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Virtual Fitness Session with Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Alumna, Tracy Sena Yeboah!
“We are very grateful to the AWE program for giving us a platform to improve our business strategy and becoming a successful brand” – Tracy Sena Yeboah, AWE Alum Ghana 2019
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Dr. Nadina Christopoulou
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Content created by Virtual Intern Melanie OurhaanDr. Nadina Christopoulou is an anthropologist empowering migrant and refugee women in Greece as the director and cofounder of the Melissa Network. In 2015, she participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) “Women Leaders: Promoting Peace and Security,” initiative which led her to conclude that it is most effective to prevent violent extremism through education and public engagement.
During the program, Dr. Christopoulou and fellow participants visited Washington D.C., New York, Austin, San Diego, and the U.S-Mexico border to examine the current and historical roles of women in political transitions, post-conflict reconstruction, humanitarian emergencies, conflict prevention, and peacemaking efforts.
Her IVLP experience strengthened her belief in women as agents of change and their role in resolving conflict and building consent, solidarity, and community. Sharing ideas with women leaders from around the world was an immensely inspiring experience that forged in her a new determination to empower underprivileged women and girls.
Dr. Nadina Christopoulou is a leading figure in the migrant and refugee support community in Greece. She promotes integration and equal rights for recent immigrants to Greece and continues to transform the lives of hundreds of women and girls.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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ChristopoulouIVLP Alumni
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May Al Mahayni
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Content created by Virtual Intern Nora MoestThe Syrian civil war has resulted in suboptimal oncology care in most of Syria, but Dr. May Al Mahayni, a Syrian doctor and co-founder of the Breast Cancer Protection Society is passionate about her mission to raise awareness of breast cancer and encourage early detection.
She participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in October 2007 and during her program she learned about current cancer research from other participants and doctors and staff at cancer centers throughout the United States. She brought what she learned back to Syria and applied it to workshops and events organized by the Breast Cancer Protection Society. She organized a walk through the streets of Damascus imitating the walk she saw in San Diego where everyone was wearing a pink shirt with the Breast Cancer logo to bring attention to the disease and call for early detection.
Through the society, Dr. Al Mahayni and other doctors collected donations and took a mammogram machine to rural areas in Syria to test women for breast cancer. Thanks to her knowledge and networking, Dr. May Al Mahayni is spreading the word in Syria about early detection of breast cancer.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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Al MahayniIVLP Alumni
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Dr. Hope Cynthia Sadza
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Content created by Virtual Intern Erinn Heffes
Dr. Hope Cynthia Sadza is the founder and Vice Chancellor of the Women's University in Africa (WUA), a small university focused on educating women in Harare, Zimbabwe that was founded in 2002.
In 2007, Dr. Sadza was selected for a 10-day International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) where she interacted with leaders of various women's universities in the United States to share strategies for effective university administration. The program concluded with her participation in an international conference for women's university administrators.
Upon returning home, Dr. Sadza wrote a detailed report on her visit and highlighted practical ideas she could implement to further develop and sustain the WUA. Since her visit, the WUA has seen tremendous growth and Dr. Sadza instituted a board of trustees, organized alumni chapters, pursued new fundraising techniques, and implemented curriculum and institutional development based on her experience in the United States.
Dr. Cynthia Sadza is an innovator and educator who is providing women in Africa with new strategies and fostering equity in education.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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SadzaIVLP Alumni
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Lutfi Dervishi
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Content created by Virtual Intern Kristin Mitra
Prior to his visit to the United States in 2002, Lutfi Dervishi was working as the Editor-in-Chief at "Albania," a newspaper in Tirana. When he came to the U.S., he participated in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) titled, "U.S. Foreign Policy Structures," during which he developed a stronger interest in U.S. foreign policy, especially as it relates to the Balkans. Dervishi describes the impact IVLP had on his career as "immense in a different way," noting that the experience magnified his interest in and understanding of foreign policy.
After his return, Dervishi began working in public television, where he organized a series of talk shows about U.S.-Albania relations and dispelled existing rumors regarding American foreign policy. He is now one of Albania's leading media experts and helps mold future journalists as a professor at the University of Tirana in Albania's most prominent journalism program. His influence doesn't stop at the university level; Dervishi is a founding member of the U.S. Embassy-supported Investigative Journalism Lab, which focuses on teaching transparency and investigative journalism skills to aspiring young journalists.
Through his teaching and experiences, Lutfi Dervishi has improved the quality of Albanian journalism and built a more transparent way to keep citizens informed.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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DervishiIVLP Alumni
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Raisa Banfield
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Content created by Virtual Intern Regina Navarro-Gomez
A passionate environmental activist and architect by profession, Raisa Banfield has contributed to Panamá's process of urbanization and long-term social and ecological sustainability. With a vision of improving and creating awareness of urban environmental issues, Banfield co-founded and directed the Environmental Incidence Center (CIAM) from 2007 to 2010 and founded Pasos Panamá (PASOS) to find alternatives for the sustainable development of natural resources for future generations.
"After 2007, many opportunities were presented to me in the public sector." says Banfield, who participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) that same year on a project focused on "Urban Environmental Issues." Her project allowed her to see U.S. urbanization strategies and the opportunity to take those perspectives and share them with other communities.
In 2014, Banfield was elected as Vice-Mayor of the City of Panamá. Through this role, Banfield connected both her profession and environmental activism and became responsible for the cities urbanization planning and environment. Last year, she helped create the Center for the Integration of Nature and Cities (CINC) to guide municipal plans and programs supporting resilient infrastructure and sustainable mobility.
Raisa Banfield's motivation and commitment to improving Panamá's urban communities stem from her drive to always advocate for social causes. "As a society, we have advanced in what we can put forth into our communities, and now we can share objectives."
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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Peter Masika
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Content created by Virtual Intern Celeste Lan
Peter Masika is the founder and CEO of Tanzania Youth Alliance (TAYOA), an organization that fosters leadership potential in Tanzanian youth. In his 2003 “Youth Leadership in the US” International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Masika saw new programming opportunities to teach citizenship and independence to young audiences. His IVLP experience inspired him to start HIV prevention services in Tanzania, which include programs aimed at encouraging behavior change, communicating knowledge, and developing technical leadership skills. Masika now understands the importance of technology as a tool to develop leadership and connect youth in communities around the world.
Masika believes “we [Tanzanians] need leadership not only in politics but also business and everywhere.” Since his return to Tanzania, he continues to promote health, leadership, and entrepreneurship among youth and adults as a way to move from ignorance, poverty, and disease to true freedom. TAYOA hosts talk shows, workshops, and outreach activities - all of which promote understanding and equality and engage Tanzanian youth with international volunteers.
Masika formed the National AIDS Helpline Service to provide counseling and prevention services to over three million Tanzanians, who are mostly between the ages of 14 and 24. In 2011, Former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete personally commended Masika for his leadership during a visit to TAYOA.
Peter Masika is utilizing community-level HIV services to promote health, address high-risk behaviors, and cultivate leadership skills for Tanzanian youth in vulnerable communities.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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MasikaIVLP Alumni
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Camilla Sharshekeeva
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Content created by Virtual Intern Helen Zeidman
Camilla Sharshekeeva, a Kyrgyz education reformer, is a bridge for scholarship between Central Asia and the United States. Sharshekeeva started her career as an English professor at Kyrgyz State University with a passion for American education. In 1993, she was selected for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) during an inflection point in education in the Kyrgyz Republic. By visiting American universities, Sharshekeeva gained the ideas, plans, and confidence needed to change the education system in her home country.
One of her main reforms was to initiate courses taught in English to foster a global community in Central Asia. In 2001, she earned an appointment as Minister of Education and Culture due to her innovations and ability to blend key elements of American education with Kyrgyz universities. She continued her work by collaborating with officials from the Kyrgyz Republic and the United States and created the International University of Central Asia (IUCA) in 2008. Now, as Provost at IUCA, she manages both academic and non-academic programs.
Camilla Sharshekeeva uses her passion for global collaboration to build communities and reform higher education..
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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SharshekeevaIVLP Alumni
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International Women of Courage 2021 Opening Ceremony
2021 Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award. This award honors women who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in acting to improve the lives of others, from families to communities to countries. Next, the IWOC honorees will participate in International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Virtual exchanges to connect with American communities, universities, businesses, non-profit organizations, and others. Now in its fifteenth year and conferred by five Secretaries of State since the inception of IWOC, the U.S. Department of State has honored more than 155 International Women of Courage from over 75 countries.
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A Journey Three Years in the Making
On July 16, nearly 200 young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa arrived in the United States, and while it is certainly impressive to bring exchange participants to the United States during a pandemic, their arrival felt particularly special.
