Impact Stories from Entrepreneurship Policy Area
Fellow Named One of Top Ten Women in Tech
Fellow(s): Ala’a Agha Karss
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
Ala’a Agha Karss, 2017 fellow of Jordan, was named one of the ten leading women in tech from the Middle East and Africa by OPENLETR. Ala’a has a degree in software engineering from the Jordanian Hashemite University and founded Superiors ICT Solutions, an IT support and training organization. Ala’a and fellow Jordanian alums are also launching Ozwah, their action plan project developed as part of the 2017 TechWomen program. Their pitch was one of the winning seed grant proposals and offers a digital platform to help orphans overcome psychological and financial obstacles to higher education by providing social skills workshops and mentorship programs to increase long-term university enrollment rates.
PENLETR is a digital platform founded by a woman with the mission to explore the boundaries of creativity.
Read More »Report Date...: 2/5/2018
Fellow Interviewed as Rising Star in STEM
Fellow(s): Nomso Faith Kana
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
2013 fellow of South Africa, Nomso Faith Kana, was interviewed by Levers in Heels, a digital platform featuring rising African women in STEM. The piece highlights Nomso’s training as a nuclear scientist and role as founder and managing director of Sun ‘n Shield Technologies, a group that provides solutions for smart cities, most recently by producing locally-made fiber optic cables to improve internet connectivity.
In the interview, Nomso talks about her mission to inspire young women in her capacity as co-founder of Taungana STEM, an initiative to empower rural African high school girls to access and explore futures in STEM fields.
Read More »Report Date...: 1/29/2018
Fellow Receives #Shabab2030 Award
Fellow(s): Layal Jebran
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
2017 fellow of Lebanon, Layal Jebran, received the #Shabab2030 award from Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC Group) on behalf of her company. Layal is the CEO of Moubarmij, an initiative that helps to connect experienced programming instructors with young learners by providing a video sharing platform.
As a recipient of the award, Layal will receive advanced leadership training as well as mentoring, advocacy, networking opportunities and funding for her project. MBC Group is the largest private media company in the MENA region and is responsible for establishing MBC Hope, a program that empowers Arab youth to engage in social action, education and entrepreneurship. MBC Hope provides the funding for #Shabab2030.
Read More »Report Date...: 1/29/2018
Morocco's First Google Business Group
Fellow(s): Maha Ech-chefaa
Country: Morocco
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
Maha Ech-chefaa, 2016 fellow of Morocco, is the co-founder of the first Google Business Group in Morocco as well as the co-organizer of her country’s Google Developer Group (GDG) in Rabat. Maha is also featured as a Women Techmakers Lead for driving diversity and inclusion through her participation with the Rabat GDG.
Maha’s passion for community empowerment led her to launch Leeha, a program providing disadvantaged women in Morocco with business opportunities. Since completing the TechWomen program, she also co-founded Moroccan CISE (Center for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship), a not-for-profit dedicated to finding ground-breaking solutions for social challenges.
Read More »Report Date...: 1/15/2018
3D Printer
Fellow(s): Saltanat Alieva
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
Inspired by her time with TechWomen and her mentorship at Autodesk, 2016 fellow of Kyrgyzstan Saltanat Alieva successfully constructed her own 3D printer.
Saltanat returned to Kyrgyzstan motivated to make a positive impact on her country by making prosthetic hands more accessible and affordable to amputees by using a 3D printing method. When she could not find a 3D printer anywhere in her country, with encouragement from the TechWomen community, Saltanat decided to construct her own. She spent months researching and finding necessary components, and this month shared the finished product.
Report Date...: 12/4/2017
Silicon Mountaim Conference
Fellow(s): Mpara Faith
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
Mpara Faith, 2017 fellow of Cameroon, recently led a plenary session at the Silicon Mountain Conference in Cameroon. The panel focused specifically on financial models and policies that support profitable and scalable ventures. Mpara co-founded New Generation Technologies LTD., and is one of the few women who owns a start-up in her community.
Each year the Silicon Mountain Conference is organized to consult, network, exchange ideas, showcase products, meet stakeholders and discuss solutions to common challenges.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/27/20017
HapaKenya Interview
Fellow(s): Chao Mbogo
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement
Dr. Chao Mbogo, 2017 fellow of Kenya, was highlighted in an in-depth interview on the Kenyan news platform HapaKenya. Chao details her personal and professional journey to become a computer scientist, researcher, teacher, mentor, and recently, the Head of the Computer Science Department at Kenya Methodist University. Chao also provides updates on KamiLimu, a mentorship program she launched in 2016 for university level computer science students, and Project Digniti, the seed grant-winning action plan project she developed with the other 2017 fellows of Kenya. Chao has also received grant awards from Anita B.org and Google for her work with KamiLimu.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/20/2017
Chan Zuckerberg Biohub
Fellow(s): Haja Safiyatu Sovula, Blessing Matshaka, Ola Elgaddar
Country: Egypt, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
In its first year as a host company for TechWomen Emerging Leaders, the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (Biohub) hosted three Emerging Leaders: Haja Safiyatu Sovula of Sierra Leone, Ola Elgaddar of Egypt, and Blessing Matshaka of Zimbabwe. As outlined in this interview, the fellows’ time at Biohub was not only inspiring, but also contributed substantially to the innovative work being done at the lab. Collaboration between the fellows hosted at Biohub and their mentors is continuing post-program, as Ola and her Professional Mentor, Amy Kistler, are working together on a project to combat Hepatitis C in Egypt.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/20/2017
Committed to Good Blog
Fellow(s): Eman Abusaada
Country: Palestinian Territories
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship
Eman Abusaada, 2015 fellow of the Palestinian Territories, has been working with Committed To Good (CTG), a non-profit consulting firm that implements humanitarian projects in 25 countries around the world. Eman is highlighted in a recent blog post about the work of female engineers in Gaza supporting CTG with material monitoring and redevelopment projects, and she cites the TechWomen program as being a catalyst in confirming her passion for her chosen career path. Only 14% of the paid workforce in Gaza is female, and Eman hopes to be a role model for young women and that “the example [she presents] will contribute towards rebuilding a strong and sturdy Gaza and maybe that will help to achieve long-awaited peace in the region.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/13/2017
Tunisia mentoring council
Fellow(s): Ameni Channoufi
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship
Ameni Channoufi, 2014 fellow of Tunisia, launched the Tunisia Mentoring Council in April 2017 as part of Women Leaders in Technology (WoLTech), an organization founded by 12 Tunisian TechWomen fellows in order to empower Tunisian women working in STEM fields and help them achieve their goals. The Tunisia Mentoring Council, a six-month program, supported ten women to turn their business ideas into reality and establish their own companies, including by pairing each woman with a specialized mentor who helped them achieve their entrepreneurship goals. The program also comprised coaching and trainings designed to develop participants’ professional and social skills and boost their self confidence in order to overcome challenges and become successful entrepreneurs. The closing ceremony, held on November 4, highlighted the hard work of mentors and mentees and celebrated the first cohort of graduates from the program. WoLTech is now planning for the second round of the Tunisia Mentoring Council to launch in 2018.
Report Date...: 11/6/2017
