Fellows

Abir Chermiti is a Software Engineer from Tunisia. She is a Program Manager of the nonprofit Arab Women In Computing (ArabWIC) as well as an ICT4D Research Fellow for Engineering For Change LLC. Abir has years of volunteer experience among a variety of organizations. Professionally, she is well versed in computer sciences and was selected by the IEEE Women In Engineering as the Winner of the Most Inspiring Student Member of the year 2017 award. Additionally, Abir founded the first women in technology summit in Tunisia, the IEEE Women in Engineering Leadership Summit. She is a proactive team player, problem solver and has impressive interpersonal skills.

Host Organization: Cultural Vistas

Fellow Role at Cultural Vistas: Abir will serve as a Software Engineer Fellow and is responsible for developing, creating, and modifying general computer applications software or specialized utility programs. She will also analyze users needs and design databases within an application area.

Agang Ditlhogo is passionate about education and is co-founder of The Clicking Generation-ICT Academy for Kids and Teens; a social enterprise that offers computing and technology curriculum to kids and teens. She is currently National Expert for UN-World Summit Award Organization, Ambassador-ITU Young Innovator Competition, Ambassador-Africa Code Week and PR Officer – Internet Society (ISOC) local chapter. In these roles she partakes in encouraging Botswana youngsters in the Information Technology field on issues of innovation and e-content creation. She works closely with relevant stakeholders to implement Girls in ICT programmes throughout Botswana. Agang is a Brightest Young Minds Alumni 2015, a selection of top 100 young Africans contributing to their communities. Agang forms part of the prestigious Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship program, being mentored by a successful and seasoned thought leader, Tony Elumelu. She is also a Mandela Washington Fellow 2016, an initiative by U.S. State Department. A Cherie Blair Foundation mentee she continues to receive social entrepreneurship training through the comprehensive support. Agang was selected as OkayAfrica Magazine publication top 100 women in 2017.

Host Organization: Tetra Tech

Role at Host Organization: Agang will support the leadership of Tetra Tech’s international energy division in implementing its new strategy to grow business in additional developing countries, with new clients and launch a new business line. She will use entrepreneurial skills to delve into different aspects of business development, marketing and operations.

Chilochibi Chiziba is a Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) enthusiast, Bachelor of Arts Economics with Demography (minor) holder from the University of Zambia. He has worked in RM&E related positions for about 4 years in different organizations including Jhpiego, Concern Worldwide, and the United Nations Economic commission for Africa. While working for these organization, He worked on projects focused on, socioeconomic development, gender based violence, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, maternal and Child Health. Immediately after graduating in 2015, he earned an internship with the United Nations Economic commission for Africa where his work involved supporting the Sub-regional Office for Southern Africa in carrying out policy research, analytical studies and advocacy to promote economic and social development. After completing the six months internship, he joined Concern Worldwide where he supported routine monitoring, impact evaluation and overall learning component of projects to facilitate implementation, performance assessment, identifying appropriate actions for strengthening performance of humanitarian responses and development approaches. From 2016, Chilochibi has been supporting the Zambia Ministry of health in areas including HIV/AIDS, malaria, cervical cancer, reproductive, maternal and child health through data systems and research while working at Akros and Jhpiego. In his capacity, he provided technical capacity building in DHIS2/HMIS data use and analysis at all Ministry of Health levels, including provincial, district, and facility levels and led the design, development and implementation of provincial monitoring, evaluation and research systems. This included the development of RM&E plans; implementation of data management and data use systems.

Host Organization: Solstice

Role at Solstice: Chiliochibi will join a team at Solstice working with two Department of Energy awards to implement a new alternative credit metric, increase energy equity, and grow the solar pie – and stand up some of the first low-income community solar projects in the country.

Ekene has over six years of experience in the Information Technology sector, having earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the National Open University of Nigeria. As an Information Technology Specialist, she works with enterprises, nonprofits, and the government to transform and optimize their organizational processes using technology. Ekene is a Microsoft-certified Enterprise Content Management Systems professional and education technologist with strong project implementation and technical training skills. Previously, Ekene worked as a Senior Solutions Analyst with Infographics Nigeria participating in education projects such as the Cross River State Government Teachers Laptop Acquisition and Digital Literacy Training program, where she trained 40 facilitators responsible for training over 10,000 teachers on the use of education technology for the classroom. Under her supervision, teachers with no prior knowledge of applying technology in the classroom were adequately empowered with digital skills. She was project coordinator and technical lead for the MTN Foundation SchoolsConnect Initiative, which set up modern computer learning centers in 28 Nigerian schools and equipped teachers with the Teaching with Technology Methodology. Through these experiences, she developed strong project coordination, implementation, and capacity building skills. Ekene enjoys volunteering; she has served as a mentor and facilitator at Afro-Tech Girls, a nonprofit promoting STEM education in secondary school-aged African girls and with Project Revamp Africa, an educational and leadership development initiative building young leaders in public secondary schools. Ekene is passionate about education, career guidance, and solving the STEM skills gap for the girl-child.

Host: PYXERA Global

Fellow role at PYXERA Global: Ekene will serve as an Operations & Internal Communications Fellow with the goal of supporting the streamlining and operational improvements of the organization’s internal communications.

Esther has more than four years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and she has a bachelor’s degree in business information technology from Mount Kenya University. She is a tech enthusiast, an entrepreneur, and a speaker. Most of Esther’s work revolves around technology because she believes that technology can solve most of the problems faced by society today. She is fascinated by global technological ecosystems and works to support entrepreneurs like herself to scale their work and impact on society. As one of the founders of sokonect, a platform that links small-scale farmers to buyers using mobile technology, she builds strong partnerships to solve these societal problems. Esther also serves as a board member for Girls in Tech Kenyan Chapter, a nonprofit organization that seeks to increase the visibility of women in the technology space through workshops, training, and conferences. Through these experiences, Esther has developed skills in project planning and management, event planning, coordination, and implementation. Her passion is to empower women, youth and the marginalized communities through technology.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: Esther will collect and disseminate knowledge from around the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) via preparecenter.org, Twitter, Facebook and other social media. She will continue to build a strategy and system for enhancing knowledge management while also reaching out and capturing knowledge from relevant external organisations including NGOs.

Huma has over six years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector, having worked to fight against poverty, hunger and illiteracy in her country. She earned her last degree in Business Administration from the Institute of Management Sciences. Huma has worked as an Assistant Project Coordinator for a UNWFP funded project which provided food assistance to the FATA region of her country. Previously, she worked for a UNODC funded project that helped provide health assistance to drug users in the province’s female prisons. Through her professional career, Huma acquired highly praised leadership, humanitarian-based research and communication skills. Huma also has an unbeatable command over her technical and report preparation skills. Easily commanding cameras and laptops, Huma’s dream is to improve the quality of education in Pakistan by providing employment opportunities to the youth and empowering Pakistani women.

Host Organization: Halcyon

Role in Host Organization: Huma will work alongside the Director to help manage projects including the Halcyon Dialogue, Incubator Intensive and Halcyon’s scoping for international expansion of its social enterprise incubator. She will lead on several components of these programs, maintaining connections with external partners, and representing Halcyon in various scenarios.

Meriem is an open-minded, friendly and resourceful engineer in Computer Science who graduated from the Algerian National School of Computer Science in 2015. She has 3 years of solid experience and diverse capabilities in IT project management, Information System management and governance using agile and lean thinking, and Business Analysis. While working as an IT Project Management, she was heavily involved in redesigning the postal services’ Information System in Algeria by assisting experts in mapping business, app\nand technology processes using SIPOC, TOGAF & COBIT; requirements gathering and planning; elaborating IT strategical plans taking client’s needs into account; and supporting the client in his upstream thinking (writing specifications, change management) and downstream thinking (training).\nMeriem has a clear, logical mind with a practical approach to problem solving and a drive to see things through to completion. She is eager to learn, enjoy overcoming challenges, and have a genuine interest in Information Systems, enterprise architecture and evolving technologies. Meriem is also an active member in her neighborhood NGO and has always been engaged in working on how effectively we can educate people about their rights and obligations as democratic citizens, and how to develop citizens’ skills to work with one another\nto solve common problems, to debate public issues, and express their views. Within her NGO network, Meriem organize and participate in events related to youth education and women empowerment using her strong academic background and professional experience to ground her work. She is also part of various networks of women leaders from MENA regions that promote peace and discovering inner qualities to revolutionize and face nowadays hostile communities; to improve schools, the government, the environment and whatever her society needs to create and sustain an environment in which everyone can thrive.

Host Organization: boodleAI

Role at boodleAI: At boodleAI, Meriem will support the software development team by assisting in the identification of incoming features that are valuable to the business and their clients, gathering and analyzing high level requirements, tracking sprint progress and elevating risks to management, creating and maintaining project documentation, defining and executing test scenarios, and participating in all Agile ceremonies.

Nawal is an education reform advocate who has more than seven years of experience in the education sector and co­author of two published works. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from the Islamic University of Gaza and a Master’s degree in Education. While working as a teacher of technology, Nawal improved not only her students’ skills in technology but her colleagues’ too. Later, Nawal launched her own education-oriented startup called Menaship, which helps Arab students find scholarships outside of the MENA region. In addition to running Menaship, she is a mentor for the Technovation program, which supports young girls interested in the information technology field by helping them build their own mobile applications. Recently, she worked in the Disability Services Center of the University, focusing on the inclusion of disabled people in STEM education. Through these experiences, Nawal has refined skills in research, leadership, communication, social media management and fundraising.

Host Organization: Microsoft

Role at Host Organization: Nawal will serve on the Microsoft Learning and Readiness team (L&R) Content team as a software developer and trainer. She will create and publish online courses for Microsoft’s developer portfolio.