Bethany Peevy Downie

Bethany Peevy Downie

Bethany Downie is a senior communications specialist at TechnoServe. She joined TechnoServe in 2021 after completing her MA in International Business and Intercultural Communication from Oxford Brookes University. Over her career, Bethany has worked for a translation and localization company in Beijing, China, coordinated international student exchange programs in the U.S., and worked as a writer in the UK offices of an international nonprofit. Bethany enjoys using storytelling to connect people from different cultures and communities. In her free time, you can find her sipping a cup of tea while hunting for cheap plane tickets to faraway places.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: Joyce Chika’s Journey to Success in Botswana’s Tourism Industry

Starting a business is never easy—especially in a sector where there are few women entrepreneurs. Joyce Chika overcame financial barriers and beliefs that as a woman she is not suited to work in Botswana's tourism sector, to build No. 1 Lady Tours and Safaris. With support from the Tokafala program, she turned her passion into a thriving business that also supports young entrepreneurs. Tokafala is implemented by TechnoServe and is a collaboration between the Government of Botswana, Debswana, De Beers Group, and Anglo American.

Empowering Cocoa Farmers: Photo of the Month

From tiny cocoa beans nestled in colorful pods to a delicious velvety confection, your favorite chocolate bar undergoes a remarkable transformation before reaching your hands. At the heart of this journey are cocoa farmers who have built their livelihoods on the cocoa industry. Meet some of the women and men in three cocoa cooperatives in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Sustainable Recycling Solutions: Turning Trash into Treasure in Ethiopia with TechnoServe Fellow Nuria Riechenberg

Nuria Riechenberg, a TechnoServe Fellow in 2023, played a pivotal role in the LIWAY Program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There, she created an intervention to address a gap in the recycling value chain, creating sustainable recycling solutions and thousands of jobs. Discover how her experience as a TechnoServe Fellow has impacted her career.