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Impact Stories from Entrepreneurship Policy Area

Fellow leads mentorship initiative for indigenous women

Fellow(s): Noella Nibakuze

Country: Rwanda

Cohort: 2019

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth

2019 fellow Noella Nibakuze has completed leading a two-month project that mentored 10 young Rwandan women artists in sustainable architecture. Noella is a design associate at MASS Design Group, a U.S.-based architecture firm that leads purpose-driven projects, focuses on using sustainable materials and promotes local economies.
MASS recently partnered with the Soul of Nations Foundation, an organization that uplifts indigenous people through their programming centered on art, research and scholarship. The project also included the U.S. Embassy Rwanda, as well as the Institute of National Museums. Noella was appointed by MASS to lead the effort, titled “Indigenous International: Green Architecture Project,” helping mentor the 10 Rwandan women artists through job shadowing, workshops and more. The completion of the project was celebrated at a virtual event, where U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda Peter Vrooman thanked Noella for her mentorship.​

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Report Date...: 1/4/21


Fellow’s organization featured by CNN Africa

Fellow(s): Lindiwe Matlali

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth

2017 fellow Lindiwe Matlali and her organization, Africa Teen Geeks, were featured in a video profile by CNN Africa this month for their work spreading STEM education to students throughout Africa.
In the face of increasing high school dropout rates and a deficit of STEM skills within South Africa, Africa Teen Geeks, the largest computer science NGO in Africa, recently partnered with South Africa’s Department of Basic Education to introduce coding and robotics into classrooms. So far, they have translated the curriculum in the 11 official languages of South Africa. “This means that when our kids start school at six years old and can’t speak English yet, they will learn coding in their mother tongue,” said Lindiwe. Africa Teen Geeks has also partnered with UNICEF to scale their impact in developing countries.
“A girl can do whatever she wants,” said one of Africa Teen Geek’s young students featured in the profile. “If I can get to where I want to be, then I can encourage a lot of girls and make them see that they have potential.”​

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Report Date...: 12/28/20


Fellows host second annual TechWomen Nigeria Conference

Fellow(s): Hannah Kabir, Busayo Durojaiye, Joy Agene, Ogechi Onuoha, Ogo Maduewesi, Azizat Gbadegesin, Oluremi Hamid, Carolyn Seaman, Hannatu Onogu

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018

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

Last week, TechWomen fellows from multiple cohorts came together to host the second annual TechWomen Nigeria Conference, convening women in technology throughout Nigeria for a one-day virtual event. Fellows Hannah Kabir (2013), Busayo Durojaiye (2014), Joy Agene (2014), Ogechi Onuoha (2014), Ogo Maduewesi (2014), Azizat Gbadegesin (2016), Oluremi Hamid (2016), Carolyn Seaman (2017) and Hannatu Onogu (2018) collaborated to deliver this year’s event themed on technology for economic and emotional well-being. TechWomen Director Katie Zee delivered opening remarks, highlighting the impact Nigerian fellows have created in their communities and beyond.
“We have selected this theme in sensitivity to the events of the year 2020, to be able to engage on key topics such as Artificial Intelligence, healthcare, automation, education and more,” said Busayo. The conference was co-sponsored by Global Tea Party, the event series founded by TechWomen mentor Dr. Jeannice Samani, who also delivered the opening keynote, “The Next Big Wave: Transformation of the Tech Economy.” Jeannice served as a Facilitator for the TechWomen 2020-2021 Professional Interest Groups, and invited Emerging Leader Flora Asibe to participate; Flora, an agricultural researcher, moderated a breakout room that discussed using technology for food security and wellness. After a series of opening talks, attendees were split into breakout sessions moderated by fellows and local tech leaders to discuss new tech trends, Artificial Intelligence and how to boost well-being in a remote work environment.​

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Report Date...: 12/21/20


Fellows featured in female role model campaign

Fellow(s): Shatha Jayyousi, Afnan Saqr, Rania Bader, Diana Nassar

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2013, 2015, 2016

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

Fellows of Jordan Shatha Jayyousi (2013), Afnan Saqr (2015), Rania Bader (2016) and Diana Nassar (2016) were featured in a social media campaign that amplified 17 leading women in IT who serve as role models and inspire future generations of women in technology. The campaign, SHETECHS Role Models, was created by Intaj, the Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan.
The new SHETECHS platform hopes to encourage dialogue about women’s contributions to IT, as well as provide a space for women in IT to network and share ideas. With 20 years of experience, Shatha was highlighted for her extensive experience empowering women in tech. Afnan, who recently completed a Chevening Scholarship in the UK, was featured for her commitment to social entrepreneurship and achievements in product management. Rania was amplified for her career at Orange Jordan as well as her passion for combining well-being and mental health issues with technology. Diana, who recently completed her MBA at Stanford University, was featured for her work in product management and her advocacy for women in technology.​

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Report Date...: 12/21/20


Fellow wins UNCTAD Women in Business Award

Fellow(s): Afnan Ali

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2011

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

2011 fellow Afnan Ali was named the winner of the 7th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Empretec Women in Business Awards, recognized for her leadership and commitment to educating Jordan’s youth. Afnan is the founder of Eureka Tech Academy, a STEM education company that creates comprehensive programming and workshops for children in engineering, technology and innovation. Through its programs, Eureka offers children ages six to 16 training in robotics, pneumatics, renewable energy, mobile apps, entrepreneurship and more.
Afnan was one of ten finalists for the award, which is issued every two years for women who have participated in the UNCTAD Empretec program. “I started with a dream to help children become inventors because that’s what I wanted to be when I was a child,” said Afnan. “Having an unshakable belief of the ‘why’ behind this project is a must.” As the Women in Business Award winner, Afnan was awarded a fellowship for the Executive Education Program at IMD Business School in Switzerland.​

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Report Date...: 12/14/20


Fellows and mentor speak at UN event on education

Fellow(s): Janet Fofang, Reema Diab, and Eileen Brewer (mentor)

Country: Cameroon, Jordan, United States

Cohort: 2013, 2019

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

2013 fellow of Cameroon Janet Fofang, 2019 fellow of Jordan Reema Diab and mentor Eileen Brewer were featured speakers at this week’s Education for Justice Global Dialogue Series, a four-day event that fostered discussions on education for the rule of law, the UN SDGs and how the international education community can respond to the growing challenges in education. The series, “Reimagining education for a more just world: Inspire, change, together,” was held by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Janet is an electrical engineering educator and advocate for girls in STEM, and Reema is the founder of Galaxy Organization, an IT non-profit that hosts programs for youth and women in artificial intelligence, coding and more. Their panel, moderated by global coordinators from the UNODC Education for Justice (E4J) initiative, featured leaders in education who shared how innovative educational tools and technologies can foster global citizenship education and improve learning outcomes.
Eileen was a featured panelist on a discussion about how youth-driven technology and entrepreneurship can accelerate progress of the SDGs. Eileen is currently the director Takween Accelerator, the first startup accelerator in Iraq.​

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Report Date...: 12/7/20


Fellows serve as judges for Hult Prize finals

Fellow(s): Asna Javed and Ayesha Mumtaz Khan

Country: Pakistan

Cohort: 2019

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

This week, 2019 fellows Asna Javed and Ayesha Mumtaz Khan served as judges for the Hult Prize final event at Lahore Garrison University in Lahore, Pakistan. With programs in six continents, the Hult Prize is a startup accelerator that empowers social entrepreneurs at colleges and universities to solve the world’s most pressing issues. Each year the Hult Prize awards the final winning student team with one million dollars in seed capital.
Ayesha also served as a mentor at the semi-final round of the competition. For this week’s final regional round, Asna and Ayesha, alongside another female judge, heard five student teams present their ideas on this year’s theme, Food for Good. The pitches included solutions that address food waste, recycling, empowering local vendors and more. “I focused on wow factor, sustainability and diversity of teams,” says Asna. “The TechWomen program taught me how to think logically and critically. My learning helped me a lot in yesterday’s judging.”​

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Report Date...: 12/7/20


Fellow wins silver at international education awards

Fellow(s): Chao Mbogo

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

KamiLimu, the mentorship non-profit founded by 2017 fellow Chao Mbogo, was named a Silver Winner for the Nurturing Employability Award at the 2020 Reimagine Education Awards and Conference. Known as the “Oscars for education,” the yearly awards recognize and reward innovative initiatives that enhance student education and employability. This year, over 2,000 people attended the virtual awards ceremony.
KamiLimu is a free eight-month structured mentorship program for computer science college students in Kenya. Now on their fifth cohort, KamiLimu has worked with 170 students from 19 universities and multiple community partners that enhance the students’ learning experience. The program also ensures that each cohort has 50% female students. “My heart is full,” said Chao after the win. “Today goes down in history as one of the most important days in mine and KamiLimu’s life.”​

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Report Date...: 12/7/20


Fellows and mentors team up for women in tech panel

Fellow(s): Chepkemoi Magdaline, Josephine Ndambuki, Ruth Kaveke, Maya Bisineer (mentor) and Jennifer Martin (mentor)

Country: Kenya, United States

Cohort: 2013, 2017, 2019

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

2019 fellow of Kenya Chepkemoi Magdaline recently convened a group of TechWomen mentors and fellows for a discussion on the future of work and how women can advance in the tech industry. Chepkemoi, the moderator, was joined by fellows of Kenya Josephine Ndambuki (2013) and Ruth Kaveke (2017) as well as mentors Maya Bisineer of GoDaddy and Jennifer Martin of Verizon. The panel was hosted by EldoHub, Chepkemoi’s Ed-Tech platform, and the Countrywide Innovations Hub as part of Lake Basin Innovation and Investment Week, an annual gathering for innovators and entrepreneurs in Kenya.
During their group discussion, the mentors and fellows discussed the global gender gap in technology as well as the challenges they’ve faced as women in their industries. “Every time I meet women from across the world, we have such unique stories,” said Maya. “What brings us together is a fascination for technology and the perseverance to keep going and find people who are going through something similar.” The mentors and fellows also discussed how they often had no blueprint in their career journeys, and were instead tasked with paving the way themselves. Josephine, who manages economic development and partnerships for Konza Technolopolis as well as Ruth, the founder and executive director of Pwani Teknowgalz, spoke about their TechWomen experience and how their mentors played prominent role in shaping their careers and supporting them in scaling their businesses. At the conclusion of the event, Ruth gave advice to the young women watching: “Reach out, ask for help and find the right people that will always support you,” she said.​

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Report Date...: 11/30/20


Fellow shares career in IT to inspire women and girls

Fellow(s): Ainura Sagyn

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2017

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

This week, 2017 fellow of Kyrgyzstan Ainura Sagyn participated in a panel discussion on the prospects and challenges for women in IT. The online event included alumni of the Chevening Scholarship and was hosted by UK Alumni Kyrgyzstan alongside the British Embassy Bishkek.
During the discussion, Ainura spoke about her career in IT, including her experience last month at the Apple Entrepreneur Camp. There, she further developed Tazar, her startup and waste management mobile application that reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills. Recently updated with new features, the app includes maps with collection points for recyclable materials, a platform that offers education on sorting recyclables and a platform for citizens and collectors to connect for more efficient collections.
Ainura also spoke about the next step in her professional development, a joint master’s degree in computer vision and image processing at the Universidad Autónoma in Madrid.​

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Report Date...: 11/30/20


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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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