A record year for OWSD’s National Chapters
OWSD Secretariat
If 2025 had a quiet engine, it was the National Chapters. Across the network, chapters organised nearly 190 activities in 31 countries: more than double the previous year. Behind that number are thousands of women and girls reached in lecture halls, public plazas, rural schools and online, by volunteers who run these events on top of full scientific careers.
The work spanned every kind of format: 57 outreach activities, 35 conferences and seminars, 29 trainings and workshops, 24 webinars, and 20 celebrations and launches, among others. But some chapters set a particularly high bar this year. So, in the spirit of celebrating (and gently challenging) one another, here’s who led the way.
Guatemala was the most active chapter of the year, by some distance. Its standout was a series of workshops delivered from January to June for women in rural communities, run hand-in-hand with local education authorities and rural school directors — outreach that reached people science programmes too often miss.
Colombia turned heads with Fashion Lab: Mujeres en la Ciencia, a travelling exhibition that toured three universities and reached over 1,200 visitors, using garments as canvases to tell the stories of pioneering women scientists — a genuinely original fusion of fashion, art, science and literature.
Egypt packed in fifteen activities spanning advocacy, research and outreach, from launching the Arab Women in Science Platform at the UNESCO Regional Office to its 3rd International Conference on the SDGs, and even an awareness caravan bringing health and science to the remote Siwa Oasis.
Bolivia showed what ambition looks like with a decentralised model that carried science into six cities. Its Neuroexplore 2025 programme on neuroscience, AI and mental health culminated in a student hackathon, and its café-style “Talking with Women Scientists” dialogues and public-plaza science fairs collectively engaged more than 2,000 participants.
Mexico and Pakistan rounded out the top ranks: Pakistan formalising a partnership with Jinnah University for Women, the country’s first women’s university, alongside an expert lecture on gene discovery and an OncoSafe session with cancer survivors.
Close behind came El Salvador, which convened the first-ever national gathering of Salvadoran women scientists; Nepal, whose awareness drama tackled antimicrobial resistance; and Nigeria, whose webinar on writing competitive TETFund grant concept notes led directly to several approved research grants.
They weren’t alone. South Africa launched its Sustainability and Environmental Leaders Development Initiative; Malaysia’s Breaking Barriers in Cancer Research forum drew over 180 participants; Namibia held its first Women in STEM Conference; and our newest chapters (Costa Rica, Cuba and Haiti) marked their launches with real ambition, Haiti’s inaugural conference addressing the role of women in the country’s reconstruction. We also welcomed two brand-new chapters this year: Ethiopia and Argentina, bringing the network to 59.
Every one of these activities strengthens the whole. So to every chapter reading this: the bar for 2026 is set. We can’t wait to see who rises to meet it. 💪
Curious what your chapter could do next? The full round-up country by country is in our 2025 Annual Report.
OWSD Pakistan National Chapter signed a Memorandum of Understandingwith Jinnah University for Women, Pakistan’s first private women’s university, formalizing a partnership to advance women in science
OWSD Egypt was among the most active National Chapters in 2025, with fifteen activities spanning advocacy, research and community outreach — from the launch of the Arab Women in Science Platform at the UNESCO Regional Office to its 3rd International Conference on the Sustainable Development Goals, alongside a workshop on artificial intelligence in scientific research and annual health-screening campaigns for chronic diseases and breast cancer.
Women from rural communities take part in an OWSD Guatemala workshop, delivered between January and June with the support of local education authorities and rural school director
The newly established OWSD Costa Rica National Chapter marked its inauguration with “Mujeres en la Ciencia: Desafíos, Soluciones y Acción Colectiva,” a series of consultation workshops carried out across the country’s major universities — here at the Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC).
OWSD Cuba delivered a workshop entitled “Developing career and mentoring networks for women in STEM” as part of a 2-day event, in May 2025, which included the official presentation of the OWSD Cuba National Chapter.
Students explore Fashion Lab: Mujeres en la Ciencia, a travelling exhibition of the OWSD Colombia National Chapter that toured three universities in 2025, reaching over 1,200 visitors. Garments became canvases for the stories of pioneering women scientists, bringing together fashion, art, science and literature at the Universidad de la Amazonía (Caquetá node).
Participants of the I Encuentro Nacional de Científicas Salvadoreñas, the first national gathering of Salvadoran women scientists convened by OWSD.
oung students in engineering at the OWSD Bolivia science fair in a public square in La Paz. Held for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the fairs formed part of the Gender in STEM Research and Outreach Pilot Project, laying the groundwork for GenSIS
OWSD Nigeria members receive Awards of Excellence during a chapter workshop on artificial intelligence.
Outstanding young women scientists were recognised for their achievements at Namibia’s first Women in STEM Conference. “Bridging the Digital Divide: Empowering Women in Science through Technology and Innovation”, co-organized by the OWSD Namibia National Chapter with the Namibia Association for Women in Science (NAAWIS).
Students take part in a focus group discussion at Kepler College, Rwanda, contributing to the OWSD Gender in STEM pilot research that laid the groundwork for GenSIS.
The Head of the OWSD Morocco National Chapter joins the panel “Science for Diplomacy: A Lever for Francophone Universities,” highlighting science as a bridge for international cooperation.
