Success Stories

Carolyn Tyhra Kumasi, 2009 AWARD Fellow, Ghana

Dr. Carolyn Tyhra Kumasi is a visionary biologist and ardent environmentalist, and perhaps somewhat of an accidental advocate. This young scientist is conducting vital research on soil and water conservation to inform public policies affecting rural women—a bend in the career path upon which she initially embarked.

A gifted researcher, Kumasi obtained her PhD in 2010 at the age of 28, and began lecturing at KNUST. But she couldn’t forget the community members she had worked with during her doctoral research examining the impact of land use change on water quality along the Barekese catchment area. The Barekese reservoir provides more than 80 percent of the total public pipe-borne water for Ghana’s second-largest city, Kumasi, which is home to 2.5 million people. During the past two decades, persistent degradation of the watershed has raised concerns about deteriorating water quality.

Kumasi found that the reservoir is seriously polluted, in part by local communities’ sanitation and agricultural practices. She discovered that land rights dating back 40 years factored largely in the situation. People had little regard for the reservoir, whose construction had forced them off their farms and ended their way of life. Going far beyond her lab research, Kumasi submitted a policy brief to the government, strongly recommending land and environmental policy changes for displaced people living along the reservoir.

“If implemented, these recommendations could help solve many of the conflicts between local communities and natural resource conservation projects,” says Kumasi. “It is hoped that such a policy would provide communities with a sustainable livelihood, and that they, in turn, would begin to conserve natural resources.”

Kumasi says that the guidance she received from her AWARD Mentor has sharpened her career focus.

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Mojisola Olayinka Edema, 2009 AWARD Fellow, Nigeria

AWARD Fellow Mojisola Olayinka Edema has been appointed as Associate Director of the Gender Issues Program at the Federal University of Technology, Akure. With a PhD in microbiology, Edema has been busy mentoring female students and young lecturers, which has had a positive impact on her colleagues.

Last July, Edema was nominated Chairperson, Editorial Committee of the University's Chapter of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSDW). In this position, she published two newsletters and organized a lecture for members on scientific presentations. “I look forward to using this new position to further share knowledge gained from the AWARD Fellowship,” she says. “I hope to make greater impact as a role model for AWARD.”

Folake Samuel, 2010 AWARD Fellow, Nigeria

AWARD Fellow Folake Samuel has been promoted from Lecturer II to Lecturer I in the Department of Human Nutrition, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The promotion is effective from 2009. Samuel, who earned a PhD in human nutrition from the University of Ibadan, is currently involved in analyzing the nutritional value of common African foods to promote their use in rural Nigerian households.

Elsie Hamadina, 2009 AWARD Fellow, Nigeria

AWARD Fellow Elsie Hamadina was recently invited to give a presentation at the Fundamental for Life: Soil, Crop, and Environmental Sciences Conference in San Antonio, Texas, under the auspices of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSA). The title of her talk, delivered on October 17, 2011, was “The Effect of Provenance, Growth, and Storage Agro-Ecology on the Timing of Sprouting in Yam (d.Rotundata Poir)”.

Hamadina, a lecturer in the Department of Crop and Soil Science at the University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria, was one of 23 presenters to an audience of 4,000 scientists, students, and professionals from the industry. “I am grateful that AWARD funded my ASA membership fees for two years,” said Hamadina. “I also appreciate the fact that USAID, through AWARD, supported my trip to San Antonio.”

Access her talk by clicking here

Asimenye Nthakomwa, 2011 AWARD Fellow, Malawi

Asimenye Nthakomwa, a monitoring and evaluation officer at Malawi’s Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust, recently won second prize in a photo competition organized by Connect4Climate or C4C, the World Bank’s climate change awareness campaign.

“Among our project activities at the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust, we are promoting the use of energy-efficient clay stoves,” says Nthakomwa. “I submitted a photo taken during one of our field days to the connect4climate team, and I entitled my write up ‘Clay Stoves—Use Less Firewood and Conserve Energy’” She placed second in the Energy category and her prizes included a solar backpack and a Toshiba HD camcorder.

The goal of C4C is to raise awareness about global climate change issues, with an initial focus on Africa. This competition was open to African youth between the ages of 13 and 35, who were invited to submit a photo or video telling a climate change story.

Clay stoves are an efficient energy-saving technology that goes hand-in-hand with promoting the sustainable use of forest resources. “One woman testified to using the same bundle of firewood for two weeks with a clay stove, whereas she could use it for only one week with the three-stone traditional stove method that is common in rural communities,” says Nthakomwa. Her team is training rural women in Malawi in how to make clay stoves, which they can also use as an income-generating activity.

To see Nthakomwa’s image and all the winning photos, visit: http://www.connect4climate.org/

Kehinde Moyib, 2010 AWARD Fellow, Nigeria

Kehinde Moyib recently completed her PhD at the University of Ibadan. A lecturer in the Department of Petroleum and Chemical Sciences at Tai-Solarin University of Education, Moyib sends her appreciation to AWARD for helping to shorten the long journey. Her goal is to combine the tools of biotechnology and bioinformatics for breeding and improving varieties of cassava, and aspires to be a role model to other women. Moyib encourages other AWARD Fellows to seize the opportunities provided by the program.