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Impact Stories from Environmental Sustainability Policy Area

Fellow founds sustainability initiative to empower women

Fellow(s): Ryme Assaad

Country: Lebanon

Cohort: 2018

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

2018 fellow Ryme Assaad recently co-launched Rise2030, a green tech initiative that empowers underserved communities through training, education and empowerment. Ryme, the initiative’s co-founder and executive director, is also the co-founder of My ioLab, the 2018 seed grant-winning initiative from team Lebanon. Rise2030 received funding from GIZ, a German-based company that supports companies and foundations in achieving the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Through providing solar training for youth, women and refugees, Rise2030 has a mission to upskill vulnerable populations and enable them to contribute to a sustainable future in Lebanon. Rise2030 has already launched an all-women solar team to train community members in Qaroun to design and install an on-grid solar photovoltaic system at a local waste sorting facility. In addition to solar training, the team plans to support rural women-run businesses and implement literacy training for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

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Report Date...: 1/27/20


Fellow speaks to women in green tech at conference

Fellow(s): Linah Anyango

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2019

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

Last month, 2019 fellow Linah Anyango was a featured speaker at
the East Africa Women in Energy Conference, sharing her experience
transitioning from school to the job market. The conference was
organized by Women in Energy Awards, an annual conference and
awards ceremony that brings together women in the energy sector
to share best practices and discuss the latest innovations within the
energy field.
Linah is a teacher and the head of the science department at a
secondary school in Mombasa; she also trains and coaches teachers
on how to teach effectively with technology. During her session, she
discussed the role women in energy can play in mentoring young
girls and encouraging them to enter STEM fields. She shared stories about the girls she mentors at her school’s Girls in STEM club, highlighting the work they’ve done to create clean energy solutions from waste products.​

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Report Date...: 1/13/20


Fellow wins Women in Energy Award

Fellow(s): Lilian Motongori

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2019

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

2019 fellow Lilian Motongori won the Professional Technical Award at the Women in Energy East Africa Awards, held this month in Nairobi. Lilian is the country representative for ElectraTherm, a Nevada-based company that generates fuel and emission-free power from low temperature waste heat. She is also the co-founder of Women in Energy Africa, an unaffiliated initiative that offers a platform for women in energy and offers consulting, career development and energy solutions to empower women and girls in the green tech fields.
The Professional Technical Award recognizes women who have both excelled in the energy sector and served as advocates for advancing and mentoring women and girls in green tech. The award ceremony is the culminating event of Women in Energy’s annual conference that focuses on innovations in energy and womens’ role in shaping the future of the field. “I am grateful to every person who contributed in giving me an opportunity in my career and professional journey, and my family for the support,” Lilian said. “This is for all their efforts, support and belief in me.”

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Report Date...: 12/30/19


Mentor(s): 2019 Emerging Leaders

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

On Sunday, IIE welcomed the arrival of the 2019 cohort of 108 Emerging Leaders from 21 countries. This year’s Emerging Leaders will join TechWomen’s network of over 300 Professional Mentors, Cultural Mentors and Impact Coaches – and an alumnae community of over 600 fellows and 700 mentors – as they embark on five weeks of mentorship and professional exchange.
This year’s 40 host company partners include Glassdoor, 23andMe and Salesforce; the program is also welcoming a group of new host companies, including Airbnb, SurveyMonkey, Okta and Zume. TechWomen’s first week of programming includes the Cultural Kickoff, where Emerging Leaders will showcase the rich culture of their home countries, as well as Action Plan Workshop 1, where country teams will establish the foundation of their action plans alongside their Impact Coaches.
Leading into the program, three 2019 Emerging Leaders wrote guest posts on the TechWomen blog in the series Emerging Leader Voices, sharing their perspectives as women in STEM and highlighting and their achievements, challenges and life lessons. Follow along as we provide #techwomen19 updates on Twitter, Instagram, and the TechWomen blog!

Report Date...: 9/23/19


Fellow featured as keynote speaker at energy conference

Fellow(s): Charity Wanjiku

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2017

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

2017 fellow of Kenya Charity Wanjiku was a featured keynote speaker and panelist at the Future Energy East Africa conference, held this week in Lagos, Nigeria. Charity is the co-founder and COO of Strauss Energy, a company that brings cost-effective and renewable energy to power off-grid areas in Kenya and beyond.
Charity, who Forbes named one of The World’s Top 50 Women in Tech 2018, shared her expertise on establishing and operating mini-grid systems in underserved communities. She spoke about achieving successful implementation through community participation, community ownership and community understanding. During her keynote at the Women in Power Luncheon, Charity spoke about women-owned businesses in the energy sector. She emphasized the importance of creating business opportunities for women, and explored issues of gender equality in the male-dominated clean energy sector.
Next month, Charity will be attending Women in Tech in Finland, speaking alongside former Yahoo CEO and president Marissa Mayer and other leading women in technology.

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Report Date...: 9/16/19


Fellow holds seminar on TechWomen mentorship learnings

Fellow(s): Zuleyha Achilova

Country: Turkmenistan

Cohort: 2018

Policy Area(s): Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth

2018 fellow Zuleyha Achilova recently held a seminar on best practices in waste management, sharing her key TechWomen mentorship learnings on innovative waste processing. Her session was held in the Lebap region of Turkmenistan, an area that will soon have its first waste processing facility.
Her talk, attended by local representatives and entrepreneurs, was themed on the solid waste management practices she learned at her TechWomen host company, Northgate Enviromental Management. During her session, she shared common household waste sorting practices in San Francisco, outlining the San Francisco Bay Area’s processing, composting, recycling and landfill practices. “All of the topics I shared can be applied in Turkmenistan in the future,” says Zuleyha. “This new facility will ensure the protection of human health and provide an efficient, reliable and well-operated collection system in the town of Farap.” Zuleyha will continue to support the new facility, and is currently creating a public awareness campaign that educates students and teachers on waste management.

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Report Date...: 9/9/19


Fellows establish Uzbekistan’s first green tech accelerator

Fellow(s): Saida Yusupova, Elena Selezneva

Country: Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2016

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

Recently, 2016 fellows Saida Yusupova and Elena Selezneva organized
Uzbekistan’s first green startup accelerator program. The accelerator,
Water Solutions Innovation Lab, was established for green business
startups that are working to advance green technologies and solve water
challenges.
The accelerator was implemented by Saida’s company, Green Business
Innovation, and founded with a mission to create awareness about
environmental challenges and bring the latest innovative technologies to
the agricultural and environmental sectors within the country. Earlier this
year, the innovation lab accepted 12 startups into an intensive six month
program, and became the first Uzbek program to partner with
ClimateLaunchpad, the world’s largest green business ideas competition.
During the program, ClimateLaunchpad’s founder and lead trainer
traveled to Uzbekistan to conduct a two-day bootcamp for participating startups.
The program culminated with a Demo Day in August, held in partnership with ClimateLaunchpad, where the teams pitched a group of judges and local investors. The two winning startups were invited to the ClimateLaunchpad Grand Finale in Amsterdam, which will be held in November. VIOM, the team that won first place, consists of two women who are producing water-soluble and biodegradable products for agricultural applications.

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Report Date...: 9/2/19


Fellow speaks at international conference in Japan

Fellow(s): Patu Ndango Fen

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

Last month, 2017 fellow Patu Ndango Fen was a featured panelist at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development. The conference is initiative of the Japanese government and held in partnership with the United Nations Development Program, World Bank and the African Union Commission.
Patu is the founder of Closed Loop System Ventures, a waste management social enterprise, as well as the president of its foundation. In one panel, “Human Capital Development for Youth Entrepreneurship,” Patu spoke about innovative education approaches that empower and engage youth. “Africa has a young population and is experiencing a rapid growth rate,” she said. “Young people should be encouraged to venture into entrepreneurship in order to create jobs and contribute to resolving pressing social, environmental and economic challenges.”

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Report Date...: 9/2/19


Fellow accepted into bioscience accelerator program

Fellow(s): Dr. Tiisetso Lephoto

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth

This month, 2016 fellow of South Africa Dr. Tiisetso Lephoto was accepted into FemBioBiz, an accelerator program with a mission to support, connect and empower ambitious women entrepreneurs in agri-food, biowaste and health sectors.
Tiisetso, who has a PhD in microbiology and biotechnology, recently launched Nematech, a biotech startup that will supply farmers with biopesticides and other eco-friendly products to control problematic pests. She was one of 12 women selected for the program and will soon begin a bootcamp followed by a pitching competition to investors. Tiisetso has received multiple accolades and awards for her research, including the Excellence in Science Engagement award from the National Research Foundation.

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Report Date...: 6/10/19


Fellow presents at international climate action conference

Fellow(s): Patu Ndango Fen

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth

This week, 2017 fellow Patu Ndango Fen presented at the 2019 International Conference on Climate Action, held in Heidelberg, Germany. Organized by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the conference convened government officials, UN representatives and the scientific community to discuss ways to improve collaboration and coordination for international sustainable development.
Patu is the founder and managing director or of Closed-Loop System Ventures Foundation, a waste management social enterprise that turns organic plant and animals waste into organic fertilizer. In her workshop, “Energizing Cities,” Patu and conference participants discussed policies that can support local renewable energy implementation. Using case studies from her work, Patu presented on developing innovative ways of managing waste in Cameroon, introducing the challenges, opportunities and future plans for innovative waste management systems.

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Report Date...: 5/20/19


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Impact Story Policy Areas

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

Recent Impact Stories

  • Fellow(s): Horore Bebga

    Country: Cameroon

    Region: SSA

    Cohort: 2018

    Project/Action: Cameroon Girls Hackathon empowers young girls to innovate

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

    Last month, 2018 fellow Horore Bebga hosted the inaugural Cameroon Girls Hackathon, a four-day program that empowered 30 girls from seven secondary schools throughout Douala to create solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hackathon was organized in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Cameroon and was hosted by the Dewey International School of Applied Sciences.
    The project was a part of Likalo Education, the STEM education initiative Horore co-founded that educates young people with 21st century skills. Over the course of four days, the girls were brought through various modules including design thinking, 3D modeling, designing a chatbot and learning about mobile app development. They also had access to local and international mentors and experts in entrepreneurship and technology.
    After the training, the girls were divided into six teams, working together to create solutions to help overcome the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The girls pitched their projects at the end of the event, and three winners were chosen by a jury: an app that translates health information into local languages, an online self-screening health app and a chatbot solution that makes it easier for individuals to find employment. All three projects will receive continued support through Likalo Education in order to further develop and execute their ideas.​

    Read More »

    Report Date: 1/11/21

  • Fellow(s): Ryme Assaad

    Country: Lebanon

    Region: MENA

    Cohort: 2018

    Project/Action: Fellow’s initiative wins UN Global Climate Action Award

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

    RISE2030, the green tech initiative co-founded by 2018 fellow Ryme Assaad, was recently named a winner of the 2020 United Nations Global Climate Action Awards. The awards recognized 13 projects that are innovating for climate action and demonstrating leadership in their countries. RISE2030 was a winner in the “Women for Results” category.
    Established in 2019, RISE2030 is a community-led initiative that empowers underserved women and youth through training, education and employment opportunities. Their projects – which include solar installation, literacy training and support for women farmers – aim to create sustainable communities and contribute to Lebanon’s energy transition. Their latest project will create 500 job opportunities for people affected by the 2020 Beirut explosion. Last month, all award winners showcased in a series of special online events.​

    Read More »

    Report Date: 1/11/21

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