Reliance Foundation on Wednesday said it has partnered US Agency for International Development (USAID) to launch the W-GDP WomenConnect Challenge across India this year with an aim to bridge the gender digital divide in India.
The Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) challenge supports private sector-led approaches that close the gender digital divide, expand business opportunities, and empower women.
At the event, through a virtual video message, Nita M Ambani, founder and chairperson, Reliance Foundation, said, “I am delighted and proud to announce that Reliance Foundation is joining forces with W-GDP, through our partnership with USAID. Together, we shall launch the W-GDP WomenConnect Challenge across India, in the fall of 2020. At the heart of this partnership, is our shared goal to help bridge both the gender divide and the digital divide in India.”
As part of programme, W-GDP will partner Reliance Foundation to create an India-specific expression of the WCC and incorporate the lessons of previous W-GDP WCC Rounds.
“The W-GDP Fund was created to source and scale the most innovative programs to advance women’s economic empowerment. We are leveraging the resources and expertise of the U.S. government and the private sector so that activities have enduring, deep effects on the communities they reach,” said Ivanka Trump, an adviser to the President of the United States.
In February 2019, the White House had established the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative, the first whole-of-government approach to women’s economic empowerment. W-GDP seeks to reach 50 million women in the developing world by 2025 by focusing on three pillars — Women Prospering in the Workforce, Women Succeeding as Entrepreneurs and Women Enabled in the Economy.
In its first year, W-GDP programs reached 12 million women across the globe.
“…At the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), we believe investment in women is key to unlocking human potential on a transformational scale. The W-GDP Fund at USAID is financing innovative solutions to close the economic gap between women and men and help our partners advance on their Journeys to SelfReliance,” said John Barsa, acting administrator, USAID.
In 2016, Reliance Industries launched Jio, a tech ecosystem, with as many as 120 million users joining it.
Also read: Regular train services to remain suspended till further notice
