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About WomenConnect Challenge India

WomenConnect Challenge India

“When women rise, families flourish, communities grow, and countries prosper. A truly developed world has to be an equal world.” - Mrs. Nita M. Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation

The WomenConnect Challenge (WCCi) is a global call for solutions to improve women’s participation in everyday life by meaningfully changing the ways women access and use technology.

USAID and Reliance Foundation created WCCi in 2020 to help identify innovative solutions to bridge the gender digital divide across India. WCCi supports new approaches that close this gap, expand business opportunities for women, and support women to empower themselves and their communities.  

WCCi grantees are addressing barriers limiting women's access to technology, laying the groundwork for sustainable solutions in their communities, and connecting nearly 6 million women in 16 countries, so that women can fully participate in the global economy.

Meet the Organizations

About Us

USAID and Reliance Foundation created the WomenConnect Challenge India in 2020 to help identify innovative solutions to bridge the gender digital divide across India. This Challenge supports new approaches that close this gap, expand business opportunities for women, and support women to empower themselves and their communities. 

While most of the world is becoming increasingly connected, the gender gap in mobile internet use in some countries is over 51 percent. In 2017 only 19% of women in India were aware of mobile internet; in 2020 this increased to 53%. In terms of ownership, 67% of women own a mobile phone compared to 79% men. Advancing women’s digital connectivity is a key component to ensuring women’s economic empowerment. To date, USAID has funded three rounds of the WomenConnect Challenge grantees working to address barriers limiting women's access to technology and to connect nearly 6 million women in 16 countries.

In partnership with Reliance Foundation, this fourth round of the challenge focuses on India’s gender and technology gap and support solutions to improve women’s participation in everyday life by meaningfully changing the ways women access and use technology. From over 200 applications, 20 semi-finalists participated in the Solver’s Symposium (link) to help refine their proposals. Ten awardees were chosen in 2021 to apply local, culturally-contextual innovative solutions to closing the gender digital divide (link to an upcoming press release). This Community of Practice is intended to support and showcase their work while creating a space for all organizations involved in digital inclusion to collaborate and build momentum to close this gap for good!

 

USAID logo

USAID is the world's premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID works to help lift lives, build communities, advance democracy, and champions the cause of women empowerment across the globe. USAID's work advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity; demonstrates American generosity; and helps countries progress along their development journey.

To date, USAID has 16 WomenConnect Challenge grantees in three different rounds working to address barriers limiting women’s access to technology and connecting nearly 6 million women in 16 countries. WomenConnect Round One, in 2018, awarded nine grants and WomenConnect Round Two, awarded three in 2019. Earlier this year, four winners were announced for WomenConnect Round Three.

 

Reliance logo

Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries Limited, aims to play a catalytic role in addressing the nation’s development challenges through innovative and sustainable solutions. Led by Founder and Chairperson Smt. Nita Ambani, Reliance Foundation (RF) is relentlessly working towards facilitating transformative changes to ensure overall well-being and higher quality of life for all. Among India’s largest social initiatives, RF is focused on addressing the nation’s development challenges in Rural Transformation, Education, Health, Sports for Development, Disaster Response, Urban Renewal and Arts, Culture and Heritage. RF has touched the lives of more than 56.5 million people across India in more than 47,800 villages and several urban locations. Learn more: www.reliancefoundation.org

 

DAI

DAI works on the frontlines of global development. Transforming ideas into action—action into impact. DAI is committed to shaping a more livable world.

DAI has supported the WomenConnect Challenge by building a Community of Practice for awardee collaboration and engagement, planning webinars for WCCi Speakers Series, and providing wraparound program support.

Learn more: https://www.dai.com/

WCCi Round 1 Grantees

Ten organizations across India have been selected as grantees through the WomenConnect Challenge India, launched by Reliance Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

WCCi Round 2 Grantees

Seven organizations across India have been selected as grantees through Round 2 of the WomenConnect Challenge India, launched by Reliance Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

Webinars

Editor's Note | November 2023

 

Hello everyone,

This month, awardees took time to write about how they are ensuring the protection and safeguard of the women they are equipping to step into the digital world. With awardees' WomenConnect India Challenge projects rolled out, it is a busy time, and we are grateful to everyone for taking the time to think through this important topic and writing such brilliant pieces. What a fantastic way to celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023.

This month’s topic of discussion is about initiatives of the government to promote digital inclusion—a relevant subject in light of India’s endorsement of inclusive growth and sustainable development through financial inclusion and digital public infrastructure at the recent G20 Summit. Our latest webinar featured insights from two leading digital inclusion practitioners on the topic. I hope this exercise gave awardees a chance to reflect on the government digital inclusion policies and schemes they have engaged with and critically analyze them.

Congratulations to Jupitora for becoming the Start Contributor of the month—well deserved. I look forward to more brilliant content contributions from her and from all awardees, on our community site.

Regards,

Ritesh Datta

​Advisor – Gender | Digital Inclusion | DAI UK

Speakers Series 3.0 Webinar: Government Initiatives to Promote Digital Inclusion

 

Speakers Series 3.0 Webinar: Cyber Harm, Protection & Safeguarding

Speakers Series 3.0 Webinar: Human-Centred Design

 

 

Speakers Series 3.0 Webinar: Tools for Digital Inclusion Interventions

 

Speakers Series 2.0 Webinar: Women, Financial Inclusion and Entrepreneurship

Speakers Series 2.0 Webinar: Digitization in Rural and Marginalized Communities

Latest News

GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report

The GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report explores the latest data on the mobile gender gap, the key barriers preventing women’s equal access to and use of mobile, and what is needed to close the mobile internet gender gap. It also highlights the socio-economic benefits of addressing these barriers for the mobile industry, the economy and society more broadly, and women themselves.

Financial Inclusion in India Report

The Financial Inclusion in India Report by Agenda for International Development provides an overview of financial inclusion in India by looking at current schemes and their achievements.

Gender Digital Divide UNICEF Report

This article highlights UNICEF's latest findings about how the digital world is mirroring gender inequality of the real world.

7 Lessons from Indian women who changed lives with digital technology

Proven Strategies

Learn more about the strategies behind the success of the WomenConnect Challenge. 

G20 EMPOWER Digital Inclusion Platform

TechEquity serves as a platform that empowers women with essential digital skills and knowledge for success in the technology-centric modern era. Within this supportive environment, women can freely access engaging, interactive, and user-friendly self-learning course modules. 

The Digital Shakti Initiative

Over the past three years, the Digital Shakti initiative has sensitized over 300,000 girls, women, and netizens with the goal of enhancing their resilience in online spaces. 

Phase 4 began in November 2022 and intends to reach and sensitize one million girls, women, and netizens nationwide on online safety and digital literacy fundamentals.