A team from Uzbekistan won the TechWomen program

The TechWomen program is a professional exchange program for girls and women in STEM, during which participants complete a five-week internship at American companies and work on a social project for their home countries.

After nine years of participation, the Uzbekistan team has won for the first time and will continue to develop their project. The project is called Bolajonim and aims to increase parental awareness of autism spectrum disorder.

In Uzbekistan, early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder faces challenges due to low awareness, a shortage of specialists, and social stigma. This leads to late detection, usually after the age of five, which limits treatment opportunities. As a result, children with autism experience developmental delays, making it difficult for them to integrate into society and the workforce.

The Bolajonim project offers parents to undergo screening using the M-CHAT-R/F method in Uzbek via Telegram. The simple test will help identify autism risks and suggest next steps. The main challenge of the project is reaching remote regions.

The project will start with a pilot in a private clinic for 400 children, then expand to five public clinics, followed by national implementation. By 2026, a full-fledged app with telemedicine and paid consultations will be launched to ensure the project's sustainability.

Team members:
Natalya Ni, Project Manager
Dynara Rustami, Environmental Consultant/Project Coordinator
Shokhista Ergasheva, Technical Product Manager
Rano Sidikova, Partner Success Manager
Dilbar Umarova, Project Manager