WOMEN IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY FUND SETS MISSION TO BRIDGE GENDER DIGITAL DIVIDE

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 (Bernama) -- The Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF), has announced its first call for applications with recorded remarks from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power.

Administered by consortium partners CARE, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (GDIP), and the GSMA Foundation, WiDEF will now begin identifying, funding, and accelerating investment in proven solutions to close the gender digital divide.

According to a statement, the consortium will collaborate with industry-leading organisations to effectively engage local and global private sector actors and funders to advance a shared set of commitments to closing the gender digital divide.

“WiDEF is about putting millions of women at the centre of connectivity and information programming. CARE brings our strength in locally led, gender-centered programming in over 100 countries to the effort.

“The consortium's collective focus on technology, policy, and gender advocacy offers the greatest opportunity yet to create and sustain an internet that works for the women who could most benefit from it,” said WiDEF Technical Director and CARE Senior Technical Director, Digital Inclusion, Revi Sterling.

WiDEF will support and fund programmes that advance digital access and affordability; develop relevant products and tools; provide digital literacy and skills training; as well as promote online safety and security, among others.

It will support, wherever possible, women-led and gender transformative solutions, products, and tools and will invest heavily in ensuring the voices and institutions closest to the gender digital divide are central to the effort.

WiDEF invites local institutions worldwide to apply for its financing and support, which also marked the announcement of the first call for applications, with submissions due by May 6.

-- BERNAMA