Double Husky Binja Basimike (BS Health Sciences, MPH) earned an Innovator Award from the Women Who Empower initiative for her business Kivu Venture Capital in the Democratic Republic of Congo. After traveling through Africa and noticing that women-led businesses were struggling to grow, Basimike launched Kivu Venture Capital with the goal of empowering and investing in food entrepreneurs. “What I saw across the board was that there was so much progress being made” in terms of women starting their own businesses, says Basimike, who in 2020 won a Northeastern Emerging Leaders Award. “While there was progress, especially among female-run businesses, there wasn’t much growth.” Basimike spoke to Northeastern News about her company and gender dynamics in Africa. Read the story here.
Basimike received her Master’s in Public Health from Bouve. If you are interested in pursuing this degree and have an interest in gender studies, you might be interested in the WGSS graduate certificate, MPH option. Read more here, or feel free to reach out to the WGSS program coordinator.
