Impact Stories from Entrepreneurship Policy Area
Fellow featured in Logitech’s #WomenWhoMaster series
Fellow(s): Ainura Sagyn
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development
Fellow featured in Logitech’s #WomenWhoMaster series
Fellow Ainura Sagyn (Kyrgyzstan, 2017) was recently featured in an article, “Revolutionizing Recycling: Meet Two Women Breaking Barriers in Science and Sustainability,” as part of Logitech MX’s #WomenWhoMaster series. In the profile, Ainura describes her nearly tech-free childhood in a small town, her early career as a developer, the catapulting effect of her TechWomen experience, the establishment of “Coding Caravan” for Kyrgyz girls, and how she ultimately co-founded Tazar, a waste management mobile application with worldwide potential.
“Solving problems in a creative way is really the top skill,” Ainura offers as advice for young entrepreneurs. “It’s better not to focus on the technologies, frameworks, or different instruments. Instead, get the skills for creative solutions.”
Report Date...: 01/08/2024
speakers and moderators for Wspark Women in Tech forum with USAID
Fellow(s): Elnura Kassymov, Aknur Karabay, Asem Tazhieva, Ayimzhan Baytureeva, Azhar Mambetova, Elena Chigibaeva, Ksenia Tsyganova, Munira Begmuratova,Natalya Klimenko
Country: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan
Cohort: 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Central Asian fellows collaborate as leaders, speakers and moderators for Wspark Women in Tech forum with USAID
Fellow Elnura Kassymova (Kazakhstan, 2016), founder and CEO of Wspark Women in Tech, enlisted a multitude of fellows to collaborate as talent in a recent forum for Central Asian women in IT.
Fellows Aknur Karabay (Kazakhstan, 2022), Asem Tazhieva (Kazakhstan, 2019), Ayimzhan Baytureeva (Kazakhstan, 2023), Azhar Mambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2019), Elena Chigibaeva (Kyrgyzstan, 2018), Ksenia Tsyganova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022), Munira Begmuratova (Uzbekistan, 2016) and Natalya Klimenko (Uzbekistan, 2018), served as speakers and moderators for the Wspark Women in Tech Forum, which took place on December 13. 2023 with support from the USAID Entrepreneurship and Business Environment Development Project event.
The successful completion of the forum advances WSpark’s educational programming mission to promote regional gender parity and expand the economic rights of women in the Information and Computer Technology (ICT) sector. It provided a platform for leaders to share inspiring success stories, offer expert career advice, promote useful learning programs and network with potential mentors, mentees and partners. In total, over 35 panelists, speakers, moderators and trainers took part in the event, which included an opening greeting from Michelle Yerkin, U.S. Consul General in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Read More »Report Date...: 1/1/2024
Team Sierra Leone launches Wata Na Life impact project
Fellow(s): Faatu Kanneh, Makalay Sesay, Mary Lusenie, Monica Sellu, Titoh Sallay Sheriff
Country: Sierra Leone
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Public Health
Team Sierra Leone launches Wata Na Life impact project
Fellows Faatu Kanneh, Makalay Sesay, Mary Lusenie, Monica Sellu and Titoh Sallay Sheriff (Sierra Leone, 2022) recently implemented the first phase of their seed grant-winning impact project, Wata Na Life, which was established to advance access to clean, safe and sustainable water and provide water treatment solutions to prevent illness.
Launched in Grafton, Sierra Leone, the inaugural event featured the team handing off their recently installed clean water tank to the local community stakeholders.
The project was made possible with the funding of a $3,000 USD seed grant from TechWomen along with support garnered from the Milla Group and Guma Valley Water Company. A highlight included a visit from impact coach Barham Zuhdi, who attended the groundbreaking event.
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Report Date...: 1/1/2024
Fellow wins Best Young Manager Award 2023 from CJD
Fellow(s): Amani Mansouri
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow wins Best Young Manager Award 2023 from CJD
Fellow Amani Mansouri (Tunisia, 2018), CEO of the startup Dabchy, recently won the Best Young Manager Award 2023 at the Center for Young Managers (CJD) Business Awards ceremony. The event was hosted by CJD Tunisia, in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, to spotlight entrepreneurs, managers and young leaders across various sectors who have demonstrated leadership, innovation and creativity in business development.
Dabchy is a user-to-user online fashion sales platform that merges community with social networks to empower its members, known as “Dabchouchas,” to utilize multimedia and interaction to buy, sell, and exchange new and bespoke garments and accessories online.
Read More »Report Date...: 1/1/2024
Fellow leads 3rd place win at UbuntuNet hackathon
Fellow(s): Yollanda Washaya
Country: Zimbabwe
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow leads 3rd place win at UbuntuNet hackathon
“We came, we CODED, we conquered,” shared fellow Yollanda Washaya (Zimbabwe, 2022) in a recent post celebrating the victory of Team Kusha from Africa University in Zimbabwe, who won third place out of 300 applicants continent-wide at the first-ever UbuntuNet Alliance Women Hackathon this fall. Held in advance of the UbuntuNet-Connect 2023 Conference in Uganda, the initiative was created to champion gender equality in STEM fields.
Yollanda serves as the Head of Innovation at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Her team has recently developed an AI-powered authoring tool called KUSHA “in our quest to make educational articles more palatable,” she wrote in another recent post showcasing the AI’s generative abilities.
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Report Date...: 12/25/2023
Fellow wins prestigious Ericsson Top Performer Award
Fellow(s): Natalya Tyudina
Country: Tajikistan
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow wins prestigious Ericsson Top Performer Award
Fellow Natalya Tyudina (Tajikistan, 2018) was recently selected as one among 100 employees for Ericsson’s Top Performers Award, their most prestigious annual distinction, during this fall’s annual Performance Conference. Selected from a pool of 105,000 employees, the Top Performers Award recognizes standout individuals in innovation, operational excellence and sales.
Natalya, a Cloud Technology Developer, was recognized in the Innovation of the Year category for her and her team’s work on the Holographic Communication project, which enables 3D video calls using current telecommunications technology.
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Report Date...: 12/25/2023
Fellow visits Tbilisi for networking with WE-Champs
Fellow(s): Darika Aldasheva
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan, 2022) shared her experience with the TechWomen program during a panel discussion in Tbilisi, Georgia this December for Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem by Networking Regional Women’s Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations (WE-Champs), for which she was recently selected as a beneficiary. WE-Champs, funded by the U.S. State Department Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) and facilitated by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), aims to promote women’s economic security and gender-responsive institutions in Europe and Eurasia.
The event brought together women entrepreneurs and leaders of women’s associations and chambers of commerce from 15 countries across the region to share best practices and discuss the findings from the Regional Gender Analysis.
Report Date...: 12/11/2023
Fellow selected as eTradeforWomen Community Leader
Fellow(s): Tadhim Uwizeye
Country: Rwanda
Cohort: 2023
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Tadhim Uwizeye (Rwanda, 2023) has recently been selected to serve as an Anglophone African countries’ Community Leader for eTradeforWomen, an initiative of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). UNCTAD is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that amplifies the interests of developing countries in world trade. ETradeforWomen promotes women’s economic empowerment and gender equality by providing a platform for women entrepreneurs to elevate their knowledge, skills and resources in digital innovation, e-commerce & entrepreneurship. Community Leaders must be female CEOs or founders of digital businesses that have been in operation for at least two years.
Tadhim is the founder and CEO of Olado, an e-commerce platform offering business-to-consumer product sales for Rwandan enterprises and organizations.
Report Date...: 12/04/2023
"Fellow leads two sessions at Ololo STEAM Camp for Girls "
Fellow(s): Kseniia Tsyganova
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow Kseniia Tsyganova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022) recently led two sessions at the Ololo STEAM Camp for Girls in Bishkek last month. Organized by Ololo Creative Hubs with support from the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, the event hosted school-aged girls seeking to learn to develop websites and digital projects.
Kseniia’s first session offered an introduction to STEAM, defining the terms and illustrating how technologies can support arts. She later delivered a session on how to create a website without coding expertise. “Not everything has to be code,” she reiterated in a recent post. “Coding is a tool and shouldn’t be an obstacle to learning or creation!”
Kseniia is a community manager for software company Turbine Kreuzberg. She also has experience as a front end developer and media relations professional.
Report Date...: 12/04/2023
Fellow announces founding of STEM training and university preparation platform Stemio
Fellow(s): Natalya Yusupova Klimenko
Country: Uzbekistan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow Natalya Yusupova Klimenko (Uzbekistan, 2017) has recently announced the founding of Stemio, an innovative online learning platform designed to help students prepare for STEM courses and gain greater access to universities and the admissions process. Subscribers to the platform will receive access to worldwide courses, 24/7 online support, unlimited practice and knowledge testing opportunities, and guaranteed university admission.
“By my calculations, every year more than 2 million school students in Central Asia and neighboring countries take exams in mathematics, physics, chemistry or biology when applying to STEM universities.” Natalya explained in a recent announcement. “80% of them fail due to the low level of education in schools. It is an incredible 2 billion dollar opportunity in this region alone.”
Natalya has a professional background in digital marketing management and most recently served as the Head of Sales at Billz, a retail business management software company. She launched Stemio to help students shore up teacher and resource shortages, combat institutional corruption, alleviate personal study pressures and develop a clear and desirable career path.
Report Date...: 11/27/2023
