#DOTYouth | DOT | Digital Opportunity Trust

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#DOTYouth

#DOTYouth is a global movement of daring social innovators. Read about how some of these digital ambassadors, community leaders, and entrepreneurs are creating opportunities and transforming their communities.

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Ethiopia
Kenya
Rwanda
Jordan
Tanzania
Lebanon
Uganda

Tsege - Ethiopia

Creating communities of women entrepreneurs

Women in Ethiopia face many barriers to becoming entrepreneurs. They often have less education than men, can face discrimination, and are less likely to own assets...

Lujain - Jordan

Making blood sugar monitoring accessible in Jordan

Lujain Asem Abusohyon’s life changed when she was 17-years-old. “I felt tired but I did not know why. My eyes were blurred. It was exams at school and I did not understand why I could not focus,” Lujain, now 20, ...

Jasmine - Jordan

Blending engineering, gender, and photography as a social entrepreneur

When 24-year-old Jasmine Majeed graduated from university with a degree in chemical engineering, she was looking for a job, but also thinking about launching her own business. She had her own dreams and aspirations, ...

Cultivating a network of agribusiness entrepreneurs

With KES 500 (about $4.80 USD), two acres of his family’s land, and a passion for agriculture, Peter Nyoike started Muthoni Agrobiz, a horticultural business in Murang’a County. Peter was happy to be making a living ...

Mariam - Lebanon

Inspiring children with technology, one robot at a time

Mariam Haidar has always been passionate about education and technology, especially for girls. She grew up in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, where schools’ lack of resources made it difficult for children...

George - Tanzania

Bringing locally relevant learning material to Tanzanian students

Growing up in Arusha, George saw the challenges of an education system with unequal opportunities between public and private schools. He studied at a public high school, where it was hard to access learning ...

Starting where you are, with what you have

“Start where you are, with what you have.” This is advice Paul Tinkaman often gives to youth he meets in his work through his youth-led development agency, Tinkasoft International.

Paul knows the wisdom of this ...

Dagim - Ethiopia

Giving new life to old tires

When we think of the impact cars have on the environment, we often consider the gas they guzzle and the emissions they create. But these modern forms of transportation also produce another environmental toll: old ...

Kalkidan - Ethiopia

Tuning women in to entrepreneurship

Kalkidan Lakew knows it’s not easy for women in Ethiopia to pursue entrepreneurship.

“Business in Ethiopia is dominated by men, especially business that requires risk-taking. Startup businesses are left to men ...

Dargie - Ethiopia

Producing affordable tiles from beverage waste in Ethiopia

When Dargie Haile Molla was in the final year of his chemical engineering studies at Bahir Dar University of Technology, his teacher set a challenge for him and his classmates: create a business project that could ...

Tsege - Ethiopia

Creating communities of women entrepreneurs

Women in Ethiopia face many barriers to becoming entrepreneurs. They often have less education than men, can face discrimination, and are less likely to own assets...

Benyam - Ethiopia

Turning trash into treasure to create jobs and opportunity

Benyam Lalago knows it is all too easy for trash to pile up. Papers become clutter, old clothes are stashed in the back of closets, plastic refuse takes over space....

Bikyalech - Ethiopia

Started a training and empowerment center for women in the beauty industry

Like many Ethiopians, Bikyalech Ermias moved from a small village to the city in search of a better future. She received...

A diverse future with a common core—community building

From volunteering in his community to delivering digital skills training for Syrian refugees to educating his peers about violence against women and girls, Rezek Abazid has leveraged his experiences with DOT Jordan ...

Mohammad - Jordan

Connecting Syrian refugees with educational opportunities and skills development

As a Syrian refugee, Mohammad Shehadat knows what it feels like to have his life put on hold. His online organization, Expatriate Student Affairs, has supported 5,000 young refugees in an effort to avoid that ...

Rahma Al-Quran - Jordan

No one can succeed or remain successful without cooperating with others

Rahma Qur’an is one of the participants in the Impact Sourcing for Apprenticeship Opportunities project.

Rahma participated in the training because she was looking for practical experience.

By participating in ...

Momen Al-Hamid - Jordan

Momen Al-Hamid is an ambitious and talented young man, who graduated from the University of Jordan. During his studies, Momen's passion for ornament led him to an entrepreneurial idea, which was to create a platform ...

Lujain - Jordan

Making blood sugar monitoring accessible in Jordan

Lujain Asem Abusohyon’s life changed when she was 17-years-old. “I felt tired but I did not know why. My eyes were blurred. It was exams at school and I did not understand why I could not focus,” Lujain, now 20, ...

Bridging the gap between teachers and parents
Babann

Banan has always been passionate about coding and technology. She graduated from the University of Jordan with a degree in Computer and Information Systems and chose to explore opportunities aligned with the digital ...

Samer, a student from Mo’tah university, Karak, utilized a digital pathway to bridge the social gap between students residing in the community and new out-of-area students. He is currently developing a network ...

Mohammad - Jordan

From engineer to community leader

Mohammad Shishani was working as a civil engineer when he learned of DOT Jordan’s Social Innovation Journey program. He thought it was a good opportunity to develop digital skills, but he didn’t know it would also ...

Creating opportunities for girls through fashion

Dana Al Fayez has always loved fashion. She loves it more now that she sees how it can support and transform her community.

Dana’s journey as a social innovator began when she participated in a DOT Jordan ...

Jasmine - Jordan

Blending engineering, gender, and photography as a social entrepreneur

When 24-year-old Jasmine Majeed graduated from university with a degree in chemical engineering, she was looking for a job, but also thinking about launching her own business. She had her own dreams and aspirations, ...

Kelvin Gumwa - Kenya

“ If you are willing to be a self-learner you will develop yourself” ~ Lailah Gifty.

The willingness to self-learn has enabled Kelvin Gwuma to develop holistically and achieve his dreams. This story of how he ...

Creating resilient and future-proof skill sets with digital and business training for youth

As a young social innovator from rural Kenya, Henry Mkare knows first-hand the importance of community support.

Henry grew up in Bamba, a small village in the country’s southeast Kilifi County. When he dropped ...

Aisha and Ruth - Kenya

Empowering young girls in Kenya to innovate with STEM

Studying ICT at the Technical University of Mombasa, Aisha Abdulkadir and Ruth Kaveke made up 50% of the program’s female population. At graduation, they decided to do something about that.

Aisha and Ruth are the ...

Transforming Mombasa’s tech industry

Even with a degree in information technology, Ajra Adullatif Mohamed had trouble finding a job when she graduated from university. She felt trapped; the job market was bad and finding work was difficult....

Douglas - Kenya

An oasis of digital learning in the Mathare slums

Douglas Mwangi struggled with the education system in Kenya. He grew up in the Mathare slums in Nairobi, the youngest of eight children in his family. For Douglas, quality schools were unaffordable, and affordable ...

Cultivating a network of agribusiness entrepreneurs

With KES 500 (about $4.80 USD), two acres of his family’s land, and a passion for agriculture, Peter Nyoike started Muthoni Agrobiz, a horticultural business in Murang’a County. Peter was happy to be making a living ...

Euniver - Kenya

An entrepreneur supporting entrepreneurs

When Euniver Njeri joined DOT Kenya in 2012 to offer entrepreneurship training to community members in Eldoret, she was known for two things: her outspoken nature and her soft spot for young entrepreneurs....

Meet the #DOTYouth who has created an English-to-sign language mobile app

Being able to communicate with others is crucially important, and is something Hiba Al-Shami has never taken for granted. Hiba was diagnosed with a hearing impairment when she was five-years-old. Today, she’s the ...

Malak - Lebanon

Preventing bullying with innovative technology and emotional intelligence

Empathy and kindness for one another and for ourselves has never been more important than in the midst of a global pandemic. Fostering these emotional intelligence skills are at the core of The Red Bee, an ...

Joanne - Lebanon

Showcasing traditional cooking techniques on YouTube

At Digital Opportunity Trust’s 2018 Youth Innovation Summit, Joanne Raad’s table attracted a crowd. The young Lebanese social innovator carefully spread za’atar — a blend of thyme, sesame, and other spices — onto ...

Peneloppe - Lebanon

Reducing electronic waste with Wasteless: an app for recycling

Technology is great — until we decide we do not need it anymore and it ends up in the trash. These trashed phones, laptops, and tablets are called electronic waste, and it is a major issue worldwide. That includes ...

Mustafa - Lebanon

Learning about the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Lebanon

Mustafa Dasuki’s is passionate about education. “Education is the key to a better future, and should be given to everyone in the world. But education is not just about building a career, it’s about opening your...

Championing technology in classrooms

Mira Hatoum finished her biology degree not knowing what was next. She was interested in technology and education, and had developed strong pedagogical skills at university, but didn’t know how to apply these skills ...

Mariam - Lebanon

Inspiring children with technology, one robot at a time

Mariam Haidar has always been passionate about education and technology, especially for girls. She grew up in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, where schools’ lack of resources made it difficult for children...

#DOTYouth Marie Clarisse Mfurayabo and the call to empower teen mothers - Rwanda

Marie Clarisse was driving to get fuel from a nearby gas/petrol station when she met a young girl, around 16 years of age roaming the petrol station, begging those passing by to help her with a coin quoting “ I am ...

Phabiola - Rwanda

Empowering Rwandan women and youth to become visual storytellers

#DOTYouth Street Team member Phabiola Mukundente was in secondary school when she recognized both a passion and a problem. Her passion was for photography—she loved snapping photos of her friends. The problem? A ...

#DOTYouth Jean Claude Manirafasha defies COVID-19 odds and leverages technology to help students secure internship opportunities. - Rwanda

A 2015 graduate of the University of Rwanda, College of Science and Technology, formerly known as Kigali Institute of Science and Technology( KIST ), Jean Claude Manirafasha started his enterprise, Bright Future ...

Benithe - Rwanda

Combating teenage pregnancy through education and skills training

In the time of COVID-19, we all know the importance of soap and hand-washing to prevent the spread of the virus. But for Benithe Isingizwe, a #DOTYouth Street Team member and social innovator from Rwanda, soap is ...

Rachel - Rwanda

Supporting young women, single mothers and pregnant women in the wake COVID-19

Social innovators are resilient and creative in the face of challenge and change. Those qualities can certainly be used to describe Rachel Uwizerwa, a #DOTYouth from Rwanda who became a first-time community leader ...

Jeanne - Rwanda

Designing an online platform to ease healthcare delivery in Rwanda

Rwanda is continuing to go digital, and Jeanne Bovine Ishemaryayo plans to be there every step of the way. According to the government’s Vision 2020 plan, Rwanda will be a cashless economy by 2024. That is good news ...

Amina's digital solution for lessening teen pregnancy

Adolescent pregnancy is not only a health issue but also a human rights and development issue. Pregnancy undermines a girl’s ability to exercise her rights to education, health and autonomy. To help resolve this, ...

Israel - Rwanda

Eliminating electric shocks and short circuiting

How Israel is creating a safe, efficient solution for electronic charging

After conducting research on using electricity in Rwanda, Israel Nishimwe found out that most community members face issues of short ...

Ariane - Rwanda

Lighting up rural Rwanda with 3D printed solar products

Before Ariane Umuringa was a social innovator, she was a student in a district in Rubavu, Western Rwanda.

Studying mathematics and physics in high school, Ariane found herself challenged — not as much by the ...

Baking up community change

Olive Tuyizeye started her journey as an entrepreneur with a small shop, but had never been able to generate enough income to sustain her family. It was a difficult way to make a living in rural western Rwanda, and ...

Laetitia - Rwanda

Economic change through agricultural innovation

When Laetitia Umubyeyi first got involved with DOT Rwanda in 2016, she didn’t think of herself as a social entrepreneur. She didn’t even have a business idea. She had a background...

Francois - Rwanda

Tackling youth unemployment through vocational training

While many Rwandans value a university education above all else, 26-year-old Francois Nkurunziza knew many unemployed young people in Gatore Sector,...

Gerald - Tanzania

Opening the digital economy to more Tanzanian youth

Gerald Mukama remembers the first time he built a website: “I was so amazed that I could use computers to do what I wanted to do—change the colours, add the content and the animation. I am the type of guy who is ...

Julius - Tanzania

Making healthy food accessible and connecting farmers to digital opportunities

Accessing healthy food is not always easy when living in a large city like Dar es Salaam. You might know the location of markets and grocery stores, but traffic and a lack of time make it impossible to get to them. ...

Dorina - Tanzania

Revolutionizing renting: helping women safely find homes through their phones

Dorina Mathayo’s friend was looking for a new home. Unsure of where to start, Dorina’s friend was told to seek the assistance of an agent who could show her houses in Dar es Salaam – but she still couldn’t find a ...

Catherine - Tanzania

Empowering girls in ICT: Tackling the digital gender divide in Tanzania

On Girls in ICT Day, Catherine participated in a live video chat with our partners at Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to discuss her social enterprise, Girls Awareness in IT-Profession, and the importance of empowering ...

Lulu - Tanzania

Digital opportunities for low-resource schools

When Shaat Lulu King'ori participated in a DOT Tanzania social enterprise competition in 2016, her idea immediately stood out. She was enthusiastic and had a clear understanding of a need in her community and how ...

George - Tanzania

Bringing locally relevant learning material to Tanzanian students

Growing up in Arusha, George saw the challenges of an education system with unequal opportunities between public and private schools. He studied at a public high school, where it was hard to access learning ...

Carolyn - Tanzania

Mtu ni watu: a person is people

Carolyn Kandusi embodies the proverb mtu ni watu: a person is people. No man is an island. We must support each other in order to succeed.

When she began considering the idea of how to create a community to ...

Nsubuga - Uganda

Helping Ugandan women create revenue with handcrafts

Nsubuga Kigongo was raised by his grandmother, and growing up he was taught to work as hard as possible in order to provide for his family. He held a variety of jobs as a young man, including selling milk and ...

Walter - Uganda

Creating networks for agriculture businesses

Walter Rubangakene never thought he would run his own business. Now he’s a successful agricultural entrepreneur who mentors others in launching their businesses.

Growing up in Gulu in northern Uganda, life was ...

Cedrick and Vivian - Uganda

Community change out of a commercial enterprise

Growing up in the Kasokoso slum in Kampala, brother and sister Cedrick and Vivian Karibwende were affected by the challenges they saw around them on a daily basis. Many families couldn’t afford to send their ...

Starting where you are, with what you have

“Start where you are, with what you have.” This is advice Paul Tinkaman often gives to youth he meets in his work through his youth-led development agency, Tinkasoft International.

Paul knows the wisdom of this ...

Engaging youth in community development

For young people to be involved in social and economic issues, they must first have the knowledge and information to contribute to the conversation.

That’s Ali Kaviri’s philosophy. Ali is a young Ugandan man who ...

Creating networks for agriculture businesses

Walter Rubangakene never thought he would run his own business. Now he’s a successful agricultural entrepreneur who mentors others in launching their businesses.

Growing up in Gulu in northern Uganda, life was ...

Digital opportunities for low-resource schools

When Shaat Lulu King’ori participated in a DOT Tanzania social enterprise competition in 2016, her idea immediately stood out. She was enthusiastic and had a clear understanding of a need in her community and how ...

Tuning women in to entrepreneurship

Kalkidan Lakew knows it’s not easy for women in Ethiopia to pursue entrepreneurship.

“Business in Ethiopia is dominated by men, especially business that requires risk-taking. Startup businesses are left to men ...

Julius, Tanzania - Southafrica

Making healthy food accessible and connecting farmers to digital opportunities

Accessing healthy food is not always easy when living in a large city like Dar es Salaam. You might know the location of markets and grocery stores, but traffic and a lack of time makes it impossible to get to them. ...

Lina, Jordan - Southafrica

Developing digital creativity labs in Amman

Have you ever heard of a mindscape? Social innovator Lina Halaseh describes it as a place where you can be innovative, and stimulate your mind and ideas. This was the idea that Lina had — and her recent social ...

Jeanne, Rwanda - Southafrica

Youth-led financial solutions that work for Rwandans

Rwanda is continuing to go digital, and Jeanne Bovine Ishemaryayo plans to be there at every step of the way. According to the government’s Vision 2020 plan, Rwanda will be a cashless economy by 2024. That is good ...

Byron, South Africa - Southafrica

Inspiring aspiring artists in South Africa

Byron Noble has spent the past decade pursuing his passion for music and the arts. With his new social enterprise, he wants to make it easier for other youth to do the same....

#DOTYouth