New Global Initiative To Close Gender Gap In Science & Technology
Global Women Leaders in Tech Participate in IGNITE
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Global Fund for Women today launched IGNITE: Women Fueling Science and Technology, an online campaign and multimedia project that explores the roles of science and technology in advancing women's human rights. The project is one part of a Technology Initiative that calls on governments, funders, and corporations to invest in addressing the global gap between men and women in accessing, shaping, and leading science and technology -- in order to increase progress on equality and human rights.
IGNITE engages high-profile "Champions," including Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO and author of Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead; Reshma Saujani, Executive Director of Girls Who Code; singer/songwriter Carolyn Malachi; and Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO.
IGNITE includes:
- An online petition, co-presented with UN Women, calling for governments and the United Nations to take action to end the gender gap in technology.
- Videos of high-profile women and men, such as Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, describing their "Spark Stories" of what sparked their interest in science and technology.
- Stories of women working to propel human rights through technology like Inwelle Study and Resource Center in Nigeria, which enables girls to learn computer skills to empower them with income opportunities that help them challenge harmful practices like child marriage.
- Interviews with women leaders using technology to advance human rights, including Juliana Rotich, the founder of Ushahidi.
- A global girls "Hackathon" in January, co-presented with UN Women, which will see girls compete to design a solution for a pressing issue of girls' human rights.
"We can't divorce the global technology gap and the future of women's rights," says Musimbi Kanyoro, CEO and President of Global Fund for Women. "Our partners around the world tell us that women and girls' equal access to technology is critical for empowerment and equality."
IGNITE: Women Fueling Science and Technology is made possible by generous support from Symantec, National Endowment for the Arts, and Wells Fargo.
About Global Fund for Women
Global Fund for Women is a grantmaker and global advocate for women's human rights. We advance the movement for women's human rights by directing resources to and raising the voices of women worldwide. We invest in local, courageous women and women-led organizations, and create digital advocacy campaigns on critical global issues for women and girls.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141117/159093
SOURCE Global Fund for Women
Related Links
http://www.globalfundforwomen.org
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