Impact Stories from Youth Engagement Policy Area
Girls Discover STEM
Fellow(s): 2015 fellow Mercy Sosanya and 2016 Emerging Leader Chioma Ezedi
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2015, 2016
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
Two Nigerian women, 2015 fellow Mercy Sosanya and 2016 Emerging Leader Chioma Ezedi, organized a two-day program, Girls Discover STEM, on August 26 and 27 at the American Corner in the Bauchi State Library. The program targeted girls from grades 7-11 who traditionally have not been encouraged to pursue STEM fields. Sixteen girls from five schools attended the event, acquiring basic STEM knowledge and skills through hands-on activities. “It was quite an exciting time as the girls were introduced to STEM. They were taught about the reasons why more girls and women are needed in STEM, and they were inspired by stories of great women who had excelled in STEM,” Mercy said
Report Date...: 8/29/2016
e-learning startup
Fellow(s): Ghana Bteich
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement
Ghana Bteich, 2015 fellow of Lebanon, recently co-founded a startup that is developing an e-learning platform to provide after-school support for students in need. She has more than 10 years of experience in telecommunications and is applying for the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program under the field of educational planning to acquire more knowledge related to developing curriculum and program designs.
Report Date...: 8/15/2016
Mombasa Girls in STEM Solve IT
Fellow(s): Serah Kahiu, Sandra Kambo, Umikaltuma Mohamed, Sylvia Mukasa, Annie Njenga and Adah Waseka
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
The Mombasa Girls in STEM Solve IT initiative culminated with their STEM fair, which took place on August 13 at Aga Khan High School in Kenya. The initiative, launched by members of TechWomen Kenya, including 2014 fellows Serah Kahiu, Sandra Kambo, Umikaltuma Mohamed, Sylvia Mukasa, Annie Njenga and Adah Waseka proved successful having gained support from the local government and local businesses. The Gulf African Bank donated two desktops and awarded three scholarships to one of the participating schools. In addition, a teacher involved in the training announced that the students who participated in the project had improved their grades since its inception. TechWomen Kenya hopes to make the initiative a recurring, annual event in not only Mombasa but surrounding counties as well.
Report Date...: 8/22/2016
mentorship
Fellow(s): Abeer Imteir (2013), Rawan Abu Shmais (2014), Nadiah Saba’neh (2015), Haneen Abu Farha (2015) and Sandra Al-arja (2014)
Country: Palestinian Territories
Cohort: 2013-2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
On August 8, TechWomen fellows Abeer Imteir, Rawan Abu Shmais, Nadiah Saba’neh, Haneen Abu Farha, and Sandra Al-arja from the Palestinian Territories launched Banat-Tech, an initiative to help young Palestinian female students succeed in science and technology. Funded by the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, the program offers five months of mentoring and training for girls aged 15-17. Three primary stages comprise the program. The first stage offers training at technical clubs in cooperation with Palestinian universities and companies. In the second and third stages, the girls will be matched with professional women, and together, they will develop a technology-based initiative that benefits society.
Read More »Report Date...: 8/22/2016
Mentor(s): Eileen Brewer
Company: Symantec
Mentor Type: Professional
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
Eileen Brewer visited Cameroon to support initiatives of fellows. She assisted Janet Fofang, 2013 fellow of Cameroon, who organized and led a three-week summer tech boot camp for 40 kids. Ran Gidor, the Israeli Ambassador to Cameroon, also participated in the demonstration sessions, and they discussed Israel’s idea to incorporate vocational skills training into the Cameroonian high school curriculum. Eileen’s trip included meetings with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences; Mounouna Foutsou, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education; staff and students from the University of Yaounde’s computer science department; and Tassah Academy’s math and science teachers.
Report Date...: 8/1/2016
World Eagles Volunteer Club
Fellow(s): Dr Nancy Cheseto
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
Dr. Nancy Cheseto, 2015 fellow of Kenya, launched the World Eagles Volunteer Club. Her students from Mount Kenya University serve as the club’s volunteers and dedicate an hour each week to teach various subjects to students in sixth and seventh grades at Garissa Road Primary School, which resides within one of Kenya’s slums, Kiandutu. The majority of these kids come from very poor and troubled families, whose parents are drug addicts, and live on just one dollar a day.
Report Date...: 7/18/2016
First Skills Club
Fellow(s): Faten Khalfallah
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
Faten Khalfallah Hammouda organized a five-day boot camp for design thinking in July through her organization, the First Skills Club. With support from Autodesk, which hosted Faten during her participation in the TechWomen program, and Netinfo, a 3D training school in Tunisia, the camp served as an introduction to design thinking. The boot camp concluded with a design competition, in which the students created and presented their solution to a local problem, including pollution. Faten says “You can imagine my joy to see such leaders in that age group talking about their projects and dreaming to have a better world.”
Report Date...: 7/18/2016
AIMS partnership
Fellow(s): Janet Bih Fofang
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
Janet Bih Fofang, 2013 fellow of Cameroon, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). AIMS plans to develop a network of mathematical centers across Africa to shape the region’s future through education in STEM. Janet’s Initiative trains STEM teachers and creates STEM clubs for girls. So far, her project has trained 30 teacher sand reached 200 girls in 10 schools throughout Yaounde.
Report Date...: 7/11/2016
2016 Regional Ambassador Award
Fellow(s): Amel Ghouila
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
TechWomen Director Arezoo Riahi presented the 2016 Regional Ambassador Award to Amel Ghouila, 2014 fellow of Tunisia, for her dedication and work with the Technovation Challenge. After the 2014 TechWomen program, she returned to Tunisia and helped enroll 54 girls into the Technovation Challenge and has doubled participation year over year.
Report Date...: 7/11/2016
MentorShe
Fellow(s): Jessica Obeid
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2012
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
Jessica Obeid, a TechWomen fellow from Lebanon founded MentorShe to encourage an promote the role of Lebanese women in politics. The organization aims to break down gender stereotypes related to professions and steer away from the traditional roles of men and women in society. Jessica wants girls to be aware of the sad reality, that despite how advanced society is, the role of women in Lebanon is still lagging. Parents and women have the ability to step up as role models and make a positive change in society.
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Report Date...: 6/6/2016