Impact Stories from Youth Engagement Policy Area

Fellow discusses AI for impact on ECA exchange Alumni Podcast

Fellow(s): Dr. Reema Diab (Jordan, 2019)

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2019

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellow Dr. Reema Diab (Jordan, 2019) recently appeared on the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ ExchangeAlumni series, Mentor Talks. In the episode, “Using AI as a Force for Global Good,” Reema discusses her role as an AI global ambassador, demystifies popular misconceptions about artificial intelligence and illustrates how it can be deployed for positive impact. Through her non-governmental organization, Galaxy for Technology, for example, Reema uses AI as a tool for education and skill-building for local refugees. “I founded Galaxy because there was a huge need in my community,” she explained. “We give them intensive training from web development to python to machine learning — the main skills and tools needed to work with global markets.” Reema also discussed her journey in TechWomen. “I have this kind of love in my eyes when I speak of TechWomen,” Reema shared, highlighting the mentorships, partnerships, entrepreneurial knowledge and professional networking opportunities she gained. “It was truly a transformative experience that has significantly shaped my career.” Reema is the first female Jordanian AI Global Ambassador for SwissCognitive, an international keynote speaker, and Founder and CEO of Galaxy for Technology. She is a youth influencer and also serves as a senior AI consultant for Tesla Motors and the World Bank.

Report Date...: 08/28/2023

9 Fellows provide leadership support as Techgirls LECs

Fellow(s): Anzurat Kosimova (Tajikistan, 2016), Arielle Kitio Tsamo (Cameroon, 2016), Carolyn Seaman (Nigeria, 2018), Ghada Amin (Egypt, 2018), Helen Mburu (Kenya, 2018), Nadiah Saba’neh, (Palestinian Territories, 2015) Nisreen Deeb (Lebanon, 2013), Ramia Bakain (Jordan, 2022) and Refilwe Ledwaba (South Africa, 2019)

Country: Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Nigeria, Palestinian Territories, South Africa, Tajikistan

Cohort: 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellows Anzurat Kosimova (Tajikistan, 2016), Arielle Kitio Tsamo (Cameroon, 2016), Carolyn Seaman (Nigeria, 2018), Ghada Amin (Egypt, 2018), Helen Mburu (Kenya, 2018), Nadiah Saba’neh, (Palestinian Territories, 2015) Nisreen Deeb (Lebanon, 2013), Ramia Bakain (Jordan, 2022) and Refilwe Ledwaba (South Africa, 2019) recently served as Local Engagement Coordinators (LECs) for the 2023 TechGirls program. LECs provide ongoing mentorship and support for 100+ girls from 35 countries who travel to Virginia Tech for one month per year to further their futures in STEM. “An absolute highlight for me was when Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for the ECA (Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs), addressed the TechGirls community,” Nadiah shares. “[And] the special message from Secretary of State Antony Blinken left us all with a renewed sense of hope for a brighter tomorrow.”

Report Date...: 08/07/2023

Fellow leads Dell design thinking workshops

Fellow(s): Zeinab El Sayed (Egypt, 2020-2021)

Country: Egypt

Cohort: 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellow leads Dell design thinking workshops

Fellow Zeinab El Sayed (Egypt, 2020-2021) recently led the delivery of two design thinking (DT) workshops at Dell Technologies Egypt for high school and undergraduate university students. At the Dell star and summer academy workshops, Zeinab, along with a team of coaches, taught design thinking methodology to over 100 students engaging in interactive technical, soft skills, and career workshops with experts from Dell Technologies. The students would go on to utilize their learnings to develop and pitch practical solutions for real world issues as part of their mentorship programs. Zeinab currently serves as lead on all design thinking programs at Dell Technologies in Cairo. She is also a certified lean six sigma—yellow belt instructor.

Report Date...: 10/02/2023

Fellow founds STEM Sensitization Talks for Nigerian girls

Fellow(s): Adeola Aremu (Nigeria, 2022)

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow Adeola Aremu (Nigeria, 2022) recently launched her first event for nonprofit initiative, STEM Sensitization Talks, which was held for secondary school girls in Kwara State, Nigeria. The purpose of the event was to educate girls on the gender gap in STEM and encourage them to enroll in science and technology classes for the upcoming academic year. “It was an eye opening session for the girls as they affirmed that STEM seeds have been sown in their hearts,” Adeola shared in a recent post. She has launched this initiative to steer girls toward STEM courses on their promotion to Senior Secondary classes, which is a major determinant for continuing on into higher education and careers in STEM. “It’s a ‘catch them young’ approach,” Adeola wrote in recent communications with the team. “It’s a way of giving back to TechWomen.”

Report Date...: 9/18/2023

Fellow organizes AI-centered hackathon for Arab youths

Fellow(s): Ruba Awais and Rasha (Hammo) Abu Dayyeh (Palestinian Territories, 2017)

Country: Palestinian Territories

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Ruba and Rasha organized the fourth hackathon of their platform, Vtech Road, which empowers Arabic youth to develop UN SDG-focused innovations.

Cofounders of Vtech Road, fellows Ruba Awais and Rasha (Hammo) Abu Dayyeh (Palestinian Territories, 2017), recently organized their fourth VTech Road hackathon, AI4us. Composed of six teams charged with utilizing artificial intelligence to develop entrepreneurial ideas targeted at United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Vtech Road is an innovation platform that empowers Arabic youth to develop SDG-focused tech projects. Each team was provided access to educational content from the platform, AI4us.tech, which included mentor-led live training sessions centered on the ethics and applications of AI. “Seeing the passion and enthusiasm of young Palestinian entrepreneurs, their creativity and commitment to making a difference through technology, has always been incredibly inspiring,” Ruba shared in a recent post.

Report Date...: 9/11/2023

Fellow advocates for youth sexual health on panel

Fellow(s): Ngwashi Christabel, MD (Cameroon, 2020-2021)

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Ngwashi spoke on a panel focused on helping youth break the stigma around sexual health education and discussion this August.

Fellow Ngwashi Christabel, MD (Cameroon, 2020-2021) recently spoke on a panel, “Normalizing Age Appropriate Sex Education and Conversations,” at a summit produced by Sexual Health Companion in Buea, Cameroon. The aim of the event was to empower youths in understanding their sexual and reproductive health and rights by breaking the stigma around the topic. During the panel, Ngwashi focused on “the 3 ‘I’s of sexual education: being intentional, incidental and inclusive.” Ngwashi is a medical doctor and global health specialist focused on maternal, adolescent, reproductive and child health (MARCH) care services and counselling, particularly in conflict-affected areas in Cameroon. She is also the founder of More Than Just An MD (MT-JAM Health), a platform that utilizes storytelling as a tool to increase health literacy and patient-centered care. She also serves as a Health Specialist African Fellow for the World Bank.

Report Date...: 09/04/2023

Fellow and founder of volunteer platform hosts two-day training for social leaders of transformative initiatives

Fellow(s): Hiba Awaysa (Palestinian Territories, 2020-2021)

Country: Palestinian Territories

Cohort: 2020-2021

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

Sawaed19, a volunteer networking platform led and founded by fellow Hiba Awaysa (Palestinian Territories, 2020-2021), recently held a training for 25 social leaders who kickstarted 14 transformative initiatives formed under the Giving for Change program. The two-day intensive training included workshops entitled Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Initiatives Identity and Advocacy Campaigns, and Fostering Community-Building Strategy, which was facilitated by Hiba herself. “At Sawaed19, we are committed to empowering volunteers and community leaders with the essential tools, knowledge, and skills to supercharge their initiatives,” Hiba shared in a recent post. Hiba established Sawaed19 in 2019 as a platform to match volunteers to non-profits around the world. The Giving for Change program is organized by Dalia Association, a community development foundation that works to mobilize and utilize Palestinian resources through community-controlled grant-making.

Report Date...: 07/24/2023

Fellow hosts week-long digital youth training camp

Fellow(s): Mahri Gylyjova (Turkmenistan, 2022)

Country: Turkmenistan

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Mahri hosted a week-long series of digital training classes for Turkmen youths with the support of the Union of Economists of Turkmenistan and USAID.

Fellow Mahri Gylyjova (Turkmenistan, 2022) recently hosted a week-long digital training session for youths in concert with the Union of Economists of Turkmenistan and USAID. Mahri utilized the opportunity to cover topics a range of practical and theoretical topics, including the top competitive digital skills in the labor market, the ethics of behavior on the internet, cyber security, advanced Excel skills, rising professions in tech and the ten most common problems with computers and accessories. “It was a busy week full of new acquaintances with talented, energetic young people of Ashagabt,” Mahri expressed in a recent post. Mahri is a freelance trainer of digital skills focused on scratch programming and computer literacy.

Report Date...: 07/24/2023

Fellow co-facilitates 10-day African Girls Can Code Initiative sponsored by UN Women and African Union Commission

Fellow(s): Emma Mphahlele (South Africa), Sara Fakhry (Egypt), Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan) 2022

Country: Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow Emma Mphahlele (South Africa, 2022), founder of non-profit African Youth Ignited 4IR, recently served as co-facilitator of the 10-day African Girls Can Code Initiative sponsored by UN Women and the African Union Commission. The program, designed to teach design thinking, problem-solving and soft skills, selected 40 girls from eight public schools in the inland provinces to take part in the 10-day curriculum. Topics included user interface/user experience (UI/UX), website development, mobile applications development, robotics, cyber security and programming. Emma enlisted several members of the TechWomen community to serve as guest lecturer, including mentors Lori Kahn, Jennifer Martin and Erin Keeley, and fellows Sara Fakhry (Egypt, 2022) and Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan, 2022). “Spending 10 days with the girls has added to my growth as a facilitator and an expert in STEM Education,” Emma shared in a recent post. “It reaffirmed my decision to leave corporate and to focus on the promotion of inclusivity in access to quality education for children and young people in my continent.”

Report Date...: 07/17/2023

Fellow speaks at water and sanitation conference

Fellow(s): Sylvia Nyaga (Kenya, 2022)

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow speaks at water and sanitation conference

Fellow Sylvia Nyaga (Kenya, 2022) led a session entitled, “Gender and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) financing: Overcoming challenges faced by women-led SMEs (small and midsized enterprises)” at the National Conference on Bankability and Blended financing for SMEs and WASH initiatives, held in Nairobi this spring. “Billions of people worldwide, including 1 billion people with #disabilities, still live without safely managed drinking water, safely managed sanitation and basic hygiene services,” Sylvia wrote in a recent post. “The financing of water and sanitation infrastructure projects in emerging markets is at the heart of this global challenge.” Sylvia is the founder of Syna Consultancy, a social enterprise dedicated to providing safe, inclusive and dignified sanitation experiences, with a focus on elderly, sick, and mobility-impaired individuals. Through Syna, she has developed the UTULAV toilet, an accessible and portable device for the physically challenged.

Report Date...: 06/19/2023

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