Women In Tech
FORBESWOMAN
Making a difference through mentorship
Katie Dowd, Contributor
TechWomen visit Washington, DC
Rapid increases in the availability and power of information technologies are changing the way the world does business and the infrastructure by which it operates. There are more than 6 billion mobile phone subscriptions in a world of more than 7 billion people. In the next few years, the majority of the world’s 3 billion Internet users will be in developing countries. All of these nations are opening new markets, making new technology policy, and witnessing the power of technology to accelerate social and political activism. Yet as technology permeates the lives of everyone around the world, women are still underrepresented in this industry.
As Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said, “We cannot forge progress if we leave half of the population behind.”
That’s why under her leadership, the State Department is connecting a global network of women, beginning in the Middle East and North Africa, called “TechWomen.” Launched in 2010 by Secretary Clinton, TechWomen brings emerging women leaders in technology from the Middle East and North Africa to the United States and pairs them with their American counterparts based in Silicon Valley. Thanks to its success, TechWomen will expand to sub-Saharan Africa in 2013.
In its second year, 41 dynamic women from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, and Yemen participated in this five-week mentorship.
Innovative in every way, this year’s rockstars include a “TechWoman” from Morocco who led a technology team to design a process that would transform frying oil into useable soap. Now she focuses her energy on using technology to eliminate waste in her country. Another “TechWoman” from Jordan created her own business and software to support her digital fashion shop, called eCloset.me, where women can mix and match different pieces of clothing to create the perfect outfit. Another “TechWoman” from Algeria, who is passionate about electricity challenges in her country, was the first woman to join the IT division of her company. She now oversees the electricity transmission grid in Algeria. These are only a handful of the incredibly talented and intelligent women who are part of this program. Not letting anything stand in their way, these strong women are leaders and mentors in their own right.
Throughout the five-week mentorship, these emerging leaders are paired with equally amazing professional and cultural mentors in Silicon Valley. Sharing their backgrounds and skill in technology, these American mentors also share cultural aspects of the United States, as this is the first time in the U.S. for many of the international women. Working together, they strive to improve their businesses, their ideas, and to create new tools that they can leverage in their home countries. TechWomen builds on Secretary Clinton’s vision of 21st Century Statecraft, which utilizes every tool in our toolbox, in this case technology, to advance U.S. foreign policy.
In the U.S., technology is one of the fastest growing industries and yet, in this country, where women make up half of the workforce, women only hold 25 percent of jobs available in the information technology industry. The numbers for women in leadership positions are staggeringly low. The statistics make it clear. We need to do more to empower and support women working in technology fields and to help one another succeed. This is what makes initiatives like TechWomen so important.
This program and ones like it live beyond the five-week mentorship and exchange in the United States. These TechWomen stay connected and are already beginning to lay the groundwork for what could be life-changing impacts.
The Jordanian woman who created the digital fashion shop, met with her mentor in California and worked with her to refine her business model. Through that process, she was connected to a global accelerator that specializes in growing technology startups. She was given a chance to present her business idea to an international audience. And, get this: her pitch was so successful that she was selected to receive financial support and professional guidance for her startup, eCloset.me. So inspired by what has occurred over the five weeks together, American mentors are already making plans to visit their emerging leaders oversees. Next up – these mentors will travel to Tunisia and Jordan to lead trainings and workshops for women and girls in those countries. The stories are deeply inspiring. TechWomen is proof indeed that we can forge progress when all of society is included.
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