Women around the world in low and middle income countries are at a disadvantage in terms of internet access according to Intel’s Women and the Web report, with 25% fewer women than men having been online.
In Africa the gap is even bigger with 45% fewer women than men having access to internet. Intel’s She Will Connect programme aims to help bridge the global gender gap, starting with Africa, and today it announced its national campaign to get additional partners on board to help drive the programme further into South Africa.
She Will Connect currently partners with Siyafunda Community Technology Centres, South African Women Entrepreneurs’ Network (SAWEN), UN Women, the Department of Communications and SchoolNet South Africa to scale She Will Connect and reach women and girls from different communities in South Africa.
She Will Connect hopes to have reached five million women and girls across Africa by 2016, empowering them to get and stay online and help others like them, thereby reducing the gender gap by 50%.
“Through the Intel Global Girls and Women Initiative, we are working to empower millions of girls and women around the world by closing the gender gap in education access, inspiring more girls and women to become creators of technology, and connecting girls and women to opportunity through technology access. Educating girls and closing the Internet gender gap also has an important multiplier effect—expanding opportunities for families, communities and nations,” said Thabani Khupe, corporate affairs director for Intel South Africa.
Intel aims to achieve its goal using digital literacy training in shared computing environments such as schools where women can access hardware, software, internet connectivity, on-going support, an online peer network and gender-relevant content.
Not only does the programme aim to introduce women and girls in disadvantaged areas to the internet and its resources, it also hopes to expose them to health, government, and educational information, economic opportunities, and gender-specific resources that will help solve the social and economic challenges they face in their communities.
“We believe education is a fundamental right for everyone and technology opens doors to opportunity,” Khupe says.
To find out more about She Will Connect and how you can get involved, send an email to ntokozo.ncongwane@intel.com or visit www.intel.com/women.
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