Innovators, Role Models and Changemakers

Written By: Vanessa Bart-Plange, Partner, Strategic Research, Mastercard Foundation

Between 2015 and 2018, data showed that only 33.3 percent of all researchers and 12 percent of members of national academies were women. 

Additionally, female researchers also tended to receive smaller research grants and were less likely to have their work represented in high-profile journals. In Sub-Saharan Africa, a lack of available and sufficient data on the number of women scientists and researchers also makes it difficult to track gender parity in these fields.  

As a Foundation, we are always working to deepen our engagement with African organizations whose approaches have a transformative impact on young women by changing systems and structures around job creation, employment, and in higher education fields such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).   

That is why we partnered with Mawazo Institute in Kenya to support up to 42 young women from East Africa under the age of 35 who are pursuing PhD research in STEM through the Mawazo Learning Exchange (MLEx) Fellowship Program.  

The partnership supports women’s research on issues affecting the continent’s development, prepares them to launch successful careers in their field, and positions them to become thought leaders within and outside academia.  

Among the young scientists in the MLEx Fellowship Program is Pauline Orondo, a student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, pursuing a PhD in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics. Pauline’s research focuses on Malaria Vector Ecology and Insecticide Resistance in Homabay, western Kenya.   

Related Link: Learn More about How Mastercard Foundation is Investing in the Future of Girls

Pauline’s interest in the sciences started in high school and led her to study biomedical science after qualifying for university. During her undergraduate studies, she visited the Wellcome Trust health research unit in the Kenyan coastal town of Kilifi, where she decided to specialize in entomology with a focus on malaria vector research. “You tend to discover new things every day in this field. I knew this is where I belonged,” she says.    

A major challenge that Pauline and other women scientists in Kenya often face is the preference for male scientists over their female counterparts.  

Pauline Orondo with a ‘dipper’ for monitoring the presence of mosquito larvae after sampling from the water.

“There is this notion—by society and male scientists themselves— that they are better scientists, which isn’t true. The stiff competition from male counterparts is a major challenge because they also tend to be considered smarter than women scientists,” says Pauline.  

This stereotype can sometimes set women scientists back regarding access to research funding, mentorship opportunities, life-changing internships, or work placements within and outside the continent.   

 “I also find that the heads of academies or departments are sometimes scared of incorporating women into the STEM field of study because it’s assumed that we are likely to fall pregnant within the duration of our course of studies or work. Someone once told me, ‘while you’re doing this, please don’t get pregnant,’” she adds.    

Expectations around gender roles also pose a significant challenge for women in STEM and other fields. “You’re expected to juggle many things as a woman: to excel in your career, family, and relationships. We carry a lot on our plates, and sometimes it overwhelms us. When you fall in one area, you’re called a failure. I think that’s unfair,” says Pauline.    

The same expectations are also found in the working environment. “We’re sometimes looked down on as lesser scientists and are given fewer responsibilities because of these stereotypes. You could be in a meeting and you are suddenly expected to serve tea because you’re a woman. Our work also tends to be scrutinized more. Someone tends to look at your work twice—they read through it and then again because they don’t believe you can do that work.”   

To deal with these difficulties, Pauline has learned to leverage connections within her social network to demonstrate her capabilities. Her continued desire for improvement, coupled with the need to get funding for the bioinformatics research component of her doctoral degree, helped her come across the MLEx Fellowship Program.   

The program also offers small peer-to-peer mentorship groups for women scientists, where they meet regularly to support and guide one another. For Pauline, it’s also a sisterhood that she can lean on.  

“Mawazo has offered me great support. Apart from the funding that I received to complete the bioinformatics research component of my degree, their mentorship program was helpful. My mentor is a woman, and when I was close to my breaking point last year, she helped me through the tough time with great advice. Additionally, when I started at Mawazo I had no manuscript, but I now have one that’s been published, and another has just been accepted for publication. The training through the MLEx Fellowship Program has been eye-opening,” says Pauline.   

[L-R] Brain Wanga, Pauline Orondo, Judy Akinyi, Kisumu, Kenya.

Western Kenya is a malaria-endemic region, and where malaria mainly affects pregnant women and children under the age of five. Pauline’s work provides an opportunity to better understand what factors affect malaria vector development, so that appropriate solutions can be developed to control immature mosquitoes before they emerge from their breeding grounds.   

“I hope to contribute to a point where women and their children below the age of five can enjoy their health and well-being without fear of malaria. Before I retire, I want to have seen significantly lower malaria cases or see them completely gone. I work in their habitat, and I know that if we can nip it in the bud there, we can stop malaria,” says Pauline.   

Her experiences also suggest the need for better collaboration between agriculture and public health.  

Pauline hopes her work will also address knowledge gaps in literature and be available to the public to benefit her and other countries in their fight against malaria.   

We have moved. The world has moved and we are not where we were 10, 20 years ago where women were barred from most of these opportunities… the world has moved but we are not yet there.”

At the Mastercard Foundation, we continue to ask: what more can be done to encourage young women and girls to pursue and stay in STEM and STEM careers? They are at the forefront of knowledge production and developing novel technologies to help address issues on the African continent.   

For Pauline, everyone plays a role in encouraging girls and young women to enter the STEM field, from teachers (especially female teachers) to the government to the private sector, and non-governmental organizations by supporting fellowship programs like MLEx.  

Pauline also wants the next generation of STEM professionals, including her younger sisters, to keep believing in themselves.  

“Anything you put your heart into will succeed if done diligently. Even in a setback, re-strategize and show up. Learn to find positivity amid the noise, and most importantly, don’t hesitate to ask for help from those more experienced,” she says.  

STEM is a rapidly advancing field that will only provide even more economic opportunities for young people. However, it is still a male-dominated field that young women struggle to enter and stay in.  

Full and equal access to science education, training and technology for women and girls, as well as the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work, is therefore imperative for achieving the Goals & Priorities of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.   

Supporting the education and careers of women in science has an impact on families, local communities, and national and global research ecosystems. Innovators, role models and changemakers like Pauline are proof of this.