Meet 3 Women Social Entrepreneurs Changing the World through Science
Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Science and gender equality are essential in order to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. According to the United Nations, women and girls continue to be excluded from fully participating in science despite great efforts over the past two decades to engage and inspire the their participation in the field of science.
Presently, less than 30% of researchers worldwide are women. According to UNESCO data from 2014–2016, only 30% of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Female enrolment globally is particularly low in subjects such as information and communications technology (3%), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5%) and engineering, manufacturing and construction (8%).
Long-standing biases and gender stereotypes steer women and girls away from science related fields. In order to achieve full and equal access to,— and participation — in science for women and girls, as well as further achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/70/212 on 22nd December 2015, declaring 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
This day is an opportunity to promote full and equal access — as well as participation — in science for women and girls. We are therefore showcasing three amazing female Social Entrepreneurs in the field of Science that we have had the pleasure of supporting at We Make Change.
Jessica Ianniciello 🇨🇦
Jessica is the Managing Director of PhysioQ, a non-profit organisation that creates affordable and easy-to-learn research tools for anyone to conduct health research and further their passion for health science. Jessica is a former educator and passionate about STEM-learning and engagement with youth. She is an advocate for the Women and Girls in STEM movement.
Most recently, she led PhysioQ’s deployment of NEO, a free service that empowers families to early-detect COVID-19 symptoms using affordable wearable devices. NEO was launched alongside what has now become one of the world’s largest open COVID-19 databanks to accelerate research into COVID-19. NEO was recently recognised by the World Economic Forum as one of the top COVID-19 innovations.
We launched PhysioQ on our platform to provide them with skilled volunteers to help them grow their impact. In the video below you can learn more about what PhysioQ does and what volunteering opportunities they offer.
Jessica studied Social Sciences and Applied Mathematics and Dawson College in Montréal and later Education at McGill University in the same city. You can learn more about her work with PhysioQ on their website.
Nidhi Pant 🇮🇳
Nidhi Pant is the co-founder of Science for Society — S4S Technologies. S4S is a near-farm gate food processing platform converting farm losses to value-added products for the food and beverage industry — saving them time, cost and energy. S4S trains landless female farmers, transform them into Micro-Entrepreneurs by providing them the combination of technology, finance and market. Currently, S4S works with over 2,700 women farmers and serves over 1 million customers.
Nidhi has won the Women Transforming India Award by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the United Nations. She is also listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia and is a winner of Unilever Young Entrepreneur Award 2019 by Unilever and the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. She was also named Emerging Innovator of the Year at the inaugural edition of the Economic Times Women Leadership Awards (ETPWLA).
Meet Nidhi in the video below where she explains what S4S Technologies do to make a change!
Nidhi studied Chemical Technology at ICT (Institute of Chemical Technology) in Mumbai. You can still apply to join her through S4S Technologies’ project on our platform! You can find more information about them on their website.
Clarena Amatha 🇰🇪
Clarena is the founder of TransFarm Ventures, a social enterprise transforming farming through modern sustainable agricultural practices. These practices reduce hunger by ensuring continuous supply of farm produce and reduce poverty by encouraging agribusiness among youth and women.
Only about 20% of Kenyan land is suitable for farming, and in these areas maximum yields have not been achieved, leaving considerable potential for increases in productivity. The majority of farmers work without basic agricultural inputs or updated technology and lack adequate financial or extension services.
For that reason, Clarena work to share knowledge and skills on increasing agricultural productivity and income for smallholder farmers, as well as building food and nutrition secure communities. TransFarm Ventures practice crop and livestock production, offer consultancy, information sessions and training on agricultural value chain. They also establish school and home kitchen gardens, providing consistent supply of locally grown and high quality vegetables, right to the kitchen doorsteps.
In the video below you can hear Clarena explain what TransFarm Ventures does at One Young World 2019.
Clarena studied Environmental Studies at Kenyatta University. You can learn more about her work with TransFarm Ventures on their website.
Make a change!
Today is a day dedicated to the promotion of full and equal access — as well as participation — in science for women and girls. This issue is still pressing and we hope Jessica, Nidhi and Clarena can serve as role models for girls and women across the world.
How can you make a difference?
If you are starting up — or running — your own Social Enterprise or NGO, you can get volunteers with the skills you need to grow your impact for free here.
If you have skills that you want to volunteer to promote science for women and girls, you can join a project here. Together, we create equal access and participation in the field of science for women and girls across the world.
