Nasawiya

TEAM NAME: Nasawiya, which comes from the Arabic word Feminism. Nasawiya may also be referred to as a women’s collective.

TEAM MEMBERS: Franck Nijimbere, Ryan Lei, Kauna Lei, Jenny Khanh, Lina Alotri, Syawadhilah Pradipta

Refugee women face immense hardships with displacement, mental hardships, lack of resources, and several other issues that affect their well being.

Teenage girls and young women who are displaced may not have the resources available to enroll in school and continue their education. There are many other roadblocks that prevent women from improving their lifestyle, be it their refugee status i.e. fleeing the country without proper documentation, language barriers, cultural barriers, and domestic violence.

Nasawiya aims to not only educate women, but empower them by providing a space for women to learn a skill and become entrepreneurs. Nasawiya helps women learn a trade and create the platform for them to sell their products and support themselves and their family.

The Nasawiya community provides a safe space for women to learn, share their thoughts and experiences and, empower them by allowing them to create their own businesses.

Women have a variety of courses to choose from, a forum to meet other refugees, they can access lesson plans via sms or phone call, and can take photos of their products and upload it to the site for sale.

Gives opportunity for women to support and educate themselves when there are major impediments that do not allow them to leave their camp area/home.

SOLUTION OVERVIEW: give a brief overview of the technological solution you intend to create. Our goal is to build NasawiyApp, a platform that bridges the gap between the refugees women and the world allowing them to learn about financial literacy, maternal health, opportunities and ultimately earn skills that they can use to empower themselves and develop their community.

We want to create a platform that accessible regardless of the technical limitations. We intend to create a SMS based app, a web app for good connection and a web app for limited bandwidth.

AUDIENCE: who is the intended audience for your solution? Be detailed (i.e., “CHIMEApp will target 12-18 year old women in India…”) NasawiyApp will target teenage girls and young adult women in Dadaab, Kenya and Zaatari, Jordan refugee camps.

WHY IS THIS SOLUTION UNIQUE? what makes this solution different from other options in this space? We want to create a space where women are free to voice their opinions, share their stories, take advantage of resources, and ultimately empower themselves and the other women around them.

Provides accessible information even when internet connections are an issue, through full and minimal sites and SMS/local calls.