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Built For Impact

@built.for.impact

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🌍 Advocating for people-centered, sustainable development in Africa. | 📍 Johannesburg 🇿🇦
👷🏾‍♀️ Founded by @sihlejakes
✉️ [email protected]

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Johannesburg is known as the world’s largest man-made urban forest, but in a city facing climate crisis and collapsing infrastructure, those trees aren’t just aesthetic. They are essential.

🌳 They cool homes.
🌧️ They slow stormwater.
⚡ They reduce energy strain.
🗺️ They make the city livable.

In my latest article, I explore how Johannesburg’s trees represent a sustainability strategy hiding in plain sight especially for cities across the Global South with more need than budget, and more improvisation than policy.

📝 “As Johannesburg Faces Climate and Infrastructure Crises, Its Urban Forest is the Sustainability Strategy Hiding in Plain Sight”
Now live on [www.builtforimpact.co.za]

📍Read it. Share it. Let’s rethink what counts as infrastructure.

#BuiltForImpact #UrbanForestry #ClimateInfrastructure #Johannesburg #AfricanSustainability #GreenCities #GlobalSouth #ResilientCities #EquityInInfrastructure #ClimateJustice #WomenInSTEM #CivilEngineerVoices by @built.for.impact

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a year ago

Civil engineer, but make it girl boss. 💅🏾💻🚧

Designing cities in heels, solving problems in gloss, and delivering impact with AutoCAD open and matcha in hand.

We’re not just breaking stereotypes, we’re setting standards.

Tag a girl boss who’s engineering her lane.

#BuiltForImpact #WomenInSTEM #CivilEngineerGirlBoss #STEMinist #RepresentationMatters by @built.for.impact

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a year ago

We recently marked #InternationalWomenInEngineeringDay on June 23rd, but the conversation doesn’t stop there 💭✨

According to @unesco , Algeria has the highest percentage of female engineering graduates in the world, 48.5%, nearly double the global average! That means the global leader in women’s engineering education is right here, on the African continent 🌍🔥 A reminder that when systems are built to include and invest in women, parity isn’t just possible, it’s inevitable.

So today we’re asking:
What would it take to see this kind of representation across Africa?

Are you surprised by this stat? Let us know in the comments 💬
Tag a woman engineer who’s shifting the narrative 👇🏾

#BuiltForImpact #RepresentationMatters #WomenInSTEM #EngineeringAfrica #AfricaRising #STEMinist #GenderEquality #EngineeringExcellence #DataNotes by @built.for.impact

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a year ago

Only 14% of South Africa’s engineers are women.

That’s not just a statistic.
It’s a signal of who gets to lead, who gets left out, and what gets built as a result.

When the people most impacted by infrastructure are not at the table, the systems we design miss the mark.
Representation isn’t just about fairness. It’s about functionality.

Because if you’re not in the room, your reality isn’t either.

This reflection is part of our founder’s debut article featured in the June 2025 issue of @saicecivil Civil Engineering Magazine.
She also shares the full piece on our blog, reminding us that visibility isn’t optional. It’s structural.

📖 Read it now
🔗 Link in bio

#BuiltForImpact #RepresentationMatters #WomenInEngineering #InfrastructureEquity #STEMAfrica #InclusionIsStrategy #WhyWeBuild by @built.for.impact

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a year ago

We say “Happy” Youth Day, but for millions of young people across Africa, it’s not a celebration, it’s a contradiction.

Africa has the youngest population in the world. Yet in many places, young people are still waiting for the systems that see them, fund them, and trust them to lead.

South Africa: 49.2% youth unemployment; Algeria: 30.2%; Morocco: 22.5%; And across the continent, young women face even deeper levels of exclusion. Rarely counted, rarely empowered.

How do we reconcile these numbers with the promise of Youth Day?

Because Youth Day is not just about honouring a historic fight. it’s about confronting a present reality. A reality where talent is abundant, but opportunity is scarce.
Where innovation thrives, but access remains uneven.
Where youth are celebrated, but not always trusted with power.

At Built For Impact, we believe this day should do more than commemorate.
It should challenge.

Challenge us to rethink:
🔹 Who designs our economies
🔹 Who leads our infrastructure projects
🔹 Who receives capital, training, and trust

Young people don’t just need inclusion, they need authority.
Not promises. Not panels. Power.

So today, we mark Youth Day with data, honesty, and purpose.
Because these aren’t just statistics, they’re lives, ambitions, and futures waiting to be unlocked.

#YouthDay2025 #BuiltForImpact #DataNotes #YouthUnemployment #AfricaIsNow #FutureInFocus #PolicyAndPower #BuiltforImpact #CoDesignTheFuture by @built.for.impact

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a year ago

Getting ready to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day with pride as we honour my incredible mentor, Takalani Netshipale! 🌟

Recently awarded the 2024 @saicecivil President’s Award, her groundbreaking achievements include pioneering civil engineering innovations, leading transformative health infrastructure projects, and chairing SAICE’s STAR programme. As a #1MillionGirlsInSTEM ambassador, she’s inspired countless students and hosted multiple @dreambig.stayhumble Technovation Summits. A finalist for the 2024 @gender_mainstreaming Awards and 2024 Rising Star at @big5exhibitions Construct South Africa, Takalani’s legacy is Built For Impact. Thank you for guiding so many, including me, and shaping a more equitable future!

#InternationalWomenInEngineeringDay #WomenInSTEM #TakalaniNetshipale #SAICE #1MillionGirlsInSTEM #BuiltForImpact #STEMInspiration #WomenInEngineering by @built.for.impact

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a year ago

I have always been amazed by how civil engineering shapes the world around us. Those big, bold projects that make you stop and think, ‘Wow, humans actually built that!’ 🌍 It really fires me up to see what’s possible.

#CivilEngineering #BuiltForImpact #AfricaEngineering by @built.for.impact

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a year ago

Breaking barriers and building the future! 🏗️
The right person for the job knows no gender.

Drop a 💡 in the comments if you’ve broken a stereotype and tag someone who inspires you!

#BuiltForImpact #BreakingBarriers #Empowerment by @built.for.impact

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a year ago

Balance looks different every week.
Which one are you today, weekend warrior or the Monday problem-solver? 👩🏾‍💻💅🏾
Tell us in the comments.

#BuiltForImpact by @built.for.impact

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a year ago

A year ago, I walked the graduation stage.

From little me in uniform to a woman building a platform and a purpose, it’s been a journey of becoming.

Built For Impact was born from this path; from the questions I carried and the belief that African stories in engineering and infrastructure deserve to be seen, heard, and respected.

If I could speak to her now:
You’re going to surprise yourself. Keep going, your voice matters.

#BuiltForImpact #WomenInSTEM #AfricanEngineering #YoungEngineers #EngineeringJourney #UPAlumni #TuksCivil by @built.for.impact

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a year ago

Have you ever stopped to ask: who is infrastructure really built for?
Because the answer shapes everything—access, opportunity, equality.

As an engineer, I used to think infrastructure was just about concrete, steel, and scale. Today, I know it’s about people, it’s about who gets to move, who gets to learn, who gets to thrive.
And just as importantly, it’s about who gets left behind if we don’t build intentionally.

That’s why I created Built For Impact—to challenge the outdated narratives about Africa’s infrastructure, and to center conversations around access, inclusion, and
sustainability.

If you believe that Africa’s future must be designed by us, for us, you’re in the right
place.

Swipe through the carousel to rethink some of the biggest misconceptions we
face—and then dive deeper into the conversation on the blog.
🔗 Click the link in bio to read more. Let’s shape the future together.

#BuiltForImpact #InfrastructureForChange #STEMAfrica #InclusiveDevelopment
#AccessIsPower #WomenInSTEM #EngineeringAfrica #SustainableCities
#YouthInSTEM by @built.for.impact

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a year ago

The face behind the blog 👩🏾‍💼

As you know, Built For Impact is officially live, and to kick things off, I have written a personal reflection titled “Why Representation Matters.” It’s about voice, visibility, and why simply being seen isn’t enough if we aren’t reshaping the systems around us.

This is just the beginning and I can’t wait to have you along for the ride! 💫

Head to the link in bio to read. Let me know your thoughts! 💬 by @built.for.impact

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a year ago