{"time":1681774787453,"blocks":[{"type":"raw","data":{"html":"

With advancements in technology and the fight against gender disparity, African women have been doing revolutionary work in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). So, why are we not seeing more stories about their contributions? AMAKA has selected 10 women who have not only broken the glass ceiling, but are also redefining what is possible for women in STEM.<\/b>
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<\/iframe><div><h1>Fatima Zohra Benhamida | Technical Product Manager, Dolead (Algeria\/France)<\/h1><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/fzbenhamida\/?challengeId=AQGU-IovafY95gAAAX-7U9LaXxZ-4OVh9GkjxcRFY0bBq5Voe5dVerfFjmlRI39D7hZSf_OZ-cqFMnymQ6nkbtaZy4BV06FIqA&submissionId=7973ecb5-2348-df16-03b6-4852b0c7d807\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fatima Zohta Benhamida<\/a> is paving the way for the next generation of Algerian women in STEM. Growing up, she was expected to study medicine because she excelled academically. However, her ability to solve problems using algorithms led her on a very different path. With a doctorate from the Higher National School of Computer Science, Algiers, she hopes to one day see her country offer equal opportunities to women and she believes technology will contribute to getting there. Benhamida's exceptional work has earned her the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award, as well as being named Microsoft\u2019s Humans of IT Community Ambassador. Beyond her contributions in the technical field, she is also shaping the minds of future generations as an assistant professor of computer science. Constantly advocating for technological advancements in her home country, she represented Algeria at Techwomen in 2017.<\/p><h2>Hope Mwanake | Co-Founder, COO, Eco Blocks and Tiles (Kenya)<\/h2><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/hope-mwanake-97510b46\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hope Mwanake <\/a>changed her family\u2019s narrative as the first member to pursue higher education. Today, she is one of the young emerging entrepreneurs from the African continent for her pioneering work in the construction sector. Mwanake\u2019s company uses recycled plastic bottles to create eco-friendly bricks for building homes as part of a push to eradicate plastic pollution in Kenya. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HopeMwanake\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mwanake<\/a> is the co-founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoblocksandtiles.co.ke\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eco Blocks and Tiles<\/a>, a company that manufactures high quality and affordable building products using various mixed post-consumer waste materials as key ingredients in their production. She is also the co-founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/trace-kenya-group\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trace Kenya Group<\/a> and is responsible for their environmental conservation projects. Her journey as an advocate of sustainable environmental practices has earned her various fellowships from the <a href=\"https:\/\/yali.state.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Young African Leaders Initiative<\/a> (YALI), University of Pennsylvania and The Royal Commonwealth Society. Her accolades include the Visionary Young Lead award from the <a href=\"https:\/\/siwi.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stockholm International Water Institute<\/a>. With a doctorate in hand, she is also a part-time lecturer at her alma mater, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.egerton.ac.ke\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Egerton University.<\/a><br><\/p><h2>Fatoumata K\u00e9b\u00e9 | Astrophysicist, SpaceAble (Mali\/France)<\/h2><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/fatoumata_astro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fatoumata K\u00e9b\u00e9<\/a> is an astrophysicist at <a href=\"https:\/\/spaceable.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SpaceAble<\/a>, a start-up company dedicated to the safety and sustainability of satellites in space. The daughter of immigrants,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/fatoumata-kebe-407953175\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> K\u00e9b\u00e9<\/a> was inspired by the multi-volume encyclopaedia books her father would bring home, in particular, the science section on astronomy that included several intricate images. Her parents\u2019 lack of understanding of the educational system in France meant she had to learn how to navigate the gaps in her education. Having faced racism, misogyny and Islamophobia, today, the <a href=\"https:\/\/ytili.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative<\/a> (YTILI) Fellow is inspiring women and girls to pursue a career in science. K\u00e9b\u00e9 is the president of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asso-ephemerides.fr\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00c9ph\u00e9m\u00e9rides<\/a>, an association that provides young people with general scientific information so they can better understand the universe. Its main goals include eliminating the bias that conditions girls in their professional choices and promotes science for young girls. K\u00e9b\u00e9 dreams of being able to explore space and is applying for the European Astronaut Corps with the European Space Agency.<\/p><h5><a href=\"https:\/\/amaka.studio\/explore\/articles\/ann-marie-imafidon-women-need-to-take-up-space-in-stem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anne-Marie Imafidon: Women Need to Take Up Space in STEM <\/a> <\/h5><div class=\"article_iframe_embed\"><iframe style=\"height:300px;max-height:300px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CXeEsXfjL1k\/embed\/?cr=1&v=14&wp=720&rd=https%3A%2F%2Famaka.studio\"><\/iframe><div><h2>Keneiloe Molopyane | \u200b\u200bArchaeologist & Biological Anthropologist (South Africa)<\/h2><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/keneiloe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Keneiloe Molopyane<\/a> spends her days exploring the depths of caves and oceans in an attempt to uncover the secrets of this earth. Born in <a href=\"https:\/\/norval.co.za\/benoni-is-a-town-in-ekurhuleni-municipality-gauteng-south-africa\/history-of-benoni\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Benoni<\/a>, a mining town in Gauteng, South Africa, she knew she wanted to be an archaeologist at the age of seven, after watching The Adventures of Tintin. Dubbed as one of South Africa\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2021\/06\/29\/africa\/keneiloe-molopyane-underground-astronauts-south-africa-spc-intl\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">underground astronaut,<\/a> she was named one of 15 Emerging Explorers for the National Geographic Society. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/keneiloe-molopyane\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Molopyane<\/a> was part of a crew of six female scientists, who garnered global attention after discovering an unknown human specie now known as Homo naledi. Molopyane is the first post-doctoral research fellow at Wits University\u2019s Centre for Exploration of the Deep Human Journey. She feels that her experience as Black academic allows her students to see archaeology and anthropology from a new perspective.<br><\/p><h2>Taida Mapara | Medical Student, Malawi College of Medicine (Zimbabwe) <\/h2><p>Under normal circumstances, a student spends between 12-to-13 years in school. However, Taida Mapara successfully completed her A-Level exams and was accepted into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityworldnews.com\/post.php?story=20211024081851385\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Malawi College of Medicine at the age of 14<\/a>, making her one of Africa\u2019s youngest university students. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/taida-mapara-4684661b1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mapara<\/a> was raised in Zimbabwe and Ghana, and for a given period of time, her parents faced financial challenges and struggled to send her to school. To avoid any adverse effects on her education, she was homeschooled by her mother who was a school teacher, and Mapara continued to excel academically.  <p><br><\/p><p>Mapara was infatuated with the depiction of medical doctors on television and wanted to be like them. Although still in the early days of her studies and medical career, Mapara hopes to specialise in cardiology. In her spare time, Mapara works as a project manager at The Helping Cub Foundation, which aims to help break the gap between the disabled, underprivileged and the rest of society.<br><\/p><\/p><h2>Tolullah Oni | Co-Director at Global Diet and Activity Research Group, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge (Nigeria)<\/h2><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tolullah\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tolullah Oni <\/a>aspires to change the narrative in Africa by working towards building an ecosystem that empowers the youth, encourages science and is equal amongst its citizens. Oni is a public health physician scientist, an urban epidemiologist, and a clinical senior research associate with the University of Cambridge MRC Epidemiology Unit's Global Public Health Research programme. Her research focuses on understanding health transition, and the epidemiology of the interaction between common chronic conditions and unplanned urban environment. She has been honoured with several accolades recognising her research contribution, including the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nstf.org.za\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">South African National Science and Technology Forum<\/a> (NSTF) Emerging Researcher award, and the Carnegie Corporation Next Generation of African Academics award. She has published over 80 manuscripts in international journals, and has given presentations at international events including the United Nations High Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development in New York, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">World Economic Forum<\/a> (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos.<\/p><h5><a href=\"https:\/\/amaka.studio\/explore\/articles\/ruvimbo-samanga-profile\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ruvimbo Samanga: \u201cWe Can Use Space Tech for Practical Development Challenges in Africa\u201d<\/a><\/h5><h2>Kgomotso Phatsima | Pilot, Founder & President, Dare to Dream (Botswana)<\/h2><p>Featured by the likes of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/av\/world-africa-50785321\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BBC<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/videos\/tv\/2021\/06\/11\/kgomotso-phatsima-botswana-pilot-spc-intl.cnn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CNN<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kgomotsophatsima\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kgomotso Phatsima<\/a> has garnered global attention for her pioneering work as a pilot who is intentional about inspiring other women and young girls into aviation. When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/captain-kgomotso-phatsima-b0aab581\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Phatsima<\/a> was a young girl, all she wanted to do was fly a plane. Unfortunately, the cold reality of inequality soon dawned on her when she found out that certain fields were not made for women. A realisation that has propelled her to change the mindset that deems women as less than in society and empower young women to achieve their goals. To this end, Phatsima founded <a href=\"https:\/\/daretodream.co.bw\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dare to Dream<\/a>, a social enterprise dedicated to the advancement of young women and girls in aerospace, aviation and STEM. The organisation also equips young people with business and leadership skills. Phatsima is one of the first female military pilots in the Botswana Defence Force, later earning the Botswana Youth Awards Best Female of the Year 2017 and the 80th British High Commission Commonwealth Point of Light Award. Phatsima is an Obama Foundation Africa Leaders Fellow.<\/p><div class=\"article_iframe_embed\"><iframe style=\"height:300px;max-height:300px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bn0rAjmDu4J\/embed\/?cr=1&v=14&wp=720&rd=https%3A%2F%2Famaka.studio\"><\/iframe><div><h2>Maha Dahawi | Epilepsy Geneticist, PhD Student, Paris Brain Institute (Sudan\/France)<\/h2><p>After six years of medical school, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/maha-dahawi-542aa4201\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Maha Dahawi <\/a>was diagnosed with myositis, an autoimmune disease. However, she did not let it get in the way of her studies. Instead she stayed focused on her academic journey with a goal to better understand the genetics and psychopathology of epilepsy, a neurological condition. Dahawi is currently on track to complete her doctorate in neuroscience from the Paris Brain Institute and was named as one of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.unesco.org\/news\/unesco-and-foundation-loreal-recognize-20-young-women-scientists-sub-saharan-africa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2020\u2019s Young Talents for Women and Science in Sub-Saharan Africa by the L\u2019Or\u00e9al Foundation.<\/a> As an atypical doctoral student, she is showing the world that in spite of your limitations, you can achieve whatever you set your mind to and she believes that this is what inspires young Sudanese women.<\/p><h2>Marie Korsaga | Astrophysicist, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM) (Burkina Faso)<\/h2><p>Famously tagged as West Africa\u2019s first female astrophysicist after earning her PhD, <a href=\"https:\/\/afnwa.org\/2021awards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marie Korsaga<\/a> is trying to ensure that she is not the last. Intrigued by the phenomena of the universe at an early age, she couldn\u2019t imagine that one day she'd turn her curiosity into a career. <a href=\"https:\/\/africanews.space\/dr-marie-korsaga-and-professor-renee-kraan-korteweg-receive-inaugural-african-women-awards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Korsaga<\/a>'s work involves observing the distribution of dark matter and visible matter in galaxies with the hopes of better understanding the universe\u2019s formation and evolution. Korsaga\u2019s original plan was a career as a civil engineer because of her love for construction. However, when she was told that a career in physics would be too challenging for a woman, it only encouraged her to prove them wrong. Korsaga has spoken at several events including a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/marie_korsaga_au_dela_de_l_univers_visible\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">TED<\/a> conference.  <\/p><h2>Aline Saraiva Okello | Co-Founder, HarvestRainWater & Rural Water Supply Network Global Network Manager, Skat Foundation (Mozambique\/Kenya)<\/h2><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/aline-saraiva-okello-phd-4012a31a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aline Saraiva Okello <\/a>is the Water Supply Network Global Network Manager at Skat Foundation, a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable development to improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations in developing countries. She is also a water resources specialist that provides independent consultancy to organisations in southern Africa. Excelling in science and maths, she was encouraged by her father to pursue engineering \u2014 which she would soon come to learn was and still is a male-domanited field. Graduating at the top of her class at Instituto Superior de Transportes e Comunica\u00e7\u00f5es (ISUTC) (Higher Institute of Transport and Communications in English), she has many laurels to her name. She was awarded the L'Or\u00e9al-UNESCO Fellowship Award for her research work, which aims to improve water management in the transboundary Incomati River Basin in southern Africa.  <p><br><\/p><p>Okello She also received the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for HarvestRainWater, an app designed to help communities prevent water shortages by building systems that collect and preserve rainwater. She is working towards creating a more sustainable environment in the southern region, particularly in her home country, Mozambique.<\/p><p><br><\/p><p>Some of these women were made to believe that STEM was not for women. Yet, these women continue to prove society wrong and are trailing a new path for women and girls. In the coming years, we hope to see African women make more extraordinary discoveries.<br><\/p><\/p>"},"id":1681774787453}],"version":"2.23.2"}</article></body></html>