Impact Stories from Professional Development Policy Area

Fellow & founder of agritech company named Young Global Changemaker

Fellow(s): Chinwendu Nweke (Nigeria, 2022)

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow & founder of agritech company named Young Global Changemaker

Fellow and CEO Chinwendu Nweke (Nigeria, 2022) and her Aladinn Project recently won first place out of 15 finalists among 50 semifinalists for the 2023 Young Global Changers (YGC) Recoupling Awards. The Aladinn Project is spearheaded by Bridge Merchant Enterprise, an agritech company founded by Chindwendu in 2019. It is based on a social impact model that works to eliminate post-harvest waste and promote food security with an online application connecting small holder farmers with local and international markets. Through Bridge Merchant Enterprise, Chinwendu hopes to “see hunger and poverty eradicated using technology and people-empowered solutions,” YGC related in a recent post. Chindwendu received her award at the Global Solutions Summit 2023 in Berlin, Germany from May 15 to 16, during one of many powerful networking and development opportunities afforded to annual winners. YGC is a project of the Global Solutions Initiative. Founded during the 2017 German G20 Presidency, it proposes policy responses to major global problems addressed by the G20, the G7 and other global governance assemblies.

Report Date...: 05/08/2023

Fellow initiative wins Oxford Map the System Final

Fellow(s): Aliaa Ahmed (2022)

Country: Egypt

Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellow initiative wins Oxford Map the System Final

Nomken, an initiative co-founded by fellow Aliaa Ahmed (2022), recently won the University of Oxford Map the System Final, a competition where which students map systems to address global systemic challenges. The initiative will continue on to the inaugural Map the System Semi Final hosted on Hopin, a state-of the art online event and conferencing platform, showcasing students systems-mapping projects from across the world. Nomken, established in December 2022, raises awareness of how nutritional intervention can enhance the quality of life for children and adults with Down Syndrome. Nomken holds workshops on a variety of topics, such as nutrition, psychological support and success stories for individuals with Down Syndrome and their caregivers. It also raises awareness about Down Syndrome, challenges misconceptions about it and highlights the potential of individuals with Down Syndrome to contribute positively to society given the right support and opportunities. Aliaa is the head of the nutrition and research unit at Egyptian Food Bank. She is also the founder of Alma, a virtual nutrition clinic. She is deeply inspired by her young daughter, who was born with Down Syndrome.

Report Date...: 05/08/2023

Fellow NGO collaborates with Riga TechGirls in Latvia

Fellow(s): Fellows: Elena Selezneva, Saida Yusupova

Country: Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2016

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

Fellow NGO collaborates with Riga TechGirls in Latvia

Tech4Iimpact, an NGO founded by fellows Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova (Uzbekistan, 2016) recently sent a delegation to the TechChill conference in Latvia, April 26 to 28, as part of their program, “Female Founders Across Borders (FFAB),” which was co-organized with Riga TechGirls and funded by the Ministry of foreign affairs of Latvia. The delegation of finalists from the FFAB program, including startup founders and mentors, participated in panel discussions, pitch sessions, master classes and networking opportunities with global contemporaries. A cornerstones of the trip was the “Women in Tech Community Networking” event, held in Riga Castle, the official residence of the President of Latvia, which was attended by the First Ladies of Latvia and Estonia, Andra Levite and Sirje Karisas. Tech4Impact was founded in 2019 to support innovation, IT entrepreneurship and green tech among youth and women in Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region.

Report Date...: 05/08/2023

Kyrgyz Fellows host U.S. mentors for week of collaborative events in advance of Kazakhstan delegation

Fellow(s): Fellows: Kseniia Tysganova, Dinara Moldosheva, Darika Aldasheva and Kyzzhibek Batyrkanova

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2018, 2022

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

Kyrgyz Fellows host U.S. mentors for week of collaborative events in advance of Kazakhstan delegation

In the week before the TechWomen delegation to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz fellow Kseniia Tysganova (2022), with the robust support of Dinara Moldosheva (2022), Darika Aldasheva (2022), Tursunai Bektemirova (2022), Nuraiym Azygalieva (2022), Bermet Dosmambetova (2022), Ainura Mitalipova (2022) and Kyzzhibek Batyrkanova (2019), independently collaborated with U.S. mentors Cora Lam, Kathy Giori, Jayme Farrell-Ranker, Meg Gordon, Debbie Whaley and Nancy Hendrickson, to initiate a self-directed agenda of workshops, panels and cultural events in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The several-day itinerary included workshops for schoolchildren and university students, master classes on leadership and technology trends and panel discussions. Highlights included visits with students, scientists and leaders of the Kyrgyz State Technical University, the Council of Young Scientists of the National Academy of Sciences, Billimkana American School and Ala-Too International Medical University. Workshops included Mentoring for Impact, led by Cora, and Physical Computing with MicroBlocks, led by Kathy. For the main event, the collaborators gathered with an audience at Ololo Planet, a creative hub and co-working venue in Bishkek, where mentors presented an overview of the TechWomen program and took part in a panel discussion moderated by Kyzzhibek. The Kyrgyz fellows also hosted a cultural send-off party for the mentors, who continued on to Kazakhstan, along with several Kyrgyz fellows, for the TechWomen delegation.

Report Date...: 05/01/2023

Fellow(s): Eman Herawy (Egypt, 2022)

Country: Egypt

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow innovation, Geni, wins prizes at web 3.0 event

Fellow Eman Herawy (Egypt, 2022), co-founder of NoonDAO (decentralized autonomous organization) and Arab Blockchain Week, recently won three prizes at ETHDenver’s BUIDLathon for her co-creation Geni, an AI-based tool that generates requirements for smart contract security tools. Geni won Best Developer Tooling Solution for Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM), Best Developer Infrastructure/Tooling on Mantle and the Open Aurora Bounty. #BUIDLathon is a conference held in Denver, Colorado that brings together developers and advocates of distributed computing on the Ethereum blockchain. There weren’t many bounties for security-related items,” Eman wrote in a recent post, “but we wanted to hack for security-related products and WE DID IT!” Eman co-founded NoonDAO, an Arab women-led DAO, to advocate for Arab women’s empowerment. In 2021, she was featured by Fintech Reviews on International Women’s Day as one of the top 21 blockchain leaders.

Report Date...: 05/01/2023

Fellow energy co. hosts children’s solar training academy

Fellow(s): Fortunate Farirai (Zimbabwe, 2022)

Country: Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow energy co. hosts children’s solar training academy

Sustenergy, of which fellow Fortunate Farirai (Zimbabwe, 2022) is Founder, Managing Director and CEO, conducted its two-day Solar for Kids program this spring. Under its training division, Sustenergy Training Academy, the company trained 26 kids from over 15 primary schools and high schools on how the solar power system works. “Our most [sic] gratitude goes to our kids,” Fortunate wrote in a recent post, “who were engaging and interactive in making the program successful.” Sustenergy is an energy company centered on developing renewable energy technologies that can deliver affordable, modern, safe and environmentally friendly energy on a global scale.

Report Date...: 05/01/2023

Fellow launches fintech product development course

Fellow(s): Azhar Mambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2019)

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow talks equity in tech in interview for The Ouut

Fellow Azhar Mambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2019) recently launched a proprietary course entitled “Product Management – Launching Digital Financial Services.” The certificate-bearing course consists of five components targeted at financial services professionals seeking to create digital products. The course will instruct on identifying client needs, developing a minimum viable product, managing a development team, building a development process and analyzing product metrics. It also features several guest lecturers, including fellow Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan, 2022). Azhar believes her course will help “drive innovation and create remarkable products.” With over ten years of experience in fintech, she currently works as a managing director for Kompanion bank and a Digital Financial Services Consultant for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Bishkek.

Report Date...: 04/10/2023

Fellow talks equity in tech in interview for The Ouut

Fellow(s): Tamadur Almahdi Abukhamadah (Libya, 2022)

Country: Libya

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow talks equity in tech in interview for The Ouut

Fellow Tamadur Almahdi Abukhamadah (Libya, 2022) was recently interviewed by online emerging market news platform The Ouut for an article entitled “African Women In Tech; Tamadur Almahdi Discusses, Tech, Empowerment [and] Participation.” “Women are more likely to do the work that is behind the scenes…and end up unrecognized,” Tamadur explained, sharing her thoughts on the gendered digital divide. “The continuous unrecognition of women’s impact in various organizational projects can leave them feeling unappreciated…and ultimately mean they leave the job they are really good at and really love.” Tamadur is the Chief of Staff at Speetar, a health tech startup that has brought accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to over two million patients in conflict-affected communities since its launch in 2020. “At Speetar, we’re committed to fostering an inclusive environment and promoting women in leadership roles,” the company shared in a post on Tamadur’s interview.

Report Date...: 04/10/2023

Fellow initiative hosts U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission to raise awareness of State exchange programs

Fellow(s): Janatu Veronica Sesay (Sierra Leone, 2022)

Country: Sierra Leone

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow initiative hosts U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission to raise awareness of State exchange programs

STEM Girls Initiative Sierra Leone, a program of which fellow Janatu Veronica Sesay (Sierra Leone, 2022) is founder and CEO, recently hosted U.S. Embassy Freetown Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie A. Bunce during an event held to raise awareness of exchange programs offered by the U.S. Department of State. Held at Njala University, the STEM Girls Initiative event was attended by hundreds of staff and students, to whom the U.S Embassy representatives provided insights and encouragement on eligibility and application for these programs and how to become part of a community of impact. Fellows from these programs, including TechWomen, Fulbright and YALI, also contributed to the program, sharing their exchange experiences and the positive impacts they’ve since been able to effect on their communities upon returning home. “TechWomen has helped me connect with changemakers across the globe and build lifelong relationships that will lead to collaboration,” and U.S. Public Relations Officer Sarah Van Horne, who was also in attendance at the event. STEM Girls Initiative Sierra Leone was born out of Janatu’s experience as a TechWomen Emerging Leader. It aims to raise awareness among junior and secondary school girls on how to find career paths in STEM, aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal three (SDG3).

Report Date...: 04/10/2023

Mentor publication calls for wide-scale net zero construction

Fellow(s): Mentor Reshma Singh

Country:

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

Mentor publication calls for wide-scale net zero construction

Mentor Reshma Singh recently guest authored the article “Buildings Belong at the Heart of Climate Action” for Environment+Energy Leader, a woman-owned online media publisher. In her article, Reshma discusses the central importance of green and SMART building design in the race to cut global greenhouse emissions, citing the Biden administration’s recent call for all new and substantially renovated buildings to attain carbon neutrality by 2030. With approximately 90% of the average human lifetime being spent indoors, Reshma explains, a serious impact on emissions can only occur through significant movement towards a net zero built environment. She goes on to discuss the growing, positive dialogue around net zero construction that is happening among business executives, academics and governments, pointing to the fruitful sentiments shared during a recent roundtable discussion she organized at this year’s Global Clean Energy Action Forum in Pittsburgh. “From where I stand,” she concludes, “the future is clear: first buildings, then neighborhoods, and then the whole world, running on clean energy that drives prosperity and benefits people and the planet.” Reshma is a Senior Advisor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Technologies Office. She works at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as a program lead implementing two DOE initiatives: IMPEL, a tech-to-market program focused on building technologies, and Cradle to Commerce, an equity-centered climate tech entrepreneurship accelerator.

Report Date...: 04/03/2023

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