In a series of announcements on Monday, 8 March, Google launched its global Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and Girls, which will provide $25 million in overall funding and Impact Challenge grantees will receive support and mentoring from Google.
The grant will enable organisations in India and around the world to enhance women and girls' economic empowerment and create pathways to prosperity.
Google.org President, Jacquelline Fuller wrote in her blog:
“When women and girls have the resources and opportunities to turn their potential into power, it changes the trajectory of their lives and strengthens entire communities.”Jacquelline Fuller, President, Google.org
Google’s chief executive officer (CEO) Sundar Pichai gave a call for a better future for women and girls in his tweet announcing the Impact Challenge.
Google also announced a grant of $500K to NASSCOM Foundation, which will provide help to 100,000 women farm workers by providing digital and financial literacy training in the six states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttarakhand.
"Women are almost twice as likely to lose their jobs during the pandemic and an estimated 20 million girls are at risk of not returning to school," Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai said at the event.
The Economic Times reported that a new feature on Google Search and Maps will be added that will enable users to search ‘women-led’ businesses and outlets. Union minister Smriti Irani, Ratan Tata, Google Vice-President and President of Google.org, Jacqueline Fuller also spoke at the virtual event.
Internet Saathi Program
Google's joint initiative with Tata Trust, 'Internet Saathi program' also came to a conclusion with the event.
Over 30 million women across India have benefitted from the ‘Internet Saathi program’ by receiving digital skills training provided by over 80,000 Internet Saathis.
Ratan Tata said at the virtual event, "Together, we embarked on training women trainers to familiarise other women on how to utilise the internet, all in the rural environment, that would otherwise never take place.”
He further added, “In bringing today's technology, and perhaps tomorrow's technology, to bear for the benefit of rural women is a great move forward.”
(With inputs from The Economic Times and Google.org)
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