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USAID has opened applications for the WomenConnect Challenge, seeking global solutions that meaningfully change the ways women and girls access and use technology.

Through the challenge, for which applications are open until May 4, USAID hopes to identify and accelerate solutions that empower women and girls to access and use digital technology to drive positive health, education, and livelihood outcomes for themselves and their families.

It is open to registered US or non-US organisations regardless of type, with all applicants required to use WomenConnect funds to implement a solution in a country with a USAID presence.

“Technology is revolutionising the world by providing tools for entrepreneurship, access to critical health and education, and life-enhancing information. Today, 1.7 billion women in low- and middle-income countries still do not own mobile phones, and the gap between the number of men and women using the internet has grown steadily over the past three years, resulting in a digital gender divide,” USAID said.

“This digital gender divide is reinforcing or even exacerbating existing socioeconomic gaps between men and women. By reducing this divide, women and girls will have access to information, networks, and services, driving inclusive economic growth and accelerating poverty alleviation.”

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