WAKE International in collaboration with Impact Hub Kathmandu, successfully organized the long-awaited program: Tech2Empower Impact Challenge Nepal this April 2023! Through the program, 6 Women-led social enterprises of Nepal and 85 female students from Kathmandu University received intensive coaching, mentoring and interactive learning exchange opportunity with 23 tech Advisors, coming from different top tech companies of the world like Apple, Google, LinkedIn, US Federal Reserve, McKinsey and more! For Impact Hub Kathmandu, being a local host and implementation partner for such a program is an honor for us, as we channeled this invaluable global exchange for our local young women entrepreneurs and students!
Tech2Empower is an initiative of WAKE, an NGO based in San Francisco, California, that has supported 275+ social impact organizations and directly trained, coached, and mentored over 1,380 leaders and students from 11 countries and 25 U.S. states and this being the first of its time in Nepal! Through Tech2Empower, WAKE supports change-makers by connecting technology experts to women leaders in the NGO sector, social entrepreneurs and to girls’ schools. Tech2Empower brought a delegation of volunteer advisors from top technology companies to Kathmandu for a week of training, hands-on consultancy for impact projects, mentoring activities, a tech and career fair for university women, and cultural and networking events. The program started from April 24th to April 28th and the first three days were dedicated to the Impact Challenge: a three-day immersive and intensive learning program for social enterprises with their Tech advisors hosted at Maya Manor Boutique. The program wrapped up on April 28th, we hosted the ‘University Day for Women’ where Tech advisors provided workshops, coaching and exchange with students at Kathmandu University!
The teams of volunteer Advisors provided hands-on project work, feedback, mentoring and training on technology tools and platforms to our 6 female social enterprises through collaborative coaching and site visits. Meet our 6 female social enterprises of the program:
6 Female Social Enteprises (Participants) with their tech advisors
- Women Leaders in Technology: WLiT is an organization led by young women aiming to transform the technology sector and digital spaces through targeted interventions on education, employability, and outreach, as well as research and dialogues. WLiT believes technology should be for all, regardless of background or identity. WLiT commits to ensuring access to quality tech for all. WLiT supports the development of relevant and accessible technology by working with young women and building diverse alliances focusing on tech inclusivity all over Nepal.
- Women Empowerment Centre (WEC): WEC started their journey in 2017 as Women Empowerment Centre in Kirtipur to empower women by providing them with the required skills to become an entrepreneur. Women Empowerment Centre (WEC) is working to change the dimension of women in Nepal. We promote women-led enterprises, women’s employment, and financial independence of women by enhancing their skills and connecting their services of products to the market.
- Visible Impact: Visible Impact (Visim) is a young women-led not-for-profit company that aims to create a ‘visible impact’ in the lives of youth, adolescent girls and women and their immediate families and communities, with a focus on leadership development, advocacy, and realization of their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
- Shequal Foundation: Shequal derived from “She is Equal”, is a Nepal-based not-for-profit foundation committed to improving the ecosystem by ensuring the equal perspective of men and women in all the actions affecting their lives. Our major goal is to let the individuality of women be recognized, respected, and included by equipping and empowering them. We work in four aspects: Education, Technology, Economic Empowerment, Socio-Cultural Shift, Advocacy and Government, Health and Lifestyle, and Art and Culture
- SmartCheli: Smart Cheli targets young girls of age group 10 to 19, through mentorship and STEAM-based programs. They aim to reduce the prevailing gender gap in the STEAM field in Nepal and want to enhance critical thinking, cultivate their imaginations and problem-solving skills and get exposure to STEAM from an early age.
- Yoshan Nepal: (Youth-led Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Advocacy Nepal) YoSHAN is a young women-led feminist organization committed to advancing the sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) movement in Nepal with a primary focus on safe abortion rights. We primarily work with young people of diversity and mobilize them for the movement building on SRHR. We work with midwifery and nursing educators, schoolteachers, medical students and policymakers to facilitate their viewing of sexual and reproductive health from feminist and human rights perspectives and hence provide dignified health services to all especially those marginalized in society.
Each social enterprise selected for the Impact Challenge was matched with a team of Advisors with skills to support its proposed project. Participants had the opportunity to acquire new tech skills, discover and discuss new tools for companies, their tech projects, social media management, branding and marketing, database management and data analysis for business decisions. The teams benefited from the expertise and collaborative work on their project of choice, while also contributing to a deeper understanding of their cause and geographic region and gaining allies.
On Friday, we organized the Tech2Empower ‘Day for University Women’ at Kathmandu University where more than 85 female students participated in various workshops such as using Canva, Communications, Career in STEM etc.
Following the program, advisors and our social enterprises will now collaborate virtually for a few hours each week including a one-hour weekly team meeting and individual work to drive results and impact for the most meaningful outcomes! We cannot wait to see what this collaboration unfolds!
For similar collaborations or partnerships to create impact in Nepal, contact us at [email protected] or [email protected]!
