Impact Stories from Professional Growth Policy Area
Mentor(s): Shakhina Pulatova (mentor)
Company: LinkedIn
Mentor Type: Professional
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
TechWomen mentor Shakhina Pulatova recently returned from her travels to Uzbekistan, where she delivered lectures and presentations to university students and women in tech fields. Shakhina collaborated with TechWomen fellows who invited her to speak at various venues throughout Tashkent during her sabbatical from work at LinkedIn. At an event coordinated by Women TechMakers Tashkent, Shakhina spoke to students about entering tech fields and the importance of developing core skills in the rapidly changing job market.
Shakhina also delivered guest lectures at Westminster International University and Inha University about online identity, reputation and product management for students majoring in business information systems, computer science and computer engineering. “I was truly impressed with the enthusiasm, curiosity and eagerness of the next generation to learn and contribute,” she says. “This gives me hope for the tech future in Uzbekistan.”
Report Date: 12/31/18
Fellow hosts Africa Science Week in Cameroon
Fellow(s): Arielle Kitio
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2016 fellow of Cameroon Arielle Kitio recently organized a week of lectures, panels and hands-on activities during Next Einstein Forum’s Africa Science Week Cameroon. Arielle, a Next Einstein Forum ambassador, is responsible for driving NEF’s public engagement activities in Cameroon.
Africa Science Week, a weeklong celebration of science and technology, is held in 13 countries throughout the African continent. In Yaoundé, Arielle organized a week of activities meant to inspire the next generation through coding workshops, panels on artificial intelligence, solar energy seminars, hackathons and more. She partnered with local educators, entrepreneurs and makers to deliver programming to both primary schools as well as local universities.
Report Date: 12/31/18
Fellow named Woman of the Year in digital technology
Fellow(s): Ines Nasri
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
2014 fellow of Tunisia Ines Nasri was named Woman of the Year in the digital technology category at the first ARVEA Women Awards held recently in Tunisia. The awards honor Tunisian women who inspire and encourage others to be bold, successful and follow a path of innovation. The jury was led by Tunisia’s former Minister of Culture and comprised leading women entrepreneurs, researchers and tech experts.
Ines is the founder of WebPower Tunisie, a recognized Tunisian digital web agency specializing in web and social marketing, web development and brand content. In a guest blog written shortly after her TechWomen experience, Ines described starting WebPower with limited resources and nearly no budget. Participating in TechWomen helped develop her leadership skills, making her a better communicator and more effective manager. “I came back from Silicon Valley with a HUGE amount of energy and felt empowered and so optimistic,” she wrote.
In addition to WebPower, Ines founded Tunisia Digital Day, an annual digital marketing event that brings together professionals, students and businesses to raise awareness about opportunities in technology fields.
Report Date: 12/24/18
Fellow named first runner up at South African Youth Awards
Fellow(s): Tozama Qwebani-Ogunleye
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Dr. Tozama Qwebani-Ogunleye, 2018 fellow of South Africa, was named first runner up at last week’s 2018 South African Youth Awards. Organized by the National Youth Development Agency, the awards recognize individuals aged 35 and under who are contributing to the South African community through empowering young people and encouraging the public and private sectors to contribute to youth development.
Tozama was nominated in the Academia category and was recognized for her work as Project Director at Vaal University of Technology. “Being a 2018 TechWomen fellow was an advantage for me to make it to the finalists,” she said. Before starting TechWomen program, Tozama wrote a guest blog post on her journey, challenges and path to TechWomen 2018.
Report Date: 12/24/18
Fellow hosts digital training session for university students
Fellow(s): Afnan Saqr
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2015 fellow of Jordan Afnan Saqr hosted a digital marketing training for more than 100 students at Applied Science University last week in Amman. The training, called “Maharat Min Google,” is Google’s first Arabic digital skills program that was launched to help youth in the MENA region access free courses and increase their job prospects.
Afnan led the training in partnerhsip with INJAZ, a non-profit organization that offers financial education, business and entreprenurship skills training for local youth. During the session, she taught students about search engine marketing, social media, e-commerce, geo-targeting and data analytics. At the end of the course, students took an assessment on the Maharat Min Google platform and received a certification of completion to demonstrate their newly acquired capabilities.
Report Date: 12/24/18
Fellow named one of Forbes’ top 50 women in tech
Fellow(s): Charity Wanjiku
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth
2017 fellow of Kenya Charity Wanjiku was recently named to the World’s Top 50 Women in Tech list by Forbes. The inaugural feature identifies forward-thinking founders, technologists and engineers who are leaders in their respective fields. Charity is the COO and co-founder of Strauss Energy, a solar company whose solar tiles power off-grid areas in rural Kenya and beyond. Through her company, Charity hopes to solve a lack of access to sustainable electricity by providing cost-effective and renewable energy to households and businesses.
In a recent Forbes article, Charity spoke about Kenya’s limited grid capacity and the need for the solutions Strauss Energy provides: “This gives the opportunity to all Kenyans to have access to power and an improved living standard,” she said.
During TechWomen, Charity was a part of the seed-grant winning action plan Project Digniti, which addresses sanitation-related illnesses by installing toilets in rural Kenyan schools. The team recently completed their pilot project at Nengerpus Primary School outside Nairobi.
Report Date: 12/10/18
Fellow’s company selected as top 100 African startup
Fellow(s): Ameni Mansouri
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
2018 fellow Ameni Mansouri’s company, Dabchy, was selected as a Top 100 African Startup at the Africa 2018 Forum held this week in Egypt. Selected startups, chosen for their demonstrated success and future potential, were granted the opportunity to connect with international investors, financial institutions, government officials and policymakers from the African continent.
Founded by Ameni in 2016, Dabchy is web-based fashion marketplace used by over 220,000 women across three countries in North Africa. In the coming months, Dabchy will be a part of Europe’s first fashion tech incubator, Look Forward, for their one-year program based in Paris.
Report Date: 12/10/18
Fellows organize Women Tech Talks at local university
Fellow(s): Gina Kadri, Hanan Atallah, Zeina Sadeddin, Nuha Shawahna, Waad Jabbarin, Razan Qraini, Ruba Awayes,Yamama Shaka’a, Ayah Soufan
Country: Palestinian Territories
Cohort: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth
This week, a group of TechWomen fellows in Ramallah came together to co-organize Women Tech Talks, an event featuring local women business leaders, founders and entrepreneurs. The day’s program was organized in partnership with Birzeit University and the Palestinian chapter of ArabWIC, an initiative that supports and encourages Arab women in computing.
2018 fellows Gina Kadri, Hanan Atallah, Zeina Sadeddin, Nuha Shawahna and Waad Jabbarin were joined by Razan Qraini and Ruba Awayes (2017) and Yamama Shaka’a (2016) and Ayah Soufan (2015). Together, they gave a presentation to students and graduates about their TechWomen experiences and also participated on a panel to answer questions about the program and speak about how it has impacted their careers in tech.
Report Date: 12/10/18
Mentor(s): Myra Nawabi
Company: Lockheed Martin
Mentor Type: Impact
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
Longtime TechWomen mentor Myra Nawabi was named Business Leader of the Year at the inaugural Women in IT Awards Silicon Valley held last week in San Francisco. The event is part of the Women in IT Awards Series, a program that holds events in Ireland, London, New York and Singapore. The awards aim to rectify the gender imbalance in tech through showcasing women who pave the way for gender equality and serve as role models for women entering technology fields.
Myra, a senior project engineer, was recognized for her outstanding business leadership at Lockheed Martin. “This was an amazing event, and I am truly humbled by the recognition,” she said. “My grandmother never got the opportunity to read or write. While her dreams were cut short, her granddaughter gets to live her dreams of space every day. I get to build satellites and empower other women to pursue their own dreams.”
Myra has been a part of the TechWomen mentor community since 2013, serving as a Cultural Mentor, Impact Coach and member of Emerging Leader selection committees.
Report Date: 12/3/18
Fellow launches coding school for local youth
Fellow(s): Natalya Tyudina
Country: Tajikistan
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2018 fellow of Tajikistan Natalya Tyudina recently launched ilmhona, a non-profit initiative with a mission to increase digital literacy among youth in Tajikistan. The pilot project, which will begin in January, recently began accepting applications and will select 20 girls and 20 boys to begin a three-month coding curriculum. The program will include HTML and CSS training and a course on Android application development.
After successfully completing the course, students will have the opportunity to participate in a one-month internship during which they will develop projects to tackle social challenges in Tajikistan. The ilmhona team is first launching the initiative in the capital city of Dushanbe, and Natalya hopes to expand into other cities in the near future.
Report Date: 12/3/18
