Neema Kihwelo (32), from Tanzania, is pursuing her master’s degree in public administration in development practice at Columbia University. Her focus is the intersection of business, social enterprise, and gender inclusion directly contributing to advancing opportunities for women and children. She has eight years of non-profit work experience designing economic interventions for marginalized women, demonstrating her ability to translate theoretical knowledge into practical solutions. She co-designed an equipment micro-credit project with Aqua Farms Organization, Tanzania, for female seaweed farmers and secured $50,000 in funding. Neema also seeks to develop climatic-resistant sustainable agricultural strategies/models to empower women farmers.

At the NGOs BRAC Tanzania and Youth Challenge International Zanzibar, Neema empowered over 1,000 young women through social enterprise and microcredit initiatives, matching women entrepreneurs to support and enable sustainable start-ups. Neema has worked on initiatives to bridge gaps in skills, access to resources and decision-making power for marginalized women. Despite facing challenges such as traditional gender norms and resource constraints, Neema's courage and innovative spirit shine through. She says, “I want to champion behavior changes within the community instead of backing down.”

In the future, Neema plans to establish a non-profit organization focused on creating ecosystems, partnerships, and digital platforms to enhance women’s skills and leadership to catalyze community growth and build local youth and women’s capacity to advance gender equality by influencing policy and budgetary decisions.