The Woman BossThe Woman BossBy Victoria Arencibia
Marking seven years of impact, The Woman Boss has become a powerful catalyst for change in the lives of women and girls. This article series shares inspiring stories and testimonies, highlighting how the organization has transformed lives—whether it’s working members, students, or participants in its programs and initiatives.
Through these experiences, we want to show you firsthand the lasting influence of The Woman Boss in fostering growth, innovation, and empowerment.
Aji Isatou’s relationship with The Woman Boss stands out as one of the organization’s most unique and inspiring stories. Aji is not a conventional staff member; she has been involved for nearly the entirety of TWB’s journey—despite being just 26 years old.
Aji’s connection with the organization began in 2019, the year she was selected to be part of the School Ambassadors Initiative. An experience she cherishes, and through which she has stayed in touch with the friends she made along the way. She also notes that the School Ambassadors Initiative remains her favourite program, “it targets young girls from grassroot level, and it empowers them and gives them room to grow and learn”.
As she was about to finish high school, the inevitable question arose: what to do next? “I was just so scared that I did not have any plans. I don’t come from a family that could afford to go back to school, and my grades were not that great that I could get a scholarship”, Aji explains. It was thanks to the Uncomplicated Coffee Initiative from The Woman Boss that she found the confidence to speak honestly about her worries “it was a space was just different women sitting together as a safe space to talk”.
During that program, the founder of The Woman Boss, Awamary Lowe-Khan offered her a solution, and that very day, she began a year-long internship. After completing it, Aji was appointed coordinator of the organization’s program.
“I did not expect that just that small initiative [the School Ambassador’s] would impact me for like 5 years”, affirms Aji Isatou. Not only has she collaborated with the NGO throughout these years, but she also combines her work responsibilities with a bachelor’s degree in Development Studies. These studies are financed thanks to Malik Khan that supports her through The Woman Boss. “The Woman Boss has given me a lot of room to be able to explore [her studies] without worrying about my schedules. If I am needed I am able to do things remotely as well. It is a great opportunity”.
Throughout all these years that she has been part of The Woman Boss, she has shown herself to be deeply grateful for the opportunities she has received, “I have got a lot of exposure, I have been around The Gambia in very different regions”, affirms Aji. “Sometimes I would just walk through the street, and I meet women that are so much older than me, and they are like “Hey Aji, do you recognize me? I did this initiative…” I have seen lives being changed through the different initiatives we have done so far”.
She claims that The Woman Boss has opened her eyes and made her more ambitious. “The number that is displayed in the web, 10.000+ [women impacted by The Woman Boss], I am one of the people that made that impact and I am also part of the statistics”, Aji proudly explains.
Her aspiration is that in a couple of years, all the people who have been impacted in some way by The Woman Boss will, in turn, be able to continue impacting other younger women. Aji affirms: “There is only so much change that you can do with your voice. We need to be in the rooms where the decisions are being made from and make these changes ourselves”.
