Nita Ambani, Founder-Chairman, Reliance Foundation
Ten organizations across India have been selected as grantees through the WomenConnect Challenge India launched by the Reliance Foundation and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Through this initiative, Rs 11 crore (over USD 1.5 million) has been invested to help close the gender digital divide and of this, Reliance Foundation has earmarked 8.5 million in grants for projects to create innovative solutions. crore (over USD 1.1 million). address the issue.
More than 3 lakh (300,000) women and girls across 17 states will benefit from the initiative to close the gender digital divide and enhance women’s economic empowerment through technology.
Speaking on the announcement, Nita Ambani, Founder-Chairman, Reliance Foundation said, “It has been our mission to enable and empower women in every walk of life. When we launched Jio, we envisioned a digital revolution which would be an equal opportunity revolution. Through Jio, we are providing affordable connectivity across the length and breadth of our country. Reliance Foundation is also working in partnership with USAID towards bridging the gender digital divide in India. Technology is a powerful tool to address and end inequality. I congratulate and welcome on board the ten winners of our WomenConnect Challenge India on this journey of transformation.”
Ten grantees are from Anudeep Foundation, Barefoot College International, Center for Youth and Social Development, Friends of Women’s World Banking, Nandi Foundation, Professional Assistance for Development Action, Society for Development Alternatives, Solidaridad Regional Expertise Centre, TNS India Foundation and ZMQ Development . Samadhan addresses women farmers, entrepreneurs, members of self-help groups to overcome social and cultural barriers to bridge the gender digital divide.
The WomenConnect Challenge India was launched in August 2020. From a pool of over 180 applications, 10 organizations were selected with grants ranging between ₹7.5 million to ₹1 crore ($100,000 – $135,000) for a period of 12 to 15 months. In January 2021, USAID and Reliance Foundation jointly hosted a Solver Symposium, bringing together semi-finalists and outside experts to build capacity while brainstorming on the gender digital divide in India.
The awareness of mobile internet among women is increasing every year. Whereas in 2017 only 19% of women in India knew about mobile internet; This increased to 53% in 2020. In terms of ownership, 67% of women own a mobile phone compared to 79% of men. Over the years, Reliance Foundation’s initiatives have aimed to bridge the digital divide.
Through Reliance Jio, over 1.3 billion Indians witnessed a pan-India digital revolution that changed lives. Today, Jio is the largest digital services company in India, and the second largest in the world, with 120 million female Jio users, and the number is growing rapidly to bridge the digital divide.
The WomenConnect Challenge is a global call for solutions to improve women’s participation in everyday life by meaningfully changing the way women access and use technology.
USAID has partnered with Reliance Foundation to support new approaches that close the gender digital divide in India, and the new grantees will focus on proven strategies from previous WomenConnect rounds to enhance women’s economic empowerment.
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