Success Stories

Mary Njenga, 2009 AWARD Fellow, Kenya

Mary Njenga was recently interviewed in The People newspaper about her work in creating fuel briquettes made from waste materials as an alternative to charcoal. (See PDF)

Njenga and her AWARD Mentor, Dr. Yvonne Pinto, also wrote an article about their experiences in AWARD and how AWARD fits in the bigger picture of empowering women. The article will be published in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability (IJAS), Vol 9 Issue 4 in November 2011. (See PDF)

“AWARD has been instrumental in the visibility and networks I enjoy today. Just Google my name,” says Njenga. “Believe me; I am now learning how to manage success while remaining focused on my studies. How I wish the benefits of AWARD would reach many more like me.”

Njenga won an AWARD-sponsored research attachment to the Swedish University of Agricultural Science, where she will be researching the sustainable use and production of bio-energy, as well as organic waste management.

Bolanle Otegbayo, 2009 AWARD Fellow, Nigeria

Bolanle Otegbayo is the first Nigerian scientist to join the labs of CIRAD in Montpellier, France. She is studying the food quality and industrial potential of yams during a four-month research attachment sponsored by Agropolis Fondation. Otegbayo is a lecturer Bowen University's Department of Food Science and Technology. She was interviewed recently FranceTélévisions Info.

See full story

Margaret Syomiti, 2010 AWARD Fellow, Kenya

Margaret Syomiti recently won a scholarship from the Colorado State University. She is now an international graduate fellow in the Adapting Livestock Systems to Climate Change Collaborative Research Support Program, aimed at capacity building on climate change, especially for women.

Read the full press release.

“The call was very competitive globally, but I emerged among the top five out of 30,” said Syomiti, a research scientist at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. “I am proud to say that I won due to AWARD’s efforts to help me improve my scientific skills. I applied all the science-writing skills that I learned in Tanzania and I made it. I am now internationally visible! My career’s purpose road map is shaping up well.”

Subuola Fasoyiro, 2010 AWARD Fellow, Nigeria

Subuola Fasoyiro was recently promoted to the position of Senior Research at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IART), in Ibadan, Nigeria. Fasoyiro, who holds a PhD in Food Technology, was formerly a research fellow at IART.

Fasoyiro recently attended the First International Food and Environment Conference in Southampton, U.K., sponsored by AWARD.

“The AWARD Science Writing, Communication and Presentation Skills Course helped me in my Powerpoint preparation and in my presentation, which was commended at the conference,” writes Fasoyiro. “The course has really improved my confidence. At the conference, I was able to network with scientists in my field and related fields for future collaborative work.”

Her paper entitled "Assessment of hazards in local soy-chees processing: implications on health and environment in Oyo State, Nigeria" was published in the conference proceedings.

Rhoda Mofya-Mukuka, 2009 AWARD Fellow, Zambia

Rhoda Mofya-Mukuka received her PhD in Agricultural Economics from the Institute of Food Economics and Consumption Studies at Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany. Her research was on the “Impact of Economic Reforms on Price Transmission and Price Volatility in Coffee Markets: Evidence from Zambia and Tanzania.”

“Many thanks to AWARD for the encouragement and the inspirations, which I received not only through the various seminars and trainings, but also through interactions with other successful fellows and mentors,”said Mofya-Mukuka. “I am very grateful.”

Oneme Davies, 2009 AWARD Fellow, Nigeria

Oneme Davies was recently appointed as a member of the Management Board Committee of the International Secondary School at Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST). Davies is a senior lecturer at RSUST.

“This is one of the outcomes of my role-modeling event that I conducted at the school. It yielded dividends,” said Davies.