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Information technology can offer significant opportunities for virtually all girls and women in developing countries, including poor women living in rural areas. However, their ability to take advantage of these opportunities is contingent upon conducive policies, an enabling environment in their countries to extend communications infrastructure to where women live, and increased educational levels.
(Gender, Information Technology, and Developing Countries, 2001)
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What has the DOT-COM Alliance done to address these issues and ensure womens ability to take advantage of IT opportunities?
The articles in this May 2005 issue of the DOT-COMments eNewsletter provide some answers to this question. The Gender and ICT study of 2001 quoted above highlighted five key ingredients that would increase womens ability to take advantage of IT opportunities. For each of these five ingredients, reference is made to specific articles in the newsletter that provide answers in terms of what the DOT-COM Alliance has done. Women continue to face many challenges and the DOT- COM Alliance will continue to strive to address these challenges through its activities around the world.
1. Policy
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The time is particularly appropriate to ensure the including of gender concerns in national IT policy, as most developing countries are either in the process of or about to start elaborating these policies
(Gender, Information Technology, and Developing Countries, 2001)
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dot-GOV has worked both to ensure that gender issues were addressed in ICT policies and regulatory frameworks and to ensure that a significant number of women took part it its capacity building activities.
dot-GOV article : Women and ICT Policy: The article provides an overview of dot-GOVs underlying understanding of how IT regulators can support gender equity.
2. Infrastructure
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Emphasis needs to be on common use facilities, such as telecenters, phone shops, and other forms of public access in places convenient and accessible to women.
(Gender, Information Technology, and Developing Countries, 2001) |
dot-ORG has established telecenters in Mali, Rwanda and Romania, providing convenient public access to information technology. In Uganda, dot-ORG supported the replication of the Grameen Village Phone model, allowing more than 1000 women to earn income renting out phone services.
dot-ORG article: Gender Strategies in dot-ORG projects: This articles addresses, among other things, issues related to womens access to public access points such as telecenters.
3. Education
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The single most important factor in improving the ability of girls and women in developing countries to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by information technology is education, at all levels from literacy through scientific and technological education.
(Gender, Information Technology, and Developing Countries, 2001)
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While two of dot-EDUs projects focus specifically on girls education and learning opportunities (see previous article on Low-Cost Technology for Semi-literate Mekong Girls in Laos/Thailand; and ICT for the Improvement of Education and Female Role Models in Yemen), dot-EDU has also integrated a gender perspective in all its projects.
dot-EDU article: Marching for Gender Equity in Peru: The article highlights one projects efforts to mix on and off-line professional development to improve teaching and learning in remote areas of Peru.
4. Skills
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Beyond access to basic education, girls and women must be equipped with skills to prepare them for a range of roles in information technology as users, creators, designers, and managers.
(Gender, Information Technology, and Developing Countries, 2001)
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dot-ORG article: Gender strategies in dot-ORG Projects: The article describes the gender approach developed and implemented in Programa para o Futuro, an innovative IT employability training program in Brazil.
5. Access for poor women
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Technological and social solutions exists to the constraints that presently keep poor women from using information technology. Most of these solutions have been tested in pilot projects. However, virtually none yet have easily replicable business models.
(Gender, Information Technology, and Developing Countries, 2001)
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dot-ORG article: Gender Strategies in dot-ORG Projects: The article mentions the Village Phone Ladies in Uganda, already addressed in a previous article as well as the use of vouchers in Mali to enable poor women to access ICT services.
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Core funding for the DOT-COM Alliance is provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture & Trade, Office of Infrastructure and Engineering (EGAT/OI&E), Office of Education (EGAT/ED), and Office of Women in Development (EGAT/WID), under the terms of Award numbers: GDG-A-00-01-00009-00, dot-GOV; GDG-A-00-01-00014-00, dot-ORG; GDG-A-00-01-00011-00, dot-EDU. |
© 2002 dot-com-alliance. All rights reserved.
The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.
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