Impact Stories from Youth Engagement Policy Area
Fellow(s): Tiisetso Lephoto
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Tiisetso Lephoto, 2016 fellow of South Africa and a postdoctoral researcher, has been named one of South Africa’s Top 200 by Mail & Guardian. During the TechWomen program, Tiisetso was hosted at Illumina. In June, Tiisetso served as a judge at the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Agriculture Research Symposium. “My experience was humbling because over the years, I’ve presented my work and scooped awards for the past five to six years at the research symposium, and I was now invited to select winners,” she said. Tiiestso has also been active in youth outreach. On June 22, she participated on a panel for youth month in Soweto, her hometown, to talk about her work and passions.
Read More »Report Date...: 7/3/2017
Next Einstein Forum
Fellow(s): Sylvia Mukasa
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
Sylvia Mukasa, 2014 fellow of Kenya and Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Ambassador, helped launch the first NEF Africa Science Week (ASW) in Nairobi, June 27-30. The celebration of science and technology included a hackathon for farming, women in STEM day and panels open to the general public. “We want to provide that platform for relevant discussions and monetary commitments toward research and development in Kenya,” Sylvia said. “The government needs to empower its young people to increase their ability to personally influence what is happening in their lives and communities.”
Read More »Report Date...: 6/26/2017
Fellow(s): Beatrice Sonfack
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
Beatrice Sonfack, 2016 fellow of Cameroon, has launched an association to empower and inspire young girls to engage in engineering and technology. Women in Engineering and Technology (WENTECH) targets girls from 13 to 18 years old through interactive workshops. After returning from the TechWomen program, Beatrice met with Cameroon’s Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, who has provided space for WENTECH to hosts its workshops. In March, Beatrice organized the first workshop for 17 girls with three trainers. In the most recent workshop sponsored by Orange Cameroon, June 19-20, 45 girls participated with four trainers, including Arielle Kitio, 2016 fellow of Cameroon. The workshops introduced girls to robotics and mobile application development.
Read More »Report Date...: 6/26/2017
Taungana Africa
Fellow(s): Sandra Tererai; Nomso Kana
Country: South Africa, Zimbabwe
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
Taunganafrica has reached more than 900 students in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe since it launched in 2014 with the support of a TechWomen seed grant. 2013 Fellows, Sandra Tererai of Zimbabwe and Nomso Kana of South Africa, have organized annual weeklong STEM expos for rural high school girls.
Read More »Report Date...: 6/5/2017
Hello World Kids
Fellow(s): Eman Hylooz, Hanan Khader
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2013, 2016
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement
TechWomen fellows are transforming generations around the world. The World Economic Forum and International Finance Corporation named 100 Arab startups shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including Abjjad, founded by 2016 fellow Eman Hylooz of Jordan, and Hello World Kids, founded by 2013 fellow Hanan Khader of Jordan. The Jordanian entrepreneurs will meet with King Abdullah ll to discuss the future and the challenges of the tech startup scene in Jordan.
Read More »Report Date...: 5/15/2017
Kids Genius
Fellow(s): Sabine Kai
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
Kids Genius, a makerspace for kids created by 2014 fellow Sabine Kai of Lebanon, has opened a second location in Tyre, Lebanon. The new space is located within the Imam Sadr Foundation’s school, which provides free education for orphans and kids with special needs.
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Report Date...: 5/8/2017
Tech
Fellow(s): Mercy Sosanya
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
Youth Can Tech Digital Literacy program, a collaboration among 2015 fellow Mercy Sosanya of Nigeria, Uplift Hub, Brainiacs STEM & Robotics, Women Techmakers and Pretty Girls Code, trained 25 girls and 17 boys. During the kids’ spring break earlier this month, the program hosted sessions to teach kids how to use Microsoft Office applications, web design, coding using Scratch, robotics and 3D printing.
Report Date...: 4/17/2017
Fellow(s): Afnan Ali
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2011
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement
Afnan Ali, 2011 fellow of Jordan, founded Eureka Tech Academy in 2013 to teach children the concepts of engineering and invention to transform ideas into products. Since then, more than 500 students have participated in her programs, and she has developed a team of three full-time and 19 part-time employees. In December 2016, Afnan pitched Eureka at the Rise Up Summit in Cairo, Egypt. She was one of six entrepreneurs selected out of 23 pitches to participate in a 10-day acceleration program hosted by RiseUp and TechWadi in Silicon Valley.
Report Date...: 4/10/2017
Fellow(s): 2016 Sierra Leonean Cohort
Country: Sierra Leone
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Environmental Sustainability, Youth Engagement
The 2016 Sierra Leonean cohort launched their action plan project at its first of three partner schools on April 7. The project, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Kids can do it Better (3Rs for Kids), received one of five 2016 TechWomen seed grants and aims to address poor waste management in Freetown. The goal is to establish solid waste management education programs to increase environmental awareness. In addition to providing recycling bins, 3Rs for Kids will provide educational materials, such as posters, photos and videos, about recycling. The cohort has partnered with two recycling companies, who will support the implementation of the project and give presentations about waste management and recycling.
Report Date...: 4/10/2017
Two Hours of Coding
Fellow(s): Mercy Sosanya, Chioma Ezedi
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2015, 2016
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
Nigerian fellows Mercy Sosanya (2015) and Chioma Ezedi (2016) held an introduction to computer programming session on February 14. Students from three secondary schools in Bauchi learned to code during the “Two Hours of Coding” event.. With support from Mercy and Chioma, the students built their first static website. Chioma spoke with the students about the importance of coding and that learning to code is compatible with any career path they may choose, while Mercy inspired the students by showing them her beautiful ‘STEMeers’ website, built partly using HTML.
Report Date...: 2/20/2017
