Digital Literacy For Women – The Intel JOYWO Partnership

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A connected woman is an empowered woman. She is a woman who is able to take better control of her life by exploring more career and income opportunities. She is able to better access healthcare, financial services as well as Government services to name a few. From learning how to do their make up on YouTube to how to improve their businesses by exposing them to audiences out there, there is a lot in the tech space and on the internet that will enable a woman to grow. Some students are able to submit as well as access educational materials online for example.  Some are able to look up new ideas from other parts of the world that could improve their businesses. Some mothers just want to be able to communicate with their children who live far off. The benefits are near endless.

Yours truly, having moulded a career based purely on the internet, can attest to its the immense benefits. For someone who spends their life online, hearing that only 1 in 9 women in African are connected to the internet came as a shocker. This is surely a sad statistic and I’m humbled and grateful to be part of that small demographic. I knew we’re not as connected as the Western world but I never realized that the stats are that dire. It is for this reason that I appreciate Intel’s efforts in improving digital literacy in women, with an end game to empower them and to open up the world for them to improve their careers, businesses, access community support and raise their self-confidence.

To further this noble initiative, Intel last week partnered with JOYWO (Joyful Women) in a bid to increase digital literacy to women. This collaboration aims to train over 1 million women in matters digital in Kenya by 2020. JOYWO is a Non-Governmental organization that works to organize women so they can achieve more in life. It is the brainchild of Her Excellency Mrs. Rachel Ruto and empowers women by running different empowerment programs like capacity building, table banking, activities to improve livelihood and market access. In Rachel’s words, “every JOYWO member has a success story”.

JOYWO came to be in 2009.

This initiative is being spear headed through Intel’s She Will Connect program whose brand ambassador in Kenya is Adelle Onyango. Intel has already trained trainers from JOYWO who will then go forth and train women in different parts of the country. You can see why JOYWO is a near perfect partner for Intel’s digital training initiative. It has presence in 45 counties around the country and this partnership will enable intel to reach an extensive network of women across Kenya.

In yet another win for the training program, Intel will be using the Kio tablet from BRCK to conduct face to face training for these women. Kio tablets are rugged, very functional and adaptable considering that they’ll be used in some far flung areas.

Digital empowerment will open up these women’s businesses and lives and we pray that it works brilliantly.