Review TechWomen program information regarding coronavirus (COVID-19).

TechWomenTechWomen

TechWomen is an Initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

  • Home
  • Program
    • Overview
    • 2019 Action Plans
    • Professional Development
    • Cultural Exchange
    • Delegation Trips
    • Impact
    • TechWomen Covid-19 Program Information
  • Participants
    • Eligibility and Application
    • The Experience
    • Award Details
    • 2022 Emerging Leader Profiles
  • Mentors
    • Why Mentor With TechWomen?
    • Professional Mentor Overview
    • Cultural Mentor Overview
    • Impact Coach Overview
    • TechWomen Mentor Application
  • Get Involved
    • Host an Emerging Leader
    • Host an Event
    • Other Ways to Get Involved
    • Host companies and partners
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Team
    • Program Countries
    • Connect
  • FAQ
    • General
    • Participants
    • Mentors
  • Blog
  • Log In

Day 6 in Rwanda, Part II: TechWomen Visit the Millennium Village of Mayange

March 8, 2014 By TechWomen Leave a Comment

As one half of the TechWomen Rwanda delegation explored mobile tech entrepreneurship in a stimulating visit to HeHe Limited, the other half learned about global development efforts at the Millennium Village of Mayange, located 25 miles south of Kigali. Operating in 10 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) works to lift communities out of poverty by providing efficient technologies in farming, health, and education. The Mayange site is comprised of five villages and serves over 28,000 people. On the last day of the TechWomen delegation trip to Rwanda, members visited schools and workshops, and learned how on-site programs promoted women’s empowerment through STEM.

TechWomen delegates at Millennium Village

TechWomen delegates at Millennium Village.

The Millennium Villages Project is dedicated to developing alternative forms of sustainable income. TechWomen first visited the Craft Center at Mayange, which achieves this mission by using the power of the internet to increase women’s economic independence. In addition to the various items made by community members in the shop area – including desks, headboards, and chairs – women contribute to the shop by using their knitting and weaving skills to create one-of-a-kind baskets. The Craft Center then sells these baskets online, a system that has yielded encouraging results. Before the arrival of the Millennium Village Project, many women had an income of $1/a day working in farming. Now, these same women have a daily income of $4 through this new form of commerce. As a result of this success, a website dedicated to selling these baskets is under development. It was rewarding for delegation members to interact with the women at the Craft Center, and learn how technology has transformed their lives in positive ways.

Just a handful of the beautiful baskets made at Millennium Village.

Just a few of the many beautiful baskets made at Millennium Village.

TechWomen then visited the Millennium Community Development Organization (MCDO). This credit cooperative was developed to help people build independent organizations and small businesses so that they can give back to their own community. This system helps guarantee that the community has a thriving ecosystem to support themselves with so that Mayange continues to develop for years to come. The concept is simple: MCDO offers small/medium business plans and provides seed money for microloans to help launch the business. MCDO also offers the tools and expertise needed to carry out innovative ideas. Fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship, this visit was an exciting concept for the delegation to engage with at Millennium Village.

Lastly, TechWomen visited Connect to Learn, a program powered by a brief yet powerful mantra: “Educate a girl. Change the world.” In sponsorship with Ericsson, Connect to Learn is committed to connecting students to the web, and encourages girls to pursue careers in STEM by providing sponsorship opportunities. The program firmly believes that education is the central way to eradicate poverty, so the selection criterion focuses on helping girls from the most vulnerable families, and those with high academic achievement. Other resources like the “Girls House” helps ensure girls stay enrolled in school by providing specific health resources and modern facilities to use on-site so that they can stay in class the entire day. “Girls House” has dramatically decreased the number of girls who drop out, and now enrollment stands at 98%. While both girls and boys can participate in Connect to Learn, female students outnumber male students 51-49, a change from previous years’ enrollment numbers. For the TechWomen, it was incredibly rewarding to see Connect to Learn in action in Rwanda.

Center for Women's Leadership Initiatives Executive Director Trish Tierney (center) sits with Connect to Learn students

IIE Center for Women’s Leadership Initiatives Executive Director Trish Tierney (right) sits with Connect to Learn students.

TechWomen learned of many powerful efforts taking place to connect young women to technology in Rwanda, and memories from the trip are still fresh in each delegation member’s mind. As TechWomen prepares for our Morocco delegation trip, these memories energize us to learn more about supporting women in STEM across the globe. Without a doubt, our visit to the Millennium Village remains one of the most inspiring moments of our time in Rwanda.

Stay tuned to our blog and please follow @TechWomen and the #TWmorocco hashtag on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date on our upcoming Morocco delegation trip.

If you would like to learn more about our delegation trip to Rwanda, please read the following blog posts about the trip:

    • Day 1 in Rwanda: Reflections by Heather Ramsey, TechWomen Director
    • Day 2 in Rwanda: TechWomen Discuss Gender Gap in STEM
    • Day 3 in Rwanda: Mentors Share STEM Career Advice with Students at Innovative Girls’ School
    • Day 4 in Rwanda: TechWomen Have Fun with Science and Tech at Science Fair
    • Day 5 in Rwanda: Strengthening Communities through Girls’ Empowerment
    • Day 6 in Rwanda: TechWomen Visit Two Groundbreaking Companies in Kigali

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Filed Under: 2013 Program, Alumnae, Delegation Trips, Entrepreneurship, Girls Education, Sub-Saharan Africa Tagged With: Africa, delegation trip, Empowerment, entrepreneur, girls, Rwanda, STEM, TechWomen, TechWomen Alumni, women in tech

Speak Your Mind Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 859 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • TechWomen 2020-2021 fellows create impact through Professional Development Funds
  • #techwomen22 comes to a close: Pitch Day, Community Celebration and seed grant winners announced
  • Week four: pitch planning, inclusive leadership and giving back at Volunteer Day
  • Week three: the power of mentorship
  • #techwomen22 week two: mentorship, action planning and cultural exchange in the Bay Area

Categories

  • 2012 Program
  • 2013 Program
  • 2014 Program
  • 2015 Program
  • 2016 Program
  • 2017 Program
  • 2018 Program
  • 2019 Program
  • 2020 Program
  • 2022 (Fall) Program
  • 2022 program
  • Alumnae
  • Announcements
  • Application Tips
  • Central Asia
  • Conferences
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Delegation Trips
  • Emerging Leader Voices
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Girls Education
  • IIE
  • Impact
  • Lean In
  • Mentor Application
  • Mentoring Girls
  • Mentorship
  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Partnerships
  • Professional Development
  • Scholarship
  • Seed Grant
  • Solar Power
  • STEM
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Washington, D.C.

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011

Tags

2013 program 2014 program 2015 program Africa Alumnae application careers central asia Community cultural exchange Cultural Mentor delegation trips Education Egypt emerging leaders emerging women leaders Empowerment Entrepreneurship grace hopper celebration guest post impact Jordan kazakhstan Leadership MENA Mentor Mentors mentorship Middle East Morocco nigeria Rwanda San Francisco Silicon Valley south africa State Department STEM technology TechWomen TechWomen Alumni Tunisia U.S. Department of State Women women in tech womenintech

Blogroll

  • DipNote
  • E-Mediat
  • Fulbright mtvU Fellows
  • Fulbright Student Program
  • Gilman Program
  • Ibrahim Leadership and Dialogue Project Blog
  • IIE Opening Minds
  • Parallel Earth
  • TechGirls
  • Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability

CONTACT US | MEDIA | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Sitemap
Copyright © 2022 TechWomen | Site by MIGHTYminnow

   

Copyright © 2022 · TechWomen on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...
 

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.