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Impact Stories from Environmental Sustainability Policy Area

Fellow wins first place at Ideathon for social impact

Fellow(s): Menna Ayad

Country: Egypt

Cohort: 2019

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

This week, 2019 fellow Menna Ayad was named first place winner at Fekretek, a competition and platform for Egyptian women with business ideas that create impact and address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Launched this year, the competition is sponsored by Vodafone Egypt in partnership with the National Council for Women, UN Women and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
Menna, a network consulting engineer at Cisco, created Fosha, a mobile app that allows its users – both Egyptians and tourists – to discover Egypt in just a few clicks by accessing local tours, trips and activities. “Egypt relies heavily on tourism, and it got affected by the pandemic,” said Menna. “It is a critical time to introduce Fosha.” After Menna’s TechWomen mentorship at Twitter, she was inspired to find a way to use her background in computer science and app development. “At university, I fell in love with how a mobile app can reach millions of people and make their lives easier. During my mentorship at Twitter, I relived that passion again. It triggered my goal of creating a mobile app that can ease someone’s life.” Through Fosha, Menna hopes to digitally transform the tourism sector in Egypt and create a digital channel for service providers to market their offerings. As first place winner, she received a cash prize to kickstart her app, as well as access to entrepreneurship, marketing and finance training from the National Council for Women and UN Women.​

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Report Date...: 4/19/21


Fellow selected for Africa Innovation Fellowship

Fellow(s): Sirri Nelly Forbi

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2019

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

Recently, 2019 fellow Sirri Nelly Forbi was selected for the Africa Innovation Fellowship Accelerated Development Programme, a business and personal development program for female founders and co-founders. Sirri Nelly is one of eight women selected from a pool of candidates from across the African continent.
The nine-month accelerator is hosted by WomEng and the Royal Academy of Engineering, and includes comprehensive leadership development, networking, pitch training and continued mentorship. In addition to working as a researcher for Cameroon’s Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Sirri Nelly is the co-founder of Green Growth Initiatives Solutions and Technologies (GGIST), a platform for professionals who are addressing Cameroon’s environmental challenges. Through her work, Sirri Nelly hopes to bring cost-effective clean energy solutions to communities throughout Cameroon.​

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Report Date...: 3/29/21


Fellow’s initiative wins UN Global Climate Action Award

Fellow(s): Ryme Assaad

Country: Lebanon

Cohort: 2018

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.​

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Report Date...: 1/11/21


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


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


In article fellow is recognized for work fighting deforestation

Fellow(s): Davephine Tholley

Country: Sierra Leone

Cohort: 2018

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

2018 fellow Davephine Tholley was featured in an article from The Urban Activist, an online publication that features stories of positive social impact in cities throughout the world. The article features Davephine’s recent work combatting deforestation in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where she is studying the damage of deforestation and working to restore Freetown’s natural infrastructure.
Davephine, a civil engineer and operations manager for Water4Ever, is also a part of the Women4Climate mentorship program, an initiative that empowers and supports women climate leaders. She was recently part of an assessment studying how forest felling depletes water levels and affects the supply of drinking water for the people of Freetown. “I have seen firsthand the challenges people face to access water,” said Davephine. “They are basically cut off from water supply.” After recently visiting a region in urgent need of reforestation, Davephine worked with local authorities and volunteers to plant 500 trees in an effort to reforest and restore the area.​

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Report Date...: 12/14/20


Mentor(s): Reshma Singh

Company: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Mentor Type: Professional

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

This month, Professional Mentor Reshma Singh served as a “Dream Speaker,” speaking to students at Grovetown Middle School in Georgia about her career in architecture and renewable energy. Reshma’s talk was facilitated by DreamWakers, a Washington, DC-based non-profit that virtually connects classrooms to career role models.
Reshma, a program director at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, spoke about growing up in a remote region of India and how her father influenced her to make a difference in the world. She also explained her work in renewable energy, sharing with the students why mindful energy use is important for the health of the planet. After she was asked what skills students should develop, Reshma spoke about the importance of curiosity, reading from diverse sources and developing arithmetic skills to use data to tell their stories. “It was such a refreshing experience hearing from the bright young minds, and I left with such a feeling of wonderment and optimism after my time with them,” Reshma said.​

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Report Date...: 11/23/20


Fellow featured as a leader in architecture

Fellow(s): Charity Wanjiku

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2017

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

2017 fellow Charity Wanjiku was highlighted in the Daily Nation newspaper, featured as a woman who is “rocking the world of architecture” in Africa. In addition to founding energy solution company Strauss Energy, Charity is the co-founder, director and architect for Trioscape Space Planning Services. Through Trioscape, Charity designs residential and commercial buildings, including a 500 car capacity underground parking facility at Nairobi’s Holy Family Minor Basilica. She is also a member of the National Construction Authority, a committee that is evaluating alternative and sustainable building materials.
In the article, Charity speaks about her journey to becoming a successful architect and the people who inspired her along the way. Despite being told that architecture was a course for boys, she committed herself to becoming the first girl to enroll. “We need to encourage girls and let them know they can do it,” she says. “We also need to normalize women into taking up STEM-related courses.”

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Report Date...: 10/5/20


Fellow recognized for achievements in engineering

Fellow(s): Joy Makumbe

Country: Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2015

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

2015 fellow Joy Makumbe was recently featured by Visibility STEM Africa, an initiative that amplifies the voices of STEM leaders and inspires young Africans to pursue careers in STEM fields. Joy, a water sanitation engineer, currently works for Egis Group. She recently completed a water sanitation project in Tanzania, leading a team in the construction of water pump stations, guard houses, electro-mechanical improvements and more.
In her feature, Joy spoke about her passion for creating community impact through bringing water and sanitation solutions to the African continent. Joy also gave advice to young Africans who are interested in STEM: “You can! Be tough. Don’t give up. Don’t look back. Remember, there is always someone to hold your hand along the journey,” she said.​

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Report Date...: 9/28/20


Fellows come together in online conference to inspire girls

Fellow(s): Gisele Beatrice Sonfack, Oluremi Hamid, Saida Yusupova, Lamia Fikrat

Country: Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria, Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2016, 2019

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

2016 fellow of Cameroon Gisele Beatrice Sonfack recently gathered TechWomen fellows from Morocco, Nigeria and Uzbekistan to share their stories as women in engineering and speak about ways to inspire the next generation of girls. Gisele is the founder of Women in Engineering and Technology (WENTECH), an association that organizes workshops and conferences with a mission to inspire girls interested in STEM fields.
The online conference featured Gisele as well as 2016 fellow of Nigeria and CEO of Hydren Energy Oluremi Hamid, 2016 fellow of Uzbekistan and CEO of Green Business Innovation Saida Yusupova and 2019 fellow of Morocco Lamia Fikrat, a renewable energy and environment consultant. The audience, mostly comprised of young students and their parents, learned about the gender gap in STEM fields and why women have been historically underrepresented. Each fellow described their pathway to success, sharing how they remained motivated despite being outnumbered by men in their fields. They also answered questions from the students, encouraging them to pursue their interests and passions. Despite the cancelation of WENTECH’s scheduled in-person conferences, Gisele hopes to organize and record bi-monthly virtual conferences, making them available for a wider audience of girls.​

Report Date...: 9/7/20


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Impact Story Policy Areas

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

Recent Impact Stories

  • Fellow(s): Fellow Elmira Obry discusses TechWomen journey in recent interview

    Country: Kazakhstan

    Region: CSA

    Cohort: 2022

    Project/Action: Fellow Elmira Obry discusses TechWomen journey in recent interview

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

    Fellow Elmira Obry (Kazakhstan, 2022) recently interviewed with Kazakh online media outlet ER10 to discuss her career journey and experience as a TechWomen emerging leader. Topics included the mission of TechWomen, the application process, the cross-cultural mentorship and Elmira’s intentions going forward. “I plan to investigate the impact of technology on the involvement of women in the country’s economy,” Elmira shared, “and the development of sustainable technologies through the prism of a multiplier economic effect.”
    Elmira is the founder of QWANT programming school founder and the CEO of the Bureau for Continuing Professional Development (BCPD) of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC). “By pooling resources, efforts and expertise,” Elmira emphasized, “we can turn the tide not only on gender equality, but also on growing social and economic stratification.” During the interview, Elmira also stressed the importance of supporting teachers, modernizing technical colleges, and “developing the institution of mentoring” in Kazakhstan. “Many people think that Silicon Valley is about money,” she explained. “Actually, it’s about the supportive environment. In order to attract young people, it is necessary to create a benevolent climate [and] to maintain interest in innovation from an early age.”

    ​​

    Read More »

    Report Date: 12/12/2022

  • Fellow(s): Fellow Nermin Salah publishes study on breast cancer prodrugs with support from mentor Bianca Liederer

    Country: Egypt, United States

    Region: MENA, US

    Cohort: 2013

    Project/Action: Fellow Nermin Salah publishes study on breast cancer prodrugs with support from mentor Bianca Liederer

    Title: Principal Program Manager

    Company: Genentech

    Policy Area(s): Professional Development

    Fellow Nermin Salah (Egypt, 2013) recently co-authored a publication in the field of drug discovery, crediting her TechWomen professional mentor Bianca Liederer of Genentech with providing helpful support and collaboration to the project. Entitled “Design, synthesis, and metabolite identification of Tamoxifen esterase-activatable prodrugs,” the study explores substances that can improve efficacy and reduce resistance to Tamoxifen, an important medication used in the treatment of hormonal-dependent breast cancers. Though she completed her program nearly ten years ago, Nermin maintains that “once a TechWomen always a TechWomen; you keep the network, support and the spirit.” She shares that Bianca and her team offered valuable assistance throughout the research process, even performing some experiments that would have been a challenge to execute in Egypt. Nermin is currently in the U.S. again as a Hubert Humphrey fellow and fondly reflects that she is “still receiving help and guidance from the whole TechWomen community.”
    ​

    Read More »

    Report Date: 12/12/2022

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