SI alumni stories Inspiration Day for future alumni On Friday 20 May, 60 invited future scholarship alumni from 35 countries gather for this year’s Inspiration Day, a day for inspiration on how they can contribute by being active…
Alumni, SI alumni stories 47 certified alumni networks in 37 countries in 2022 – a special welcome to the new networks such as Nepal and Azerbaijan. 47 Sweden and SI alumni networks in 37 countries and regions. Those are the results after this year’s certification process. We are extra happy to welcome Azerbaijan, Liberia, Serbia and…
Leadership programmes, SI stories, The 2030 Agenda “The soft skills impacted my whole life” Bita Baghestani, founder of Levva, explains how the She Entrepreneurs programme helped her reach the impact she wanted and how it made her better able to lead her company. She…
SI alumni stories, SI stories SAYP was one of the best motivating experiences of my life George Melashvili talks about his life-changing experience that was the Swedish Institute’s Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP) in 2016. The programme allowed him to realise in what direction he wanted…
Leadership programmes, SI stories “As a gender advocate, I want to empower other women” Sara El Outa is a feminist activist and human rights defender from Lebanon, working as an advocacy coordinator at the Lebanese Democratic Women’s Gathering (RDFL). Sara is one of gender…
Leadership programmes, SI stories “You should be prepared to unlearn” Despite being a highly experienced leader in sustainable energy, Dr G. Ganesh Das still found his involvement in the Swedish Institute Management Programme extremely valuable, as it gave him new perspectives…
Leadership programmes, SI stories Putting human needs first to create a more meaningful sustainability model The Swedish Institute Management Programme helped fintech specialist, Faith Nkatha Gitonga, reappraise her ideas about sustainability, helping her to focus first on the needs of people in Africa, with traditional…
Leadership programmes, SI stories A last-minute decision proves to be life-changing Giorgi Gogichaishvili applied to participate in the Swedish Institute Management Programme just days before the closing date, and he believes it turned out to be the best decision he’s ever made,…
Leadership programmes, SI stories A programme that completely re-engineered an understanding of sustainability Civil Engineer, Mirla de Leon, from the Philippines had her understanding of sustainability totally expanded and updated during her participation in the Swedish Institute Management Programme – and on two fronts. She gained important new perspectives on sustainability and its critical influence on business,…
Leadership programmes, SI stories Developing the confidence to initiate change in a challenging industry The Swedish Institute Management Programme helped Lithuania’s Asta Vaitulevičė develop new perspectives on communicating with her company’s target audiences and helping them change their energy use behaviour, while giving her the chance to develop a productive new network of like-minded people from around the world.
Alumni, SI stories Alumni Network of the Year goes to India Every year, the Swedish Institute highlights one of the certified alumni networks for showing extraordinary engagement. In 2021, the Alumni Network of the Year Award goes to the Sweden Alumni…
SI stories, The 2030 Agenda “The programme was quite relatable to my work” As the head of the railway engineering department at MRT Jakarta, Tengku Alia Sandra has a lot of influence on the future of public transport in the megacity Jakarta. When…
Leadership programmes, SI stories, The 2030 Agenda “The She Entrepreneurs experience inspired me to expand my business” Maleeka Zakarneh, electrical engineer and She Entrepreneurs alumna, talks about the challenges she’s been through as a woman in a male dominated profession, and how She Entrepreneurs programme helped her…
SI scholarships, SI stories, SISGP stories “I’ve built a really strong network of international contacts because I studied with professionals” Yana Tovpeko, previous scholarship holder from Ukraine. Completed her master’s degree in Public Health Studies at the University of Gothenburg in June 2021 . This is her story:
SI scholarships, SI stories, SISGP stories “My time in Sweden was full of beautiful moments, although the pandemic started right in the middle of my studies” Hrant Galstyan, previous scholarship holder from Armenia. Completed his master’s degree in Global Media Studies at Stockholm University, in June 2021. This is his story:
Leadership programmes, SI stories, The 2030 Agenda “She Entrepreneurs made me more confident as a leader” Nora Belahcen Fitzgerald is the founder of Amal Women’s Training Centre & Moroccan Restaurant. The enterprise provides women with job skills that could land them a job and financial independence….
SI stories, The 2030 Agenda During the programme, we learned to make decisions and be equipped with confidence Alice Kadango, PhD, has worked in midwifery since 1991. She fell in love with the work from the very start, and is now just as excited, only more focused on…
SI scholarships, SI stories, SISGP stories “I was not successful on my first try. However, I reapplied and this time I got in!” Giorgi Kankia is our previous scholarship holder from Georgia. He completed his master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Stockholm University, in June 2021. This is his story:
Alumni, SI alumni stories Alumni networks joined forces to reduce plastic For the second year in a row, Sweden Alumni Networks all over the world came together to raise awareness of the negative impacts of plastic consumption under #PlasticFreeWeekSI, and thousands…
Leadership programmes, SI stories, The 2030 Agenda “I was impressed by how much I learned in such a short amount of time, and really how much affect it had” Noha El Taher, co-founder of the design company Kiliim, tells that the She Entrepreneurs programme had a substantial impact to the company as it helped provide a strategic vision and…
Leadership programmes, SI stories, The 2030 Agenda “She Entrepreneurs is like a community – we need that to be able to build a better world” Najwa Sahmarani is co-founder of Tripoli Entrepreneurs Club (TEC) that educates and supports young inventors and entrepreneurs at any stage of their journey. Her participation in She Entrepreneurs did not only…
Leadership programmes, SI stories, The 2030 Agenda “She Entrepreneurs was a life-changing experience” Even two years after completing the She Entrepreneurs programme, Fadila Bennani thinks back to the programme often. No wonder, considering one of the biggest impacts the programme had on her…
SI alumni stories, SI stories “I see getting accepted to YCF as a privilege” Harshit Gupta feels that changing the world for the better is more important than a well-paying job or personal gains. He’s an engineer by education and a social entrepreneur by…
Alumni, SI alumni stories, SI stories “I am excited the organisers stay in touch and don’t leave us after the programme” Hanadi Hammouz talks about how the Swedish Institute’s leadership programme She Entrepreneurs helped her take her business to the next level. Besides learning the basics of business, the programme also…
SI alumni stories, SI stories The programme motivated me to advocate more passionately about topics close to me Yousuf Alrawi, a medical doctor and public health policy specialist from Iraq discusses his participation in the 2018 Young Leaders Visitors Programme and the impact it has had on his…
SI alumni stories, SI stories “It was an experience you can never forget” Vasyl Myroshnychenko talks about his interest in both business and civil activism and explains how the Swedish Institute Management Programme was a perfect fit for him early in his career.
SI alumni stories, SI stories “I use almost everything we learned in my personal and my professional life” Shreejana Bajracharya discusses how the Young Connectors of the Future programme affected her work as a defender of sexual and reproductive health and rights. It helped her connect with both…
SI alumni stories, SI stories “It fundamentally changed my concept and definition of networking” Rafia Saleem tells the story about how her attendance at the Young Connectors of the Future programme in 2017 changed her view of networks and led her onto a path…
SI alumni stories, SI stories “The SIMP programme was a perfect fit because I wanted to develop a business that would outlive me” As co-founder of water and sanitation company EcoCycle in Kenya, Lucy Wanjiku Mutinda explains all the uses her experience during the Swedish Institute Management Programme in 2017 has given her….
SI alumni stories, SI stories “My job is to clear out the weeds and plant a seed of hope” Christopher Eugenio tells the story how his participation in the Swedish Institute Management Programme Asia in 2017 helped him influence diversity efforts at the law firm where he works. It…
Leadership programmes, SI alumni stories “We are in a global situation where everyone needs to raise their game in terms of sustainability.” The Swedish Institute Management Programme Asia fit the bill for Hitesh Kataria, both on a personal and professional level. It gave him the tools to help the company he works…
Leadership programmes, SI alumni stories “Important topics and a well-executed programme” Snežana Andrić describes how the Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP) managed to overcome the challenges of an all-online programme, surprising her by taking the concept well beyond lectures.
Leadership programmes, SI alumni stories “Everyone was 100 % committed to the course and willing to go that extra mile to help out or answer questions” For Angelika Lebedev, the learning never stops, and the Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP) gave her both excellent learning opportunities and more of that Nordic feel.
SI alumni stories “The Academy opened a new page in my life” Samvel Grigoryan explains how the Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals helped him in his current job and also opened his eyes to a possible new career path. Whatever his…
SI scholarships, SI stories, SISGP stories ‘I’ve adopted a more sustainable way of living. I buy second-hand stuff and more environmentally friendly products.’ Novita Supardi from Indonesia is studying for a master’s degree in marketing at Stockholm University. This is her story.
SI scholarships, SI stories, SISGP stories “You will never be the same after your time in Sweden. Just a better, improved version of yourself.” Gerges Mousa from Egypt studied for a master’s degree in bio-entrepreneurship at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. This is his story.
SI scholarships, SI stories, SISGP stories “Moving to Sweden to pursue my master’s degree was probably the most defining experience of my life.” Cristina Pozneanscaia, previous scholarship holder from the Republic of Moldova. She completed har master’s degree in Interventions in Childhood, specialising in Child Welfare, at Jönköping University. She graduated in June…
SI alumni stories Alumni networks came together to talk about social impacts of Covid-19 We have been living with a pandemic for more than half a year, what are the actual social impacts we have seen so far? This question was discussed when twelve…
Leadership programmes, SI stories “Ensuring that businesses are sustainable is essential for humanity” Commercial engineer Romy Cronenbold, works for an non-governmental organisation dedicated to nature conservation and is one of the participants in this years Swedish Institute Management Programme (SIMP) Bolivia. She shares her…
Leadership programmes, SI stories “My goal is to grow as a positive leader in my community” Economist Fernando Ibargüen Bedoya, participant in Swedish Institute Management Programme Bolivia, that this year has been conducted online due to the Corona pandemic, shares his reason for applying to the…