The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded $2 million in grant funding in round two of the W-GDP WomenConnect Challenge (WCC). This Challenge was launched in support of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative, a whole-of-U.S. Government effort that aims to reach 50 million women in the developing world by 2025.
When women are economically empowered, they invest back into their families and communities, producing a multiplier effect that spurs growth and stability. The W-GDP WomenConnect Challenge seeks to bridge the gender digital divide so that women can fully participate in the global economy.
USAID selected three organizations that will advance women’s digital connectivity while supporting the three W-GDP Pillars:
ROUND TWO WINNERS
Pillar 1: Women Prospering in the Workforce
Winner: Dimagi Inc.
Dimagi Inc., in partnership with Women for Women International (WfWI) and IDEO.org, will create “Coach Carene,” a chatbot that will provide vocational and financial literacy training and resources for women in Rwanda.
Pillar 2: Women Succeeding as Entrepreneurs
Winner: United Purpose
United Purpose, in collaboration with women community collectives in Senegal, will develop Tekki Jigeen, a digital program that provides rural women with entrepreneurial training, resources, and banking services to help them overcome barriers they face in agricultural value chains.
Pillar 3: Women Enabled in the Economy
Solidaridad will link women dairy farmers in Bangladesh to formal supply chains. In this project, women across five districts will have the opportunity to enroll in a mobile money program that includes financial literacy trainings, resources to improve joint decision making in the family, as well as access to modern dairy practices.
Read about new developments in Solidaridad's W-GDP WomenConnect Challenge project here.