Our 40 Fellows, currently in their second phase of the Mawazo Fellowship Programme, are our most varied and diverse in terms of research backgrounds and nationality. In total they represent sixteen (16) African nations. Each is pursuing innovative local research in a range of fields including Agriculture; Technology; Climate Change; Engineering; Gender and Governance; Business, Entrepreneurship and Economics; Health; and Education. Every month we will be spotlighting their achievements and how they are impacting the world with their research. To support the next generation of African leaders and innovators, donate here.
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Miriam Loivotoki Elisha (TZ) - 2023 Mawazo Fellow |
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Miriam Loivotoki founded a school that has been awarded the best Education Company by the Tanzania Women Chamber of Commerce for 2024. She expressed immense joy at this recognition, reflecting on her team’s six-year journey since 2018 when they established the only inclusive school offering early intervention and therapy for children with autism spectrum disorders in the Iringa region.
Miriam played a crucial role in raising awareness by conducting workshops, training sessions, and leveraging social media to educate people about autism, focusing on early intervention and advocating for inclusive education.
Miriam’s commitment to empowering individuals with autism showcases her leadership and compassion towards creating a more inclusive society.
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The Mawazo Institute has now been supporting Fellows since 2018, and the network of African women researchers we have created just crossed the 90 mark. Through our Connects Network, we continue to engage and support all the women who have gone through our Fellowship Programme. To illustrate the impactful work of our researchers, we will be spotlighting two women among our Alumni in every newsletter:
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Dr. Janet Surum (KEN) - 2021 Mawazo Fellow |
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2021 Mawazo Fellow Dr. Janet Surum is an Educational Psychologist from Kenya passionate about better equipping young people with academic resilience. Academic resilience refers to a student’s ability to succeed academically despite facing adversity. Her PhD research based in Turkana County, set the stage for her understanding and motivation to build social competence in young people. She has now taken her research outputs to their tangible conclusion, by starting a long-term mentorship programme. Read more about her work here.
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Dr. Peace Uwambaye (RWA) - 2021 Mawazo Fellow |
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Dr. Peace Uwambaye, a 2021 Mawazo Fellow from Rwanda, is a passionate advocate for improving oral health awareness and access to care on the continent. As the Acting Deputy Dean of the School of Dentistry at the University of Rwanda she believes that oral healthcare affects the entire body’s health, and yet, in Africa, it is often not prioritised both by the individual, as well as by government healthcare policy and initiatives. Read more about how Dr. Peace’s public engagement work is addressing the issue head-on in Rwanda here.
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From Research to Realisation: Insights from the Mawazo’s IWD Activities |
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This year’s International Women’s Day activities at the Mawazo Institute took place from March 5th to 7th, culminating in a panel discussion on Thursday March 7th. The three-day event featured engaging discussions involving attendees from research, academia, startups, and innovation ecosystems across the continent. The event whose theme was “Research to Realisation” delved into the status of African women in research and innovation.
The discussions centred around addressing the challenges encountered by women in research and innovation, while also highlighting their needs and opportunities to bridge the existing gender gap. The conversations were divided into three break-out rooms: technology transfer, gender equality and empowerment, and information asymmetry. Each of these groups engaged in thought-provoking discussions fashioned to confront key issues surrounding women and in the innovation ecosystem.
The panel discussion showcased a diverse group of experts including Tyler Karahalios, the Chief of Staff at Delta 40, Dr. Pamela Mreji, the Director of Center for Innovation and Technology at the Technical University of Kenya, Sarah Kanda, Manager of Demand Jobs and Livelihoods at The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, and Dr. Susan Musembi, a Lecturer specialising in Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Biotechnology at Kenyatta University. They shared valuable insights, experiences, and recommendations on overcoming obstacles to women’s progress in research and innovation. They emphasised the importance of fostering inclusivity in society by valuing diversity and ensuring equal opportunities for women.
Overall, the event was instrumental in stimulating collective action towards advancing gender equality in research and innovation on the continent. It underscored the power of collaboration, dialogue, and shared commitment, in driving positive change and fostering a more inclusive environment where women have equal opportunities to thrive and contribute meaningfully.
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Mawazo at the 2024 CommonWealth Day Celebrations |
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This year the Mawazo Institute was privileged to be invited to exhibit at the CommonWealth Day celebrations on Monday 11th March at the British High Commissioner’s Residence.. The theme of this year’s event was “Delivering a common future: connecting, innovating and transforming”, allowing us to display the great work we do at Mawazo and the great work by our Fellows and Alumni.
With about 150 key stakeholders in attendance, the event aimed to promote key cultural exchanges between Kenya and the United Kingdom and support the growing innovation ecosystem in Kenya. For this reason, this was a great opportunity for the Mawazo Staff in attendance; Director of programmes, Dr. Caroline Mose, and Strategic Communications Associate, Alvin Wandabwa, to enhance the visibility of the work our Fellows, Alumni, and Partners have achieved thus far.
The event was also a great opportunity for us to engage with innovators and start-up founders exhibiting their work with the intention of finding more opportunities for Mawazo Fellows in these spaces and connect them to our Strategic Partnerships Desk.
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Mawazo Building Connections for Impactful Change |
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On March 25, the Mawazo Institute participated in a networking session organised by Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm, that supports people, ideas, and initiatives that contribute to more equitable and healthy systems so that all learners, families, and communities can thrive. The event which aimed to facilitate knowledge sharing and foster connections among change makers took place in Nairobi, Kenya. Participants engaged in exchanging ideas, establishing connections, and motivating each other to drive impact. During the session, participants shared highlights about their organisation’s most significant achievement in 2023, and their aspirations for learning or exploration in 2024. This strategic meeting provided us with an opportunity to showcase our work and identify potential areas for collaboration as we work towards supporting early-career women researchers to find local solutions to global development challenges.
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Darline Dize, 2023 Mawazo Fellow |
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We are excited to announce that 2023 Mawazo Fellow, Darline Dize from Cameroon, has published an article in Future Pharmacology, a reputable journal. The title of the article is ‘Target-Based 6-5 Fused Ring Heterocyclic Scaffolds Display Broad Antiparasitic Potency In Vitro’ and can be accessed here. Darline’s research seeks untargeted and new pharmacological chemical scaffolds with a view to developing alternative therapies to control African trypanosomiasis or African Sleeping Sickness.
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March was an especially fruitful month for Mawazo Fellows and staff, as pertains to media coverage. Three of our Fellows, 2018 Mawazo Fellow Dr. Marilyn Ronoh from Kenya, and 2023 Mawazo Fellows Miriam Elisha Lovoitoki from Tanzania, and Loise Nthambi from Kenya, wrote and published OpEds that centred their research and engaged the public in their country of origin to better understand the issues facing their sectors. On March 7th, International Women’s Day, 2023 Mawazo Fellow Dorcas Mwigereri and 2021 Mawazo Fellow Margaret Muriuki, were featured on a live television panel interview on Kenyan news channel KTN. They spoke on the need to invest in women in research and the positive role that women professionals play in development in Kenya. Finally, an Op-Ed on the theme of International Women’s Day by Mawazo Communications Lead Carolyne Tunnen was published by the Daily Nation, Kenya. The article situated the Mawazo Institute as a key player in the ecosystem investing in women’s research on the continent. Read more here.
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The newly launched Global Fund for a New Economy is seeking to fill the following remote working positions:
1. VP Operations, People & Finance (https://bit.ly/3x7ajLQ), to lead the establishment and development of central functions, supporting the organization’s operational set-up, and establishing its approach and culture.
2. Chief Economist (https://bit.ly/4azNzCR) to develop and lead its overall policy strategy and positioning.
3. Director of Industrial Strategy (https://bit.ly/3TyayXT) who will be responsible for co-developing and executing a multi-layered, global strategy on industrial policy and economic development.
4. Director of Strategic Communications (https://bit.ly/4azNAqp) whose role will be to establish and work with a range of globally dispersed communications hubs to strengthen and boost the impact of the communications and media relations infrastructure supporting the New Economy movement.
5. Executive Assistant (https://bit.ly/4ayjRxN), to provide administrative support to the Co-Presidents.
Follow the links for more information!
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The Inspiring Environment at Mawazo Institute |
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I am honored to work for Mawazo Institute. What fills my heart with joy in this role is the daily connection I share with our incredible fellows. It's a profound privilege to stand witness as 40 remarkable women researchers shape their communities and rewrite narratives. My journey at Mawazo has been nothing short of inspiring, propelling me to continually cultivate and nourish my own brilliance.
The atmosphere here is nothing short of magical; it's built on trust, positivity, inclusivity, and an insatiable curiosity. Each facet of our organisation is treated with the utmost reverence, fostering an environment where every individual feels valued and respected.
What truly sets Mawazo apart is our exceptional team, united by a shared commitment to excellence and dedicated to creating space for one another as we center the women we serve. It's a joy to collaborate with such bright minds, knowing that together, we're making a tangible difference in the world.
Dorsila Ogolla - Fellowship Programme Associate, Mawazo Institute
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Support Africa's Next Generation of Change-makers |
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You can help us shape the future of women researchers on the continent by making a donation. No amount is too small – or too big. Make a donation today via debit/credit card, Paypal, or MPESA.
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Spread the word |
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