Wellness Break to Recharge and Rejuvinate |
|
|
|
Wonder why you haven’t heard from us yet? August for Mawazo means one thing - our annual wellness break! Between 7 and 24 August 2023, the entire Mawazo Team went on their annual wellness break - which essentially is a period of relative “quietness” from the usual meetings and pressure to immediately respond to external emails. It means the team can slow down and work on the tasks that were pushed to the back burner as we dealt with more pressing needs to deliver on our programming.
But we are now back and excited to share what we’ve been up to!
|
|
|
|
Mawazo Unveils Mentorship Scheme for Fellows |
|
|
|
“Mentorship is a journey where we have some ideas, but we do not know what every step is going to look like. All we need to do is to explore this journey by learning from each other, sharing your successes and failures, taking stops to see what nature has to offer, knowing when to continue to help and when to sit back.” Luwi Nguluka, a passionate advocate for inclusivity and diversity in the conservation landscape and currently the Director of Communications at World Crime Prevention Zambia.
Speaking as a guest at the virtual launch of the 2023/24 Mawazo Mentorship Scheme event held on Thursday 27th July 2023, Ms Luwi shared her personal journey with mentorship, while asking both mentors and mentees to be vulnerable, open to exploring outside their comfort zone and share their mistakes as others can learn just as much from them as they can their successes.
Present during the launch were Mawazo Fellows, professional mentors, and staff. The event saw a general introduction of the scheme, mentors and mentees, and guidelines and procedures of engagement for the mentorship period.
The Mawazo Mentorship Scheme offers an opportunity for Mawazo Fellows to receive guidance and support from experienced professionals on how to achieve their career goals under three priority areas: Research and Academic Support, Networking and Resource Support and Career and Professional Development Support.
The mentees also had an opportunity to hear from the mentors during the interactive Q&A session. We are thankful for all the mentors who are volunteering their time to support our Fellows through the mentorship scheme, and excited to watch the relationships blossom.
|
|
|
|
Deliberations and way forward for Mawazo Voices |
|
|
|
On Wednesday August 2nd, the Mawazo Institute held a full team brainstorming session to ideate on the future of the Mawazo Voices Programme. As Mawazo continues to grow in size and scope, we want to ensure that we continue to hold true to the initial direction and principles that the organisation was founded on - ensuring African women researchers are at the forefront of thought leadership and change making for the development of Africa. The team therefore ideated on how to more formally incorporate public and policy engagement as well as research outputs to the core of Mawazo Voices - based on the research expertise found within our growing network of African women researchers.
As a research institute from inception, Mawazo has always emphasised the importance of publishing and sharing research reports with the public, as part of our mandate to improve science communication on the continent as well as supporting the work of African researchers. Previous reports have included looking at the impact of COVID-19 on African researchers in 2021, and a 2019 report on "Investing in Kenya’s Creative Economy".
Ultimately, the consensus made going forward was for us to invest more on producing and utilising research to inspire, inform or influence policy interventions, and create novel approaches for us to do the same with the research and expertise found within our growing network of African women researchers. To start off, Mawazo will publish 2 biennial reports based on data that the Research and MEL teams are gathering on the status of African women conducting PhDs on the continent and the emerging research trends for Africa, as well as co-author more reports with our Fellows and create visibility around their work.
We look forward to cementing Mawazo as a research institution in the years to come with the full integration of our growing network of African women researchers.
|
|
|
|
Mawazo Connects co-design meeting |
|
|
|
On Wednesday July 19th, the Mawazo Institute hosted a co-design brainstorming meeting with staff and Mawazo Alumni. Mawazo is keen to ensure that its interventions meet the practical needs of our alumni and so invited them to share their views and ideas as to how Connects can be further developed to be strategically relevant.
More than 25 Mawazo Alumni joined the call, and participated enthusiastically through the virtual brainstorming app, Miro. The wealth of ideas that the meeting generated can not be overstated. The Miro brainstorming allowed Alumni to outline some of their specific concerns for their careers and lives post PhD, including how to connect with other researchers in different fields, how to mentor young African women in STEM or interested in pursuing their own doctorates, and how to find funding for new projects.
Dr. Lillian Kong’ani, 2021 Mawazo Fellow, expressed the need to have a better understanding of all the work that every Fellow in the network is doing, so as to more effectively connect to relevant people and projects. Another 2021 Mawazo Fellow, Margaret Murage, spoke of her own desire to connect with funders and policy makers who could help enact her dream of a more robust cancer centre in Kenya.
Additionally, there were some valuable ideas shared on how the alumni network can be more active participants in the building of new Connects initiatives. The ideas from this session will help Mawazo design interventions that will allow the Alumni to participate effectively in ensuring that the Connects network continues to be relevant and adaptable to the needs of African researchers as they begin to consider a life post PhD.
|
|
|
|
IndabaX Kenya: How I support my up-and-coming STEM community |
|
|
|
By Elizabeth Benson (2018 Mawazo Fellow) |
|
|
|
I learnt about the Deep Learning Indaba conference through Elaine Mungai, Mawazo Institute’s Strategic Partnerships Lead, who shared the call for attendance for the conference in 2018. The conference convenes a huge number of African experts in Deep Learning and through it, we have seen an increase in the number of tutors in Deep Learning and students receiving support and mentorship for their research in AI. The focus on supporting students from less marginalised areas is especially remarkable. Through Elaine’s guidance, I successfully managed to submit an application and have been volunteering as an organiser for five years now.
Deep Learning Indaba has worked to initiate smaller Deep Learning communities within each African country. I have worked as an organiser at IndabaX Kenya for two years. My role includes receiving the conference grant, establishing a budgeting team, establishing the conference program directors’ team, establishing the local service team, and sourcing the host institution.
This year’s IndabaX Kenya was hosted at the School of Computer Science and IT at Dedan Kimathi University where I teach as a lecturer. We are grateful to all the speakers for ensuring that they added a component in their presentations towards sharing the available opportunities, including in conferences and summer schools, scholarships, and research collaborations. Additionally, we appreciate the media coverage from KTN and Radio Maisha, as well as IndabaX Kenya Chair Antony Ndolo, and the university at large for supporting the event. 2021 Mawazo Fellow Kavengi Kitonga was among the speakers to present on the difference work and research opportunities available within AI. From the summit, we formed a group with all attendees, and we shall continue mentoring them as we now look forward to starting to organise IndabaX Kenya 2024.
|
|
|
|
Dr. Therese Umohoza’s new appointment |
|
|
|
Dr. Therese Umohoza, a 2021 Mawazo Fellow, has been appointed as the Associate Director of Global Health and Development for the East African region at Holden Fitzgerald. She is operating remotely from Kigali, Rwanda and is delegated to ensure the establishment of smooth collaboration and partnerships with key players in global health security. Mawazo congratulates Dr. Therese and wishes her all the best in her new role. |
|
|
|
|
|
I love Mawazo’s work as it democratises research! |
|
|
|
|
As a software engineering professional, my work entails bridging the gap between clients, computers, and end users. What makes Mawazo an enjoyable space to work in is the commitment to all its stakeholders (staff, fellows, alumni, the public, etc.). This means I have all the support I need to do well in my role. This support includes autonomy, creative freedom, experimentation, professional development, and a flexible working environment (hybrid, remote and in-office, 4-day work week).
I love the inter-departmental work culture and that we engage more as a team than via hierarchical or title structures. My ideas are not limited to just software engineering and the products we create; they also impact other stakeholders, including Mawazo fellows who can apply them in the real world.
I am invested in the democratisation of technology, and within Mawazo, I have seen opportunities to extend that impact beyond just technology as Mawazo works towards democratising research.
Ray Wanjiru - Software Engineering and Technology Lead, Mawazo Institute. |
|
|
|
|
|
Mawazo’s work is enabling women researchers to address world’s challenges |
|
|
|
|
Why did you join the Mawazo Institute Board? |
|
I had the pleasure of being Rose Mutiso’s manager and mentor at what is now called the Center for Social Impact while she was an undergraduate student at Dartmouth College. We kept in touch over the years, and she shared her and co-founder Rachel Strohm’s inspiring vision for Mawazo with me during a catch-up in San Francisco. It was a privilege to lend my expertise in nonprofit leadership and philanthropy during Mawazo’s inception; and I was – and remain – honored to be asked to serve on its board. I believe ardently in the power of education to change lives and develop leaders to tackle the world’s greatest challenge. I am continually amazed by Mawazo’s work in supporting too often underrepresented early-career African women researchers and building a future where their unique perspectives and skills will play a leading role in shaping the development of the continent and beyond.
|
|
|
If Mawazo Institute was to be on the cover of your favorite newspaper or magazine in five years, what would the story be about? |
|
The headline would be something like: “African Women are Leading the Way to a Better Future,” and the story would highlight the impactful work of Mawazo Fellows and Alumnae and celebrate the Mawazo Institute’s role in fostering a culture that supports, values, and amplifies the voices and big ideas of African women thought leaders.
Kyle Polite - Mawazo Institute Board Member. |
|
|
|
|
Two Staff Members Join the Mawazo Team |
|
|
|
|
|
Damaris Ndua |
|
Ms. Ndua joins the organisation as the Fellowship Programme Lead to manage the Mawazo Fellowship Programme, and lead implementation of all programme activities.
She is a bachelor's degree holder in Economics and Statistics from the University of Nairobi and is passionate about making a positive impact and driving meaningful change and finds great fulfilment witnessing the transformation and progress of individuals as they overcome challenges and achieve their goals.
Find more about her here.
|
|
|
Dorsila Ogolla |
|
Ms. Ogolla joins the organisation as the Fellowship Programme Associate to support the Mawazo Fellowship Programme in handling its day-to-day operations and provide additional support to our other programmes. She holds a bachelor's degree in education from Kenyatta University and is a certified Life Coach from Destiny Life Coaching.
She is passionate about women, youth empowerment and innovative ways that drive change to create a more inclusive, fair and just world for those that come after us.
Find more about her here.
|
|
|
|
|
Support Africa's Next Generation of Change-makers |
|
You can help us shape the female future of science 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. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spread the word |
|
Share this Newsletter with someone in your network. Whether it’s a colleague, friend, family member, or someone else, invite them to stay engaged with our work by signing up for the quarterly Mawazo newsletter below.
Follow Us, Share, Like, and Retweet our social media pages by clicking on the icons below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|