NAIROBI
Kenya, January 26, 2016 -
Intel Corporation has today launched an online learning platform – Intel® She
Will Connect - My Digital Journey – aimed at providing an opportunity for women to learn, connect
and share online.
My Digital Journey is a web-based application
with gaming mechanics where women are empowered to learn
individually or in a facilitated environment, and with the support of a peer
network. My Digital Journey uses case scenarios relevant to women in the form
of challenges, which gives them the opportunity to practice solutions before
moving on to the next level.
The
platform is a new addition to the Intel® She Will
Connect program,
which aims to bridge the technology-gender gap, to teach young women how to
leverage the internet and technology to pursue their goals.
Intel® She Will
Connect was
introduced as a direct response to findings of the Women and the Web
Report, which examined women’s access to and use of the
Internet in low and middle income countries. The Report found that, on average,
there are nearly 25% fewer women than men are online in developing countries.
This represents 200 million fewer women than men online today. In Sub-Saharan
Africa, the size of the gap is 43%— the largest across all the regions in the
study.
Launching
the program in Nairobi, Intel Corporation’s Vice President, Director of
Corporate Affairs, and President Intel Foundation Ms. Rosalind Hudnell
said: “My Digital Journey provides an
opportunity for women and girls in Kenya, Nigeria & South Africa to learn about
the internet and benefit from the wealth of information available that will
contribute towards achieving their goals and provide access to opportunities.”
Learners
on My Digital
Journey will receive a digital completion certificate after
successfully completing three quests.
Each quest comprises 3-6 missions.
The first mission may take a learner 15-45 minutes depending on reading
speed and the thought put into responding to challenges.
“This
learning platform provides women and girls with a unique opportunity to connect
with like-minded individuals and access additional resources that support
learning in a safe environment. Gaining access to the Internet enables women
and girls to improve their self-esteem and expression, expand their social and
political participation, gain new skills that enable them to obtain formal
education, become entrepreneurs, or secure employment, and in addition get
access to information and new connections within their communities and beyond,”
explained Ms. Hudnell.
Intel
believes that educating girls and closing the Internet gender gap has an
important multiplier effect—expanding opportunities for families, communities,
and nations.
“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 access to education, inspiring more girls
and women to become creators of technology and connecting them to opportunity,”
noted Ms. Hudnell.
Speaking
also at the launch event, UN Women Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and
Southern Africa, Simone ellis Oluoch-Olunya, noted that Unlocking gender
equality will unlock the growth potential of the continent.
“Grounded in the vision of
equality, UN Women believes that technology can be a game-changer for
women and girls. Enhancing women’s economic empowerment is one of the five
priority areas of UN Women’s work, therefore this initiative is one of many UN
Women is undertaking to advance women’s economic empowerment and support women,
particularly from a technology perspective,’’ added Ms. Oluoch-Olunya
The
Intel® She Will Connect program aims to reduce the Internet gender gap around
the world, through an innovative combination of digital literacy training, an
online peer network, and gender-relevant content.
The
program has been rolled out in sub-Saharan Africa, where the gap is the
greatest, with initial pilots in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Comments
Post a Comment