The following post was written by Dário Macucule an Adult Mentor for the U.S. Department of State’s Pan Africa Leadership Program (PAYLP) implemented by Meridian. Macucle is from Mozambique. My name is Dário Macucule, and I am a teacher at Manhiça Secondary School, located in a village in southern Mozambique. This past March, I implemented The “Voninga” Project with the support of a PAYLP Alumni Mini-Grant to guide graduating high school students as they chart their futures. The word Voninga comes from Changanga (or Shangaan/ Tsonga), a native language is spoken in the south of Mozambique, and means “enlighten.”  From wishing for role models… When I was a student,...

The following post was written by Eng. Oluremi Hamid, Founder of Hyrden Energy Ltd. and alumni of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Growth Fellowship implemented by The University of Leeds and Meridian International Center. The Fellowship provides women entrepreneurs from around the world with business and management education, mentoring and networking, and access to capital. The creation of 10,000 Women was informed by research showing that investing in education for women could close a range of gender gaps. The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Growth Fellowship was the icing on the delicious cake that I call the 10,000 Women Course....

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, workplaces have been turned upside down and employees have struggled with new challenges presented. Research shows that women, especially women of color, have felt adverse effects in comparison to their male counterparts including experiencing furlough at higher rates – putting their careers and financial security at risk. The U.S. Department of Labor shows that the adult women employment rate reached 54.3% during the pandemic, the lowest it’s been since September 1988. In addition, there were 7.2% fewer adult Black women, 5.9% fewer adult Hispanic women, and 4.8% fewer adult white women employed in June...