Impact Stories from Special Report Policy Area

Fellows and mentors coach young entrepreneurs at Pitch Night

Fellow(s): TechWomen delegation trip to Sierra Leone

Country: Sierra Leone

Cohort: 2013 - 2018

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

Thursday’s Pitch Night and Startup Exhibition provided an opportunity for the delegation to engage with young women and adults to support them to learn the fundamentals of delivering an effective pitch. After explaining the core elements of a powerful pitch, 2018 fellow of Zimbabwe Natsai Mutezo led by example through demonstrating what a persuasive pitch looked like – a pitch that brought the audience in, made them imagine a scenario that they were directly involved in and brought them into the story.
Two groups of budding entrepreneurs were then asked to brainstorm a solution to an identified problem in their community and develop a pitch to sell their solution to the audience. In the young women’s group, one team chose to address the issue of trash disposal and its effect on both water sanitation and teenage pregnancy. With guidance from mentors and fellows, the girls identified a common thread, realizing that young women who go out late at night to fetch water are vulnerable to sexual violence and unplanned pregnancies. They discussed that if the community disposed of their waste responsibly, the water would be cleaner and the rate of teen pregnancy would decrease. Armed with their narrative, the girls pitched their proposal, which included leveraging local community leaders, educating young people and advocating for the safety of women at night. Although pitch winners were chosen at the end of the evening, the event was not about winning; it was about developing entrepreneurial skills, practicing teamwork and showing growing leaders that they have the ability to implement change in their communities.

Report Date...: 2/25/19

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Fellow(s): Reneiloe Seodigeng

Country: South Africa
Region: SSA
Cohort: 2020-2021
Project/Action: Emerging Leader of South Africa kicks off guest post series
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
TechWomen 2020-2021 Emerging Leader Reneiloe Seodigeng shares her story of growing up as a black woman in South Africa and finding her confidence in the latest post on the TechWomen blog. Her piece is a part of Emerging Leader Voices, a yearly blog series that invites incoming Emerging Leaders to share their perspectives and experiences with the TechWomen community.
In her post, “Journey outside the comfort zone: my pathway to growth,” Reneiloe describes the challenges she faced enrolling in a predominately white school as a young girl. Without models or mentors, Reneiloe overcame barriers to find her voice, discover her talents and understand her worth: “I found that I began to gain the confidence that I was meant to be there; maybe not to see faces that looked like me, but to be one of the faces that every black child and every girl child needs to see to know that they also have a place there,” she writes. With a master’s degree in chemical engineering and a passion for designing sustainable technology solutions in waste and sanitation, Reneiloe is determined to serve as a model for young people. She co-founded Kitso Technology Excellence Academy (KTEC), a STEM education center that offers programming in coding, robotics, entrepreneurship and more to young students in South Africa. “I got here by getting a good education,” she writes, “and the only way we can ensure our young ones have the opportunity to solve the world’s challenges is to provide them with quality education and encourage them to do their best.”
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Report Date: 9/14/20
Fellow(s): Tangulu Diushakhmatova

Country: Kyrgyzstan
Region: CSA
Cohort: 2019
Project/Action: Fellow receives Chevening Scholarship
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
2019 fellow Tangulu Diushakhmatova was selected as a recipient of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship, a program that awards global leaders a fully-funded scholarships to pursue a one-year master’s degree at a UK-based institution. With over 50,000 alumni worldwide, Chevening aims to empower passionate leaders who can create a better future.
Tangulu, a senior consultant for a firm that provides audit and advisory services, will pursue a Master of Public Policy at the London School of Economics. “This will strengthen my understanding of the financial market from the angle of policy-making and analysis,” she says. “It will build a solid foundation for helping to develop structured policies and solutions for the people in Central Asia to access finance.” Already Tangulu has landed in London for her classes, which begin this week. “I’m excited for the new adventure and learning experience,” she says.
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Report Date: 9/14/20