWTEO).
The summer camp takes a holistic approach to activities relevant to girls and women that will enhance their self confidence and abilities to become sustainable technology leaders and change makers. Damilola, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Ashdam Solar Company, helped in the production of learning sessions on the topics of basic solar installation, upcycling, sustainable agriculture, financial literacy, information and communication technologies, leadership skills, teamwork, healthy living and visioning. The Green Tech Girls Summer Bootcamp is not the only stop on Damilola’s summer of women and girls’ empowerment. She is also taking part in the BEMORE Summer Bootcamp in Akure, Nigeria with close to 400 girls over the following weeks.
“My summer of impacting girls started yesterday Monday 15th August with the Green Tech Girls Summer Bootcamp,” Damilola recently shared, “and I’ve got my hyper attitude on with adrenaline pumping.”
Report Date...: 8/22/2022
Fellow leads children’s entrepreneurship training event
Fellow(s): Talhmadhur Abukhamadah Almahdi
Country: Libya
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship
“Children should be involved in conversations about enterprise and entrepreneurship,” wrote fellow Talhmadhur Abukhamadah Almahdi (Libya, 2022) after she led a training for 15 children in the FUTURE program, a collaboration with ION Telecom Technology in Libya.
Participants had the opportunity to learn about basic principles of entrepreneurship and business-building, develop creative ideas for solutions to everyday challenges and pitch their ideas to a panel of professionals.
“Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of economic growth,” Talmadhur shared, “and that’s why it is our responsibility to invest in ensuring that the next-generation of business leaders are educated and empowered right from the start.”
Report Date...: 8/22/2022
