Empowering African Women Researchers: Join our Fellowship - October 2024

We are pleased to announce that, due to high demand, the application deadline for the 2025 Mawazo Fellowship Programme has been extended to Sunday, 24th November 2024. This is a fantastic opportunity for African women researchers affiliated with African institutions to enhance their research and advance their PhD journeys. Don’t miss out - apply NOW!

Find out more about what Mawazo has been up to in October here.

Supporting Women Researchers Create Impact - September 2024

Are you an African woman PhD student at an institution on the continent? Do you know an African woman PhD student at an institution on the continent? If so, we invite you to join our network of inspiring African women researchers who are making a tangible impact in Africa.

Our Call for Applications for the 2025 Mawazo Fellowship is now OPEN!

August Wellness Break: Rejuvenate, Realign, Refresh - August 2024

Hello from the other side of our Wellness Break!

Every August the entire Mawazo team takes 3 weeks to slow down completely. No internal meetings, minimal external meetings, and more flexible work hours. We all try to spend more time doing things that require more focus time such as planning, brainstorming, and completing those tasks that we keep putting off. It also gives us more flexibility to dedicate some additional time doing the things we love such as spending time with our families and our hobbies, and ultimately refresh and realign with our goals. 

We have found this time invaluable to not only work on tasks that have been on our desks for a long time, but also to adjust our relationship with work. More importantly, it creates more healthy ways to engage at the office for the rest of the year while also helping us to make one final push in the crazy busy last quarter of the year. 

Her Research Reality: Celebrating African Women in Academia - JULY 2024

We are thrilled to announce yet another significant milestone within our fellowship community. Dr. Firehiwot Girma, a distinguished 2023 Mawazo Fellow from Ethiopia, has successfully earned her PhD in Electrical Engineering, specialising in Electrical Power Engineering. This prestigious degree was conferred by the Addis Ababa Institute of Technology in collaboration with KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.

Additionally, Dr. Sylvia Mutinda, a 2021 Mawazo Fellow from Kenya, has auspiciously completed her PhD programme in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the Pan African University Institute for Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI),

On behalf of the Mawazo Institute, we extend our warmest congratulations to Dr. Firehiwot and Dr. Sylvia on this remarkable achievement and wish them all the best in their future research endeavours. We take immense pride in supporting such accomplished women and are excited to contribute to bridging the gender gap within the research community.

Working Towards Closing the Gender Disparity in Research - June 2024

We are thrilled to share the wonderful news of the recent graduation of two exceptional women researchers. Dr. Elizabeth Benson, a 2018 Mawazo Fellow from Kenya, has successfully earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science from Strathmore University. Additionally, we celebrate the remarkable achievement of Dr. Aminata Dembele, a 2023 Fellow from Mali, who has obtained her Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering from the prestigious Pan African University Institute for Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI).

On behalf of the Mawazo Institute, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to these remarkable women and express our best wishes for their future research endeavours. We take pride in supporting these accomplished women and are delighted to play a role in bridging the gender gap within the research community.

Promoting Women Researchers in Realising their Big Ideas! - May 2024

The Mawazo Ideas Podcast returns after a one-year hiatus, focusing this season on exploring the Realities of African Women in Research. Join us as we delve into the profound journey of pursuing a PhD on the African continent as an African woman. In our inaugural episode of season six, we trace the path of an African woman venturing into the realm of research. Discover the true motivations that drive African women to pursue a doctoral degree. Tune in to hear from our alumni about the application process, the challenges and anxieties they face, navigating relationships with supervisors, and their post-PhD aspirations.

Promoting policy and public engagement in Research - April 2024

The Policy Engagement for Researchers CoreCourse live event, facilitated by Mawazo’s Communications team, marked the conclusion of an engaging and necessary experience for the Fellows. The seminar brought 36 fellows together to reflect on the importance of leveraging their research for policy impact in their respective countries. The Fellows expressed positive feedback towards the course, finding it timely and engaging.

As the Fellowship Programme enters its final stages, Mawazo is excited to offer a series of micro courses tailored to various research areas.

Moreover, Mawazo remains committed to supporting the Fellows in their ongoing research activities through various means such as monthly catch-up meetings and the Fellows Fund. These initiatives offer valuable opportunities for deeper connection and collaboration among fellows.

Honoring African Women Scholars and Innovators - March 2024

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.

Research to Reality: The Pathway to Impact - February 2024

On the 17th of February, Mawazo collaborated with Fishbowl for an ideas exchange event between our Fellows & Alumni and the social enterprises who qualified for the Fishbowl challenge. The event was geared towards enhancing the start-ups using the expert opinions and guidance of our Fellows. 

On February 26th, Mawazo was honored to be invited to the Applied Machine Learning Days Community Day at the United States International University in Kenya. This event provided an excellent opportunity for the organization to showcase our recent work and engage with the bright and curious minds of the attendees.

Cheers to 2024: Another Year of Local Solutions & Impact!

Welcome back! We look forward to continuing to have you join us on our mission of seeing more and more African women researchers impacting Africa and building a more sustainable and inclusive future for our promising continent.

In this issue, we share with you a snapshot of what 2024 promises, as well as a highlight reel of our accomplishments in 2023.

We are also excited to introduce to you a new section of the newsletter of "Beyond the Fellowship: Research to Impact" highlighting where members of our Connects Network (alumni network) are beyond their PhD studies.