1. 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

2. U.S. Embassy, WEAC Zambia Launch Expanded Training for Women Entrepreneurs

   LUSAKA—The U.S. Embassy and Women’s Entrepreneurship Access Center (WEAC) Zambia have launched applications for phase two for the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) until Monday, August 31, 2020.

3. Alexander Shmidt

   First Name

   Alexander

   Participant Headshot

   

   Short Biography

   

    

   Content created by Virtual Intern  Helen Zeidman

   Alexander Shmidt is a social entrepreneur and leader who works to provide opportunities for communities in Israel and overseas. As a social business specialist, consultant, and lecturer, Shmidt is a connector of people.

   In 2013, Shmidt participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), focusing on Community Leadership Development. Shmidt gained an appreciation for creating partnerships with other people by visiting four different states and meeting with over 60 socially responsible organizations. Shmidt says, "I came back from the IVLP as a different person... changed by witnessing the power of diverse teams in changing the world."

   Shmidt uses knowledge of team-building gained during IVLP in his work today. Through facilitating incubators, he encourages the development of socially conscious businesses and non-profit organizations. His human-centered approach focuses on promoting people before businesses. Shmidt teaches project managers how to think like designers and build business models that will build community.

   Shmidt currently serves as the Representative of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in Belarus. JDC has been on the ground in the former Soviet Union for decades, caring for the region’s elderly Jews when the majority of the world didn’t even know they existed. Alex and his team, through JDC network of Hesed Social Welfare Centers, works on a massive scale to ensure that the former Soviet Union’s Jews in need are able to not only to survive, but age with dignity and with support of a caring Jewish community.

   As a socially-oriented entrepreneur, Alexander Shmidt helps aspiring businesses and community organizations develop plans to change the world one community at a time.

   Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

    

   Home Country

   Israel

   Last name

   Shmidt

   IVLP Alumni

4. Dr. Sara Al-Reefy

   First Name

   Sara

   Participant Headshot

   

   Short Biography

   

    

   Content created by Virtual Intern  Nayantara Arora

   Dr. Sara Al-Reefy is a breast and oncoplastic surgeon who owns and leads the London Breast Care Centre located in Bahrain. As a general surgery resident in Bahrain, Dr. Al-Reefy observed firsthand the shockingly high mortality rate of young women to breast cancer due to cultural norms and shame surrounding cancer diagnosis and treatment. In November 2007, Dr. Al-Reefy traveled to the United States on an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) titled “Breast Cancer Awareness and Community Outreach.” Her visit to the MD Anderson Hospital and the Susan G. Komen Charity opened her eyes to the importance of yearly breast cancer screening and oncoplastic breast surgery. Inspired, Dr. Al-Reefy traveled to London to specialize in breast cancer surgery at St. George’s University Hospital. Three years later, she returned to Bahrain equipped with “advanced oncoplastic surgery techniques.” Reflecting on her IVLP experience, Dr. Al-Reefy writes, “it was that trip that saved the lives of so many women in my kingdom.”

   Over the next five years, Dr. Al-Reefy established the first One-Stop Breast Clinic within the Gulf Cooperation Council and the first private medical center specializing in breast cancer screening and treatment. In 2016, she was awarded a $100,000 grant by the Crown Prince of Bahrain that allowed her to purchase her clinic's first 3D Hologic Mammogram. Since then, Dr. Al-Reefy has launched the first mobile breast screening unit, making breast cancer screening accessible to women in Bahrain's villages, and established a clinical branch in Kuwait.

   Dr. Sara Al-Reefy’s tireless efforts and innovative initiatives have resulted in the diagnosis and treatment of 3,000 women with breast cancer in the region. She is changing the current management of breast cancer in the Arab world.

   Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

    

   Home Country

   Bahrain

   Last name

   Al-Reefy

   IVLP Alumni

5. The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs Helps Business Owner Grow Her Company in Kenya

   Pauline Otila Kamwara, Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) graduate from 2019, is the managing director of Apiculture Venture in Kenya. Her social enterprise employs women and young people committed to sustainable beekeeping. They sell honey to farmers, cosmetic shops, hotels, and more. Pauline started her business when she saw that women weren’t represented in beekeeping in Kenya.

6. United States and Albania Work Together to Protect Cultural Heritage

   Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Matthew Lussenhop and Albanian’s Minister of Culture Elva Margariti concluded a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding that protects Albanian cultural property on August 23, 2021.

7. The IVLP Community and Volunteerism

   Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and Meridian International Center, a national program agency, hosted an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) virtual salon series titled, “Effective Volunteer Engagement during Uncertain Times.”

8. 280 Business and Social Entrepreneurs from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada Begin 2022 YLAI Fellowship Program

   Over the next six months, the YLAI Fellows will collaborate with companies and social enterprises in 20 U.S. cities to deepen relationships and increase business ties between the United States and the Americas.

9. Assistant Secretary Satterfield Delivers Remarks at a Cultural Event in Washington, D.C.

   Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Lee Satterfield will deliver remarks at the Women in Music: An Acoustic Experience with Colombian Artist Diana Burco event on March 21 in Washington, D.C.

10. Tahitian Exchange Alumna: Shine So Others Can Shine

    [Tahiti, June 2022] French Polynesian entrepreneur Manuia Maiti knew she wanted to contribute to her country’s economic development when she was just 19.

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